What does the Bible say about believing in yourself?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The idea of believing in oneself stems from the self-esteem movement, which sought to encourage people to develop greater self-confidence grounded in an inherent sense of goodness and worth. It has become so deeply integrated into everything that it’s considered an unquestioned truth. However, Scripture portrays the human condition in vastly different terms. Rather than calling men and women good, it calls us corrupted (Psalm 14:3) and sinful (Romans 3:10–18). It teaches that our evil is so deep that its comprehensiveness is hidden from us (Jeremiah 17:9).

In terms of worth, we were created to image God’s worth, not our own (Genesis 1:26–27). As such, Scripture never encourages us to believe that we can do great things, but to humble ourselves (James 4:10), value others as more important than we are (Philippians 2:3–4), and to serve them (Mark 10:45). Jesus was the prime example of this. Though He was God, He humbled Himself to die and save us (Philippians 2:6–8). As His followers, we are to do likewise, dying to self (Galatians 2:20) for the sake of others. Instead of self-confidence, our confidence is to be in God (e.g., Philippians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 3:5).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Our value is derived from the fact that God created us in His image (Genesis 1:26–27). Being in His image means we are to show others who He is by being like Him. Therefore, our focus should be on making Him great.
• However, though we were created in God’s image and created with a good purpose, when we rebelled against Him (Genesis 3), we became corrupted. Since then, no human outside of Jesus has been good. Read what God says of our current condition: “The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:2–3; cf. Romans 3:10–18).
• This corruption is deep. Elsewhere God said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). He was saying that only He understands the true thoughts on humankind (Jeremiah 17:10), and those thoughts are wicked. We often refer to believing in ourselves as trusting in our hearts. However, Scripture teaches that we can’t trust it because it is deceitful.
• This is why Solomon said that the beginning of wisdom is fearing the LORD (Proverbs 1:7), meaning we are to trust God rather than our own thoughts (e.g., Proverbs 3:5–6).
• In contrast to the wise, the fool is one who believes in himself or herself. Such self-confidence inevitably leads to their destruction. As the famous proverb says: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Believing in oneself is a way of expressing undue confidence in one’s ability to accomplish something. Paul warned believers not to be puffed up (1 Corinthians 4:6) and “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3). This is because a believer understands their condition as a sinner and is greatly susceptible to error.
• Instead, believers are to follow Jesus’ example. This means we are to think of others more highly than ourselves (Philippians 2:3–4). Doing that requires us to actually think less about ourselves, the opposite of the self-esteem movement! For Jesus’ part, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6–7). Jesus did not consider His high position to be one to hold onto at all costs (“grasped”). Instead, He willingly let go of what He deserved as eternal God to become like the lowliest human so that He could die for our sin (Philippians 2:8). We are likewise to humble ourselves (James 4:10).
• As believers, we too are called to die to ourselves, putting aside our ambitions and dreams for the future, to follow Jesus. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Dying to self means living to serve others and, ultimately, Jesus (Mark 10:45).
• Why could Paul give up everything for Jesus? Because his confidence was not in himself but in God. He said, “I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11–13). We must trust likewise in God and aim for His goals, not ours (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:5).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

From Disney movies to feel-good news stories, we are surrounded by the suggestion that if you believe in yourself, you will succeed. While everything always works out in the movies, and while some have followed their own paths with great earthly success, the Bible measures results in the reality of eternity. Its goal is not to help us fulfill our dreams or live out our best lives now, but to prepare us for that eternity.

What Scripture teaches is that our hearts are sinful. It also shows that our dreams and desires are tainted by that sin (Jeremiah 17:9), and what we believe will make us happy and fulfilled may actually be leading us away from God. It also shows that believing in ourselves is short-sighted because it focuses only on what happens in this life! We are like the man who has acquired so many things that he “follows his heart” and decides to build more storage space…only to die by evening (Luke 12:16–20).

We must reorient our hearts towards God. That starts by realizing that we are sinners and can’t save ourselves. It does not matter how well we do in this life; when we die, our earthly dreams end as well. We must also humble ourselves. Salvation isn’t about finding another path to joy or peace in this life. It’s about becoming a disciple of Jesus and following Him. His way is hard and not what our hearts naturally want, and so He warns everyone who wants to follow Him to count the cost first (Luke 14:26–28). Finally, rather than believing in ourselves, we must believe that God is and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). This means we must confess the sins deep within us and believe in Jesus as our Lord (Romans 10:9–10).

This is what the Bible teaches: following our hearts leads to eternal destruction but following Jesus is the road to eternal life.

UNDERSTAND

• Our focus should be on reflecting God, not on believing in ourselves.
• Human nature is corrupted by sin and the heart is deeply deceitful, making self-trust an unreliable and spiritually dangerous foundation.
• Rather than self-confidence, believers are called to humility, dying to self, and placing their confidence in God, who strengthens them for everything He calls them to do.

REFLECT

• In what ways has the self-esteem movement shaped the way you think about yourself, and how does God's Word challenge those assumptions?
• How does understanding that your worth comes from being created in God's image change the way you approach your sense of identity, value, and purpose?
• What helps you identify when you are relying on yourself more than on trusting in God and what He says about you?

ENGAGE

• How can Christians distinguish between the biblical call to humility and a psychologically unhealthy self-deprecation that Scripture also does not endorse?
• What does Jesus' humility reveal about the relationship between true greatness and self-giving humility?
• How should the church engage with the self-esteem movement's genuine concern for human dignity and worth while maintaining the biblical framework that grounds that worth in God rather than in the self?