Topical Encyclopedia
The concept of "self" in the Bible is intricately connected to the nature of humanity, the fall, and the process of redemption. The Bible presents a dual perspective on the self: one that acknowledges the inherent value of each individual as created in the image of God, and another that recognizes the fallen nature of humanity, which often leads to self-centeredness and sin.
Creation and the Image of GodThe Bible begins with the creation of humanity, where God declares, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness" (
Genesis 1:26). This foundational truth establishes the inherent worth and dignity of the self, as each person reflects aspects of God's character. The self, in its original design, was intended to live in harmony with God, others, and creation.
The Fall and the Corruption of SelfHowever, the fall of man introduced sin into the world, corrupting the self. The desire to be like God, knowing good and evil, led Adam and Eve to disobey God (
Genesis 3:5-6). This act of rebellion marked the beginning of self-centeredness, where the self sought autonomy apart from God. The Apostle Paul describes this condition as living "according to the flesh," which is hostile to God (
Romans 8:7).
Self-Denial and DiscipleshipIn the New Testament, Jesus calls His followers to a life of self-denial. He states, "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" (
Matthew 16:24). This call to self-denial is not a rejection of one's identity but a renunciation of the sinful nature that seeks to prioritize self over God and others. It is an invitation to find true life by losing it for Christ's sake (
Matthew 16:25).
The New Self in ChristThe transformative power of the Gospel offers a new identity in Christ. Believers are encouraged to "put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires" and to "put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (
Ephesians 4:22-24). This new self is characterized by a renewed mind and a heart aligned with God's will.
The Role of the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the believer's journey of sanctification, empowering the self to live according to God's purposes. Paul writes, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit" (
Romans 8:5). The Spirit enables believers to overcome the sinful tendencies of the self and to bear the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, and peace (
Galatians 5:22-23).
Self-Examination and HumilityThe Bible encourages self-examination and humility as essential practices for spiritual growth. Paul advises, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves" (
2 Corinthians 13:5). Humility is seen as a virtue that aligns the self with God's purposes, as "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (
James 4:6).
ConclusionThe biblical view of self encompasses both the dignity of being made in God's image and the reality of human sinfulness. Through Christ, believers are called to deny the sinful self and embrace a new identity, empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in righteousness and holiness.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Same; particular; very; identical.
2. (n.) The individual as the object of his own reflective consciousness; the man viewed by his own cognition as the subject of all his mental phenomena, the agent in his own activities, the subject of his own feelings, and the possessor of capacities and character; a person as a distinct individual; a being regarded as having personality.
3. (n.) Hence, personal interest, or love of private interest; selfishness; as, self is his whole aim.
4. (n.) Personification; embodiment.
Greek
1466. egkrateia -- mastery,self-control... mastery,
self-control. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: egkrateia
Phonetic Spelling: (eng-krat'-i-ah) Short Definition:
self-mastery,
self...829. authades --self-pleasing
...self-pleasing. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: authades Phonetic Spelling:
(ow-thad'-ace) Short Definition:self-satisfied, arrogant Definition:self...
842. autarkes --self-sufficient, sufficient
...self-sufficient, sufficient. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: autarkes
Phonetic Spelling: (ow-tar'-kace) Short Definition:self-sufficient, contented...
1467. egkrateuomai -- to exerciseself-control
... to exerciseself-control. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: egkrateuomai Phonetic
Spelling: (eng-krat-yoo'-om-ahee) Short Definition: I exerciseself...
841. autarkeia --self-satisfaction, ieself-sufficiency
...self-satisfaction, ieself-sufficiency. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
autarkeia Phonetic Spelling: (ow-tar'-ki-ah) Short Definition:self...
843. autokatakritos --self-condemned
...self-condemned. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: autokatakritos Phonetic
Spelling: (ow-tok-at-ak'-ree-tos) Short Definition:self-condemned Definition...
830. authairetos --self-chosen, ie of one's own accord
...self-chosen, ie of one's own accord. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration:
authairetos Phonetic Spelling: (ow-thah'-ee-ret-os) Short Definition: of one's...
4995. sophronismos --self-control
...self-control. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: sophronismos Phonetic
Spelling: (so-fron-is-mos') Short Definition:self-control,self-discipline...
1468. egkrates -- strong, master of,self-controlled
... strong, master of,self-controlled. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: egkrates
Phonetic Spelling: (eng-krat-ace') Short Definition:self-controlled...
846. autos -- (1)self (emphatic) (2) he, she, it (used for the...
... autos. 847 . (1)self (emphatic) (2) he, she, it (used for the third pers.... word
Definition (1)self (emphatic) (2) he, she, it (used for the third pers....
Strong's Hebrew
6106. etsem -- bone, substance,self... 6105c, 6106. etsem. 6107 . bone, substance,
self. Transliteration: etsem
Phonetic Spelling: (eh'tsem) Short Definition: bones. Word
...377. ish -- show oneself a man
... 376, 377. ish. 378 . show oneself a man. Transliteration: ish Phonetic
Spelling: (eesh) Short Definition: man.... show oneself a man...
5315. nephesh -- a soul, living being, life,self, person, desire...
... a soul, living being, life,self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion.
Transliteration: nephesh Phonetic Spelling: (neh'-fesh) Short Definition: soul....
