How to Know You’re A Sinner and Still Love Yourself

Carter Heminger
Sep 9, 2018 · 2 min read
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

It’s a question I was asked by a good friend of mine from college. His faith has fluctuated in past years to put it lightly, but he is a born again believer whose undying curiosity for God rekindles the flames of his spirituality quite often. He asks me questions about God almost every time we meet up, which is really refreshing, and sometimes challenging.

Sometimes, our talks can range from deep theology to ridiculous conspiracy, but this one had a very personal feel. He was clearly speaking from the heart when we were talking about sin, and how difficult it can be to pull ourselves out when we fall into a negative pattern or a spiritual rut. His question was as simple as it was difficult: “I know God loves me, but I’m such a bad sinner sometimes, how am I supposed to love myself?”

As Christians who are constantly falling back into sin, there comes a point when we can become very hard on ourselves. This isn’t necessarily bad, but remaining too critical of our actions can begin to hurt our self-worth. Remaining in this critical state for too long can make our self-perception far lower than God’s perception of us. In light of this, I had my response.

I tried to make my answer as simple as his question, despite the theological layers and rabbit holes we could’ve dived into head-first (like we do in most of our conversations). I told him, “If we love God, we’ll love the things He loves.”

It’s a reference back to God’s greatest commandment, to love God. I am a firm believer that every good and holy thing a person can ever do is a result of following that commandment. The second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself, is STILL a result of the FIRST greatest commandment. When you love God, you love the things He loves.

Clearly, God loves us a whole lot, meaning if we love God, we’ll love ourselves too. This sounds much simpler than it is, but for those struggling with self-image or self-worth, it’s a great place to start. Think of who God is and the things He loves, and think of what you have in common with the other things God loves. If you’re still struggling, try to find help. Guess what, God loves people! And he wants to use those people to help you find what He loves about you.

For some, it may click immediately. For others, it could take some time before progress is made. Regardless, the point remains the same. Love God, and you’ll love what He loves, including yourself.

Written by

Christ-follower, writer, musician, marketer. carterheminger.com

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