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Paul's Perspective On Christianity

Decent Essays

Scripture and theology agree that at my core I am a bad person. Romans 3:23 stated that “everyone has sinned, and we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” and earlier in Romans Paul lists what the scriptures say about all individuals. This list does not vary from what social psychology says about humanity: we are not wise, our speech is not kind or good, we commit murder and destruction, we cannot know peace, and not a single one of us is capable of doing good. In the surrounding verses, Paul goes on to explain that we are only righteous—we can only be good—through the grace of God and the actions of Jesus Christ. Philip Esler (2003), based on this passage, stated that “the human condition has changed now; people can and do become righteous… …show more content…

280). Paul responded to this question by quoting passages from Hosea and Isiah in his letter, he stated that God will “call those who are not his people, his people, and the unloved beloved.” In the Christian tradition who I am is dependent on what God says that I am, because it is through Jesus Christ that I discover my true self. If God says I am his beloved, then who I am and how I perceive myself changes greