tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578595981424253854.post5332628969995912570..comments2023-09-19T04:44:58.904-07:00Comments on Musings from a Theo-Geek: "In Christ" Does Not Mean Seeking One's "Identity"Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15411152395819469453noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578595981424253854.post-85131400024899660912009-10-11T04:58:23.043-07:002009-10-11T04:58:23.043-07:00Marie - this was very good, thank you. You're...Marie - this was very good, thank you. You're not alone in this struggle. I have had to learn tha being made in His image is one thing, and being anything but a depraved sinner unable to save himself is quite another. Blessings!Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10281126424462398813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578595981424253854.post-45832320594997217332009-10-09T16:33:29.727-07:002009-10-09T16:33:29.727-07:00Thank you; you seem to understand it better than I...Thank you; you seem to understand it better than I do! Great analogy from Randy Alcorn. I've heard good things about him; have yet to read anything by him.Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15411152395819469453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578595981424253854.post-6580957930810633022009-10-09T15:09:39.104-07:002009-10-09T15:09:39.104-07:00Another great Post, very helpful! I grew-up with a...Another great Post, very helpful! I grew-up with a man-centered theology and I am still in the process of shedding that kind of thinking. For example, I didn't eschew sin because it was open warfare against God. My motive for avoiding sin was because, in the end, it would be the best thing for me. Pure pragmatism divorced from any true affection for God. <br /><br />Often, we have heard the idea that we are special because God sent His only Son to die for us. This is how Randy Alcorn addressed that kind of thinking:<br /><i>"Suppose a man murdered five children and his bail was set at ten million dollars. Would you look at the enormity of the price of his freedom and conclude, "Wow, this guy must really be worthy! I mean, he's worth ten million dollars!" I doubt his lawyer or anyone else would point to the cost of his bail as an indication of his worth or a basis for his self-esteem!"</i><br /><br />I recently had a conversation with a friend (who quoted a preacher) on the importance of forgiving yourself. I said that is part of the problem, we are too important in our own thinking. We need to understand the infinite worth of God and that we have sinned against Him. Whether or not we "forgive" ourselves is of little consequence. If we understand the depth of our sin and the infinite worth of God, the only thing that matters is if He has forgiven us. And if He has forgiven us, what else can there be but great joy in that knowledge?<br /><br />Our problem is not that we have low self-esteem, it is that we have a low opinion God.Joe W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03591135884255357946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578595981424253854.post-74698515620019051132009-10-04T16:24:16.200-07:002009-10-04T16:24:16.200-07:00Thanks for the thoughtful and transparent post. I...Thanks for the thoughtful and transparent post. I appreciate your ability to be corrected and how you strive to get just the right balance. Blessings to you for that.<br /><br />"Yet somehow, even in our worship (as has been pointed out many times in analysis of modern "worship" songs), what we are really saying to God is not "I love You", but rather "I love me, and since You love me, that's great!""<br /><br />So true!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com