2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves

While all the worlde tells us that we must be lovers of our own selves, the Bible tells of those who are lovers of their own selves and indicates that this is not a good thing.

2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

The world warns us that, if we don't love our own selves, then we cannot love others.  The culture never offers any valid proof for this outrageous claim, but virtually the entire world, and many in the church, parrot this claim as if it were the truth.  Is it the truth?

1 Corinthians 13 says, "charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,"  That is to say that love is humble.  It doesn't brag.  It has no pride.

We are to think of ourselves as we actually are.  If we are born again, then we are new creatures in Christ.  We are the called-out ones.  We are not called to fit in with the world, but we are called out of the world.  We are called to be Holy.  We have the Holy One living in our hearts.  He is the only righteous One.  He is able to do His works through us if we will allow Him.  He alone can do good works.  We have become two people by being born again.  We have the sinful person, the old Adam, to whom we are dying.  We ARE the new person, the ministry, the manifestation of the Glory of God.  That is, Christ in you, the hope of glory.  We are to identify with Him.  He never sins.  He is never wrong.  We direct our will to do His will.

If, and when, we direct our will to do the will of the old Adam, then we sin.  When we sin, we repent.  We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus.  We confess our sin, and God is faithful and just to forgive our sin.

So we have a sinful nature that is always with us.  We do not make provision for it.  We do not yield our will to do the will of the sinful nature.  We yield to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit who does righteousness through us.  But the sinful nature is not who we are.  We do not identify with the sinful nature.  We need to remember who we are in Christ.