In the Religious Soup of my past, no human being had inherent worth. At the best, as I was taught, we were all worms. “Just a sinner saved by grace,” we learned.
If only we had not been taught to containerize scripture. Then, we might have remembered to apply the notion that we are what we believe (Proverbs 23:7).
This destructive way of thinking has its roots in a worldly ideology. It comes from the belief is that we, as humans, are not valued as individuals but for our performance.
So let’s cut through the fluff and get to the essence of what our pastors and teachers have conveyed to us: our worth is determined solely by what we can offer to God.
Unfortunately, this mode of thinking also causes and instructs us to measure ourselves by the performance of others. Which, in turn, puts us in cognitive dissonance:
“… Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” (2 Corinthians 10:12)
Are you beginning to see the error? Jesus called it out succinctly:
“But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
A Recovering Legalist 