1610. gaph -- body,self, height, elevation
... 1609, 1610. gaph. 1611 . body,self, height, elevation. Transliteration:
gaph Phonetic Spelling: (gaf) Short Definition: alone....
6031. anah -- to be bowed down or afflicted
... 6030b, 6031. anah. 6031a . to be bowed down or afflicted. Transliteration:
anah Phonetic Spelling: (aw-naw') Short Definition: defile. abaseself, defile...
2930. tame -- to be or become unclean
... defileself, polluteself, be make, makeself, pronounce unclean, utterly.
A primitive root; to be foul, especially in a ceremial...
6286. paar -- to beautify, glorify
... 1), shows forth his glory (1). beautify, boastself, go over the boughs,
glorifyself, glory, vauntself. A primitive root; to gleam...
5844. atah -- to wrap oneself, enwrap, envelop oneself
... 5843, 5844. atah. 5844a . to wrap oneself, enwrap, envelop oneself.
Transliteration: atah Phonetic Spelling: (aw-taw') Short Definition:self....
5162. nacham -- to be sorry, console oneself
... comfortself, ease one'sself, repent,. A primitive root; properly, to
sigh, ie Breathe strongly; by implication, to be sorry, ie...
2891. taher -- to be clean or pure
... be make, makeself, pronounce clean, cleanseself, purge. A primitive root;
properly, to be bright; ie (by implication) to be pure...
Library
Self-Diffidence
...Self-diffidence. Source of love, and light of day, Tear me from myself away;... Still
let slip the good I-seek.Self-confiding wretch, I thought....
Self-Denial.
...SELF-DENIAL. 'And... him. The first thing in all progress is to leave something
behind; to follow him is to leave one'sself behind....
Self-Examination
...Self-Examination. A Sermon (No.218).... "Prove your own selves." That means more than
self-examination: let me try to show the difference between the two....
Satisfied fromSelf
... THE PROVERBS SATISFIED FROMSELF. '... A good man shall be satisfied from
himself.'"Proverbs 14:14.... This is no Stoical proclamation ofself-sufficingness....
Crucifixion ofSelf.
... CRUCIFIXION OFSELF. It... Many talk of crucifixion, yea, claim to be crucified,
who know hardly the first step away fromself. To...
The End ofSelf-Will
... THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL THE END OFSELF-WILL. 'Now the Philistines fought
against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before...
WhatSelf Deserves
... WhatSelf Deserves. A Sermon (No.3506). Published on Thursday, April 6th, 1916.
Delivered by.... III. WHAT FOLLOWS? Well, there follows, first of all,self-distrust...
Self-Denial.
... First Chapter. SANCTIFICATION. XVI.Self-Denial.... To think that byself-sanctification
God is honored and His glory exalted isself-deception....
July the Seventeenth the Dying ofSelf
... JULY The Seventeenth THE DYING OFSELF. JOHN xii.12-36.... No tomb, no resurrection
glory! In every life there must be a grave, andself must be buried within it....
The Necessity ofSelf-Abasement
... The Necessity ofSelf-abasement. Source of love, my brighter sun, Thou alone my
comfort art;... Strangely jealous I became,. Jealous of thisself in me....
Thesaurus
Self-will (2 Occurrences)Self-will. Selfwill,
Self-will. Selfwilled . Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.)
One's own will, esp.
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
SELF-WILL.
...Self (28 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) Hence, personal interest, or love of private interest; selfishness; as,
self is his whole aim.... Multi-Version ConcordanceSelf (28 Occurrences)....
Self-control (14 Occurrences)
Self-control. Selfcontrol,Self-control.Self-controlled .... (n.) Control of one's
self; restraint exercised over one'sself;self-command. Int....
Self-same (17 Occurrences)
Self-same. Selfsame,Self-same.Self-seeking . Multi-Version
ConcordanceSelf-same (17 Occurrences). 2 Corinthians 5...
Self-controlled (9 Occurrences)
Self-controlled.Self-control,Self-controlled.Self-discipline . Multi-Version
ConcordanceSelf-controlled (9 Occurrences). 1 Thessalonians...
Self-indulgence (4 Occurrences)
Self-indulgence.Self-imposed,Self-indulgence.Self-indulgent . Noah Webster's
Dictionary (n.) Indulgence of one's appetites, desires...
Self-surrender
Self-surrender. Selfsurrender,Self-surrender. Selfwill . Int. Standard
Bible EncyclopediaSELF-SURRENDER.self-su-ren'-der...
Self-restraint (2 Occurrences)
Self-restraint.Self-respecting,Self-restraint. Selfrighteousness . Noah
Webster's Dictionary (n.) Restraint over one'sself;self-control;self-command....
Self-made (2 Occurrences)
Self-made.Self-judged,Self-made.Self-mutilators . Noah Webster's Dictionary
(a.) Made by one'sself. Multi-Version ConcordanceSelf-made (2 Occurrences)...
Self-assertive (1 Occurrence)
Self-assertive.Self-abasement,Self-assertive.Self-avenger . Noah Webster's
Dictionary (a.) Disposed toself-assertion;self-asserting....
Resources
What does the Bible say about being self-centered? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is self-actualization? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about self-hatred? | GotQuestions.orgSelf: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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