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The Narcissistic Nature of the Human Mind
Greek mythology gives us the story of Narcissus, a handsome teenager who spurned others and fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water where he died because he was unable to leave his reflection. It from this story the term narcissism is derived.
Webster defines narcissism to be self-love; interest, often excessive interest, in one's own appearance, comfort, importance, abilities, etc. (Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.) Narcissism makes oneself the center of the universe.
Contrast this to Psalm 8:3-4, written by David.
Psalm 8:3-4
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What
is man, that thou art mindful of him? andthe son of
man, that thou visitest him?
David saw man as small compared to God’s creation and was not in awe of himself. David in his many psalms expressed an attitude that worships God and sees humanity as small compared to the greatness that is God.
How is it today in our enlightened age we have come to reinforce a need for self-esteem to the point that what we establish is excessive self-love rejecting the needs of others? The narcissistic nature of the human mind is the focus of this study.
I recently read a widely popular self-improvement book that if I mentioned the name, many would recognize. Like many self-help books, this book extolled principles that can be found in the Bible. Unfortunately in this book, these principles were not presented on the soundness of the Bible, but on a sandy foundation rejecting God and focusing on a need to have self-love. At the end, I saw the book as indulgent to the narcissistic human mind, as the narcissistic human mind rejects God in favor of the self. The name of the book is not important. Understanding that God is greater than each of us and that we are small in comparison to the greatness of God is what is important.
How do self-help books like this present Biblical principles on a sandy foundation that otherwise looks very good to the untrained eye? It does so much in the same way the serpent told Eve in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:4 that she and Adam would not die if they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When Adam and Eve ate of this fruit, mankind developed an awareness of good and evil, and this awareness is what allows us to see good and evil and to write self-help books. The awareness of good and evil that Adam and Eve had and that man without God’s Spirit has had throughout history is limited to the degree that God works in our lives through his Holy Spirit. What we must do is examine the principles of self-help books within the context of the Bible guided by the Holy Spirit, not within the context of modern intellectualism that is solely based on mankind’s knowledge of good and evil.
What are a few of the principles extolled by some of these self-help books?
What is the result if one accepts these principles outside of the context of the Bible? One runs the risk of developing a system of belief that is of, for and by the human mind and not of, for and by God’s Spirit. Those who fall in this trap will die a physical death having lived their version of Heaven or Hell. Those who want something more, who are called and chosen by God, who are led by the Holy Spirit, look to the Bible for truth.
Let’s examine some of the principles extolled by self-help books and see what the Bible has to say.
Our belief system prevents us from finding truth.
Our belief system is written in the pages of the Bible.
John 17:17
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Sanctify means to set apart as special. We are made special in the eyes of God because God gives us his truth through his written and spoken word. We find spiritual truth from within the Bible. We do not find spiritual truth from sources that contradict the Bible. Our belief system should be based in worshipping and serving the Creator.
Romans 1:25
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the
Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Think of this verse in modern context. The creature mentioned is commonly viewed as the entire creation, and today we call this the environment. God gave mankind dominion over the environment in Genesis 1:26, and while it is important to be a wise steward of what God has given us, we must not worship and serve the environment as this changes God’s truth into a lie. In the end, for those who know God’s plan of salvation, if we focus on the physical environment more than we focus on God, we reject God, because we know that in the end, God will give us a new heaven and a new earth that will exist forever with God. Even David, referenced earlier in Psalm 8:3-4, when he saw mankind as small and insignificant when compared to God’s creation was not worshipping the creation. He was in awe of God’s concern for mankind and was worshipping God in humility. Truth is found in the pages of the Bible through serving God. As we read the Bible and serve God, we serve God by keeping his commandments.
1 John 2:4.
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Even if we acknowledge that God is Creator, we must keep his commandments to serve him or we will not have the truth.
Our belief system has no justice.
There are some who claim that religion is the cause of our evils. We do live in a world where man will kill man in the name of God, and judge man in the name of God. God from the very beginning of time has intended for justice to prevail. The hardness of our hearts is quick to ignore justice and seeks revenge. The way one endures to the end in the great tribulation as shown through the parables of Matthew 25 is to tend to those in need, and in God’s eyes, this is justice. One verse in the Bible about religion is simple and to the point.
James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
This verse talks about pure religion. If pure and undefiled religion is discussed than one must accept that impure and defiled religion also exists. It is this impure and defiled religion, influenced by Satan that causes so much grief in our world. Pure and undefiled religion visits, or sees to the needs of fatherless and widows—those who truly are not in a position to take care of themselves, both physically and spiritually. It also involves staying unpolluted from this world, becoming pure in mind, the perfection that is mentioned in so many verses of the New Testament. When James wrote his epistle, he wasn’t authoring new ideas. The writings and prophets of the Old Testament contained similar ideas.
Psalm 82:3
Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
There are those in society that are easy to forget. It is easy to pay attention to and support the rich, the A-listers, those with influence in our immediate life. There may not be the immediate reward to defend those in need; our reward will come later. Notice what Solomon, the wisest man to live wrote.
Proverbs 21:3
To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
Some are too concerned with being right with God that they forget of the need to do justice and so the needy are forgotten as if somebody else will take care of them. Though God will accept repentance, what God wants as a result of his Spirit working in us is justice and judgment, something lacking in Satan and his demons. We exercise and increase justice and judgment by serving those in need. In God’s Kingdom, this type of justice and judgment will be common place.
