The song ‘My Worth Is Not In What I Own’ by Keith and Kristyn Getty explains this tension well: “Two wonders here that I confess; my worth and my unworthiness.”
I have recently found myself wrestling with these parallel truths; how can we be both worthy and unworthy? What exactly did Jesus accomplish for us on the cross? What are the spiritual consequences of living in a world enslaved to sin?
I know that I need Jesus but the Bible also assures us that we each have infinite, intrinsic worth because we are image-bearers of God.
Recently on social media, there has been pushback to the idea that we are ‘enough’ simply as we are. Some Christians are concerned that such messages disregard the earth-shattering sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross.
The issue is that such teaching can quickly become self-idolising. It minimises sin, and so also Jesus. It perpetuates the idea that we can sin as much as we like because God will forgive us every time. It reduces the message of the Bible to something that is palatable and acceptable to all people.
But the Gospel will offend us. The Gospel shows us our sin, which is often much worse than we care to admit. The Gospel tells us that because this great sin, Jesus - God Incarnate - humbled Himself to come to Earth to die for the sins of the world. We see God’s love more clearly when we acknowledge our sinful state.
I don’t know if you hold to a Calvinist or an Arminian view of salvation - to be honest I don’t know which I hold to - but both agree (to an extent) on the doctrine of total depravity. This asserts that, as a result of the Fall, humans are by nature bent towards sin and selfish desires. Our whole lives long we wrestle with sin because we are by nature hostile to God and His holiness (Romans 8:7).
In this way, we are ‘not enough.’ In this way, we are depraved. Jesus died for us because it was the only way for us to be made right with God. We cannot earn our salvation by our own merit. We do nothing to earn our salvation. We are not ‘worthy’ of it because of anything we have done. We are not enough - we are completely dependent on Jesus and His sacrifice. Without Jesus, we would still be separated from God.
All that being said, we need to be careful of the pendulum swing. The Christian way is rarely at the extremes and we should not live reactionary lives. Our aim is to live like Jesus; contemplative in what we say and do. Just because there’s an issue at one end of the spectrum does not mean we should disengage and huddle at the other side.
It should be simple. We’re loved by God but we’re not able to buy our own salvation. We need Jesus to be made right with God. Why the confusion of our worth? I’m not convinced this attack on the language of ‘being enough’ is warranted. I understand the concerns but there’s nuance to this and I think we should respect that. We don't need to diminish the message of God's loving care in order to uphold the truth of our need for Jesus.
So how to tread the tightrope? I think it is important to bear the following in mind:
Finally, self-care is not a sin. It is good for us to look after our bodies and our minds.
We don’t need candles or diffusers to accomplish this. These can be great tools of course, if they work for you, but I think it’s important to decouple the idea of self-care needing to look like an aesthetic TikTok video with tinkly music in the background.
It is good to remember God’s promises and affirmations and to seek solace in who He says we are. We are His infinitely loved children and it is good for us to celebrate this truth and remind one another of it.
There are a lot of ways in which this world can knock us down, and it is important that we are reminded of our worth in Jesus.
Some verses to consider when wrestling with our worth:
I have recently found myself wrestling with these parallel truths; how can we be both worthy and unworthy? What exactly did Jesus accomplish for us on the cross? What are the spiritual consequences of living in a world enslaved to sin?
I know that I need Jesus but the Bible also assures us that we each have infinite, intrinsic worth because we are image-bearers of God.
Recently on social media, there has been pushback to the idea that we are ‘enough’ simply as we are. Some Christians are concerned that such messages disregard the earth-shattering sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross.
The issue is that such teaching can quickly become self-idolising. It minimises sin, and so also Jesus. It perpetuates the idea that we can sin as much as we like because God will forgive us every time. It reduces the message of the Bible to something that is palatable and acceptable to all people.
But the Gospel will offend us. The Gospel shows us our sin, which is often much worse than we care to admit. The Gospel tells us that because this great sin, Jesus - God Incarnate - humbled Himself to come to Earth to die for the sins of the world. We see God’s love more clearly when we acknowledge our sinful state.
I don’t know if you hold to a Calvinist or an Arminian view of salvation - to be honest I don’t know which I hold to - but both agree (to an extent) on the doctrine of total depravity. This asserts that, as a result of the Fall, humans are by nature bent towards sin and selfish desires. Our whole lives long we wrestle with sin because we are by nature hostile to God and His holiness (Romans 8:7).
In this way, we are ‘not enough.’ In this way, we are depraved. Jesus died for us because it was the only way for us to be made right with God. We cannot earn our salvation by our own merit. We do nothing to earn our salvation. We are not ‘worthy’ of it because of anything we have done. We are not enough - we are completely dependent on Jesus and His sacrifice. Without Jesus, we would still be separated from God.
All that being said, we need to be careful of the pendulum swing. The Christian way is rarely at the extremes and we should not live reactionary lives. Our aim is to live like Jesus; contemplative in what we say and do. Just because there’s an issue at one end of the spectrum does not mean we should disengage and huddle at the other side.
It should be simple. We’re loved by God but we’re not able to buy our own salvation. We need Jesus to be made right with God. Why the confusion of our worth? I’m not convinced this attack on the language of ‘being enough’ is warranted. I understand the concerns but there’s nuance to this and I think we should respect that. We don't need to diminish the message of God's loving care in order to uphold the truth of our need for Jesus.
So how to tread the tightrope? I think it is important to bear the following in mind:
1. Beware of idolatry.
When I was learning the Ten Commandments in Sunday School, I always thought I was sorted for the second commandment. I had never bowed to any statues or worshipped golden calves. Now I realise this is maybe the command I struggle with the most.
Anything can be an idol. Yoga or coffee or marriage or nationalism or theology - all of these can replace God’s place in our lives and become an idol.
In considering the balance of worth and unworthiness, I think we need to be careful of the idol of self. The self-love movement is necessary in many ways but it can feed us the notion that we should worship ourselves.
In considering the balance of worth and unworthiness, I think we need to be careful of the idol of self. The self-love movement is necessary in many ways but it can feed us the notion that we should worship ourselves.
2. Recognise that there are different stages on the spiritual journey.
Different resources will be useful to us at different stages in our faith journey. If someone is learning to swim, they don’t start in the deep end. We can be so judgy about what is fluffy or shallow or not theological enough. Some of the most pivotal books in my faith journey are not ones I would necessarily read again, but they were important stepping stones along my path. As Spurgeon said, the Gospel is revealed to us in degrees. We are all still learning.
The message that we are beloved by God, and worthy in His eyes, is no less Biblical than the truth of our desperate need for Jesus Christ. Understanding the balance between the two will come. There’s a lot of nuance in this conversation, but surely telling young people that they are enough is a much-needed message in this age of constant comparison. Some people desperately need to be reminded that they are worthy of love and enough as they are. This is a true and Biblically-founded message. We can affirm this without straying to self-worship. We don’t need to live at one of two extremes.
3. We should honour our bodies and our minds.
Finally, self-care is not a sin. It is good for us to look after our bodies and our minds.
We don’t need candles or diffusers to accomplish this. These can be great tools of course, if they work for you, but I think it’s important to decouple the idea of self-care needing to look like an aesthetic TikTok video with tinkly music in the background.
It is good to remember God’s promises and affirmations and to seek solace in who He says we are. We are His infinitely loved children and it is good for us to celebrate this truth and remind one another of it.
There are a lot of ways in which this world can knock us down, and it is important that we are reminded of our worth in Jesus.
Some verses to consider when wrestling with our worth:
- “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27, ESV.)
- “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17, ESV.)
- “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7, ESV.)
- “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20, ESV.)
- “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11-12, ESV.)
- “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2: 8-10, ESV.)