Talking Back to Our Self-Condemnations

I messed up again. When will I ever learn?
I let them down, I’m such a failure.
Why did that happen to me?

Guilty. Ashamed. Unworthy.

We regret poor choices we made. Life circumstances overwhelm us. We wonder if God still loves us and how we could ever be useful. When these thought patterns overwhelm us, instead of listening to our negative self-condemnations, it’s time to talk back to ourselves. We need to tell ourselves who we are in Christ.

In Ephesians 1, Paul reminds us of our identity in Christ. These reminders are God-breathed truths that describe our present, spiritual reality.

“...blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing…” (verse 3)
When we start to dwell in the bog of self-pity, we can replace those thoughts with reminders of the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. 

“...Chose us in him before the foundation of the world…” (verse 4)
Even before he created the world, God chose us. Not because we would be perfect, but because Christ lived the perfect life. And so, in Christ, we are made holy.

“...we have redemption through his blood, forgiveness of our trespasses…” (verse 7)
As believers, we are redeemed and forgiven. What we did ten years ago, or yesterday, or three weeks from now is covered by Jesus’ blood that was shed for us. We do not need to linger in self-condemnation, instead we move forward in repentance.

“...were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit…” (verse 13)
In the time of the New Testament, a seal was a stamp that served as a signature on a legal document. It represented the guarantee that the owner would follow through on the terms of the contract. The Holy Spirit is our reminder that we belong to God from the moment we believed the gospel.

These are only a few of the gospel truths that we see in Ephesians 1. They are encouraging and hope-filled. We can replace our feelings of unworthiness and shame with reminders of who we are in Christ. But they aren’t meant to be mere positive affirmations that we can rehearse to boost our self-esteem. They pull us out of our self-focused introspection and point us beyond ourselves. 

We are blessed, chosen, redeemed, forgiven, and sealed so that we “might be to the praise of his glory” (verse 12). This isn’t an abstract, theological catchphrase. “To the praise of his glory” is how we live out our identity in Christ every day.

These truths about ourselves lead us to praise God! We have been lavished with his grace (verse 7). God hasn’t just blessed us a little — he has given us every spiritual blessing. We direct our thoughts to the one who planned from eternity past to redeem us. As our pity turns to praise, we are showing gratitude for who we are in Christ.

It’s not just about what we have been given in Christ. Our praise is for his glory.  There is nothing we have done, or can do, to deserve to be blessed, chosen, or redeemed. When we praise him, when we rehearse the gospel truths, we bring him glory. In the rest of the letter to the Ephesians, Paul shows us how to live out these gospel truths. 

In Ephesians 2:10, we see that we are God’s masterpiece, created for good works. We don’t do good works to be accepted or loved, but we do them out of gratitude for his many blessings. Later in chapter 2, Paul reminds us that we are now united with other believers. As we turn our thoughts from ourselves, that frees us to think more of other believers and show them the same love that God lavished on us. If there is someone we know who is discouraged or struggling? We can call them or meet for coffee and read Ephesians 1 together.

In chapter 3, Paul explains that the grace he was given empowers him to boldly and confidently proclaim the riches of Christ. We can imitate Paul by telling others about the love of Christ that surpasses understanding. We may think it shows humility to put ourselves down when we talk to others or post on social media. But this puts the focus on ourselves instead of on God. Instead of looking for affirmation from others, we can express our gratitude for God’s unconditional love.

We see another reminder of our identity in Christ in Ephesians 4. We have been renewed, created like God in righteousness and holiness (verse 24). Because of this, Paul says we need to speak truth, deal with our anger, work diligently, build others up, and forgive others. And we need to examine ourselves to see if we are harboring any bitterness, slander, or malice towards others. All these practical applications show us that we glorify God when we take our eyes off ourselves so that we can serve others. These are actions that flow out of a life rooted in Christ. We can’t do this without the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, so when others see these changes in our life, they bring glory to God. 

Finally, at the conclusion of the Ephesians  in chapter 6, Paul wraps up by telling us to stand firm. By using the imagery of pieces of armor, he reminds us of all the spiritual blessings we have through the truth of the gospel. We don’t have to live in doubt, discouragement, and despair. We can stand firm and glorify him, knowing that we are blessed, chosen, forgiven, and sealed.

See also: From the Mercy Seat to Christ, Biblical Meditation Part 1, Biblical Meditation Part 2