Jeremiah 23:5
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Our belief system prevents us from seeing beauty.
Beauty can be wonderful to behold and it can be deceitful. We must be careful to not let beauty deceive us, as it deceived Lucifer, who considered himself to be of perfect beauty.
Ezekiel 27:3
And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the
people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.
In addition to perfect beauty, Lucifer was also given a great deal of wisdom.
Ezekiel 28:12
Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
With these gifts, Lucifer should have soared to great heights in the way that God intended. Instead, Lucifer soared to Heaven to unseat God. His beauty and wisdom became more important to him than his Creator. There is a right way to see beauty. True beauty comes from righteousness and like righteousness will endure forever. In many verses, God is shown to have beauty because of God’s righteousness.
Hosea 14:6
His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
Zecheriah 9:17
For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful,
and new wine the maids.
Our belief system doesn’t prevent us from seeing beauty. It helps us to develop beauty of righteousness that will last for eternity.
Our belief system is false and based on lies.
Whenever a claim is made that our belief system is false and based on lies, the intent is to plant the seeds of doubt. Our belief system is not false and is not based on lies. 2 Thessalonians 2 shows that God can cause many to be deluded into believing a lie because they reject God’s truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:11
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
Part of the lie originated by the serpent in the Garden of Eden perpetuated to this day is doubt in the word of God. When told by the serpent that they would surely not die if they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, doubt was created. Adam and Eve did not immediately die, but they did eventually die. God cannot lie to us.
Titus 1:2
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
God has never lied to us nor will he ever lie to us. God cannot lie. Doubt in God’s word and lies are the invention of Satan to promote an agenda contrary to the will of God.
Faith is simply a belief in something.
The definition for faith is given in Hebrews 11:1.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is belief but requires something else to benefit us.
James 2:19-20
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou
know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Satan and his demons believe in God. Does this mean that Satan and his demons are faithful? Faith, or belief, without works is dead, because even Satan and his demons believe. What are the works James if referencing? Surrounding verses show that works involve using one’s faith to act in a manner that supports your faith. For example, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac. Rahab helped the messengers from Israel. So faith is a belief in something, but that belief leads us to act in a manner consistent with our belief.
Our faith is false.
The idea that our faith is false is just another statement designed to create doubt. Faith is what justifies us and gives us peace with God through Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
If we allow doubt to take over our mind and begin to think our faith is false, we cannot please God, because this doubt rejects the existence of God and his personal plan for our salvation, as we rely on ourselves, and not God.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and
that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Sin is anything that goes against the self.
Sin is not going against the self. Sin is going against God. We all have sin. Those who believe they are without sin have no truth.
1 John 1:8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Faith is a prerequisite for not sinning. Any action we take, any thought we have that does not involve faith is sin. Those who reject faith, by default, sin. In order to act or think without sin, we must be led by God’s Spirit, and to be led by God’s Spirit, we must live a life of faith.
Romans 14:22-23
Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Our actions and thoughts, even when involved with faith must conform to God’s law, because sin is defined as the transgression of the law. Going a step beyond, sin is unrighteousness. God is righteous, and he is raising us to be his righteous children.
1 John 3:4
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
1 John 5:17
All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
Not going against oneself leads to life.
The idea that submitting to your own will leads to an enriched life is contrary to what the Bible would teach. The result of our faith is our salvation, and faith requires us to keep the commandments of God. If eternal life is what we seek we will keep the commandments of God living a life of faith.
1 Peter 1:9
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the
faith of Jesus.
Forgive God
There are some who suggest we need to forgive God so that we can forgive ourselves. Forgiving God is not a principle taught in the Bible. God is without sin. Whatever God does is for our benefit andleads to good.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
When bad things happen in our life, we must accept what has happened without blaming God. Many of the bad things that happen in our lives are the result of bad choices we make. Sometimes bad things happen due to time and chance. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) Jesus used this principle to teach about the tower that fell on and killed eighteen people in Siloam. (Luke 13:4) We must remember that in the end all things will work together for good. When we have a need to forgive God, we reject God’s ability to make all things work together for good, we deny God, we lack faith, and the truth is not in us. What is important for us and for God is our ability to forgive other people who cause us hurt. We must be able to forgive others before God will forgive us.
Matthew 6:12-15
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive your trespasses.
Luke 11:4
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
God will forgive us our sins when we acknowledge them to Him.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
When we are born of God, we will no longer sin. Until that future time, we will continue to sin and be in need of God’s forgiveness.
1 John 3:9
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he
is born of God.
Do not judge or blame yourself for your actions.
Sin is what causes us to do what we do, but sin is caused because we allow ourselves to be enticed by our own lusts. Lust originates in the mind, and it is in the mind of a person led by God’s Spirit that actions are controlled. In his writings, Paul judged himself claiming that evil was present with him. He knew that Jesus Christ would save him from his sins. By not blaming ourselves or judging ourselves we deny the need for a savior, and if we deny this need, there is no salvation for us.
Romans 7:14-25
For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for
what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
James 1:13-15
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth
he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
We do live in a world that encourages the narcissistic human mind. Instead of seeing ourselves as the center of the universe, we need to see ourselves as a small part of God’s creation. When we see ourselves as imperfect and dependent upon God for salvation, and respond to his truth and live a life based on faith, God will allow us to receive the result of our faith, oursalvation.
All verses are from the King James Version.
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