What does EGW write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "Dealing with Self-Love and Pride"
Answer
Dealing with self‑love and pride requires deep humility and the daily denial of one's own self, in order to make room for Christ in the heart. Self‑love and pride weaken character and hinder spiritual growth, because they distort the view of one's own shortcomings and block the connection to God. True strength and inner peace arise only when we think less of ourselves and instead place God and the welfare of our fellow humans at the center.
The Danger of Self‑Sufficiency
God cannot connect with those who live to please themselves and put themselves first. Those who do so will ultimately be the last of all. The sin that is most hopeless and incurable is pride in one's own opinion and self‑conceit. This hinders any growth. If a person has character flaws but does not recognize them; if he is so permeated by self‑sufficiency that he cannot see his errors, how then can he be cleansed?
True Dignity Through Humility
In self‑love, self‑exaltation and pride lies great weakness; but in humility lies great strength. Our true dignity is not preserved when we think most of ourselves, but when God is in all our thoughts and our hearts are fully filled with love for our Savior and love for our fellow humans. Simplicity of character and humility of heart will bring happiness, while self‑conceit will bring dissatisfaction, complaining and constant disappointment.
Concealing the Self in Christ
There is work before us to overcome pride and vanity that seek a place in our hearts, and to bring us through repentance and faith into a familiar and holy fellowship with Christ. We must not shrink from the depths of humiliation that the Son of God subjected Himself to... We must deny the self and constantly fight against pride. We must conceal the self in Jesus and let Him appear in our character and our conversations.
Pride as an Obstacle to the Spirit of God
Self‑respect and self‑sufficiency kill the spiritual life. The self is exalted; the self is spoken about. Oh, that the self would die! ... When this proud, boastful self‑sufficiency and this self‑satisfied self‑justification permeate the soul, there is no room for Jesus. He is assigned a subordinate place, while the self gains importance and fills the entire temple of the soul. This is why the Lord can do so little for us.
Love Does Not Seek Its Own
Love does not boast. It is a humble element; it never drives a person to boast or to exalt themselves. ... Love does not seek its own. It will not drive people to seek their own comfort and self‑indulgence. It is the respect we give to the “self” that so often hinders the growth of love.
🔍 Related Searches
- Character formation and humility
- Overcoming pride
- Christian self‑denial
Original Sources (English)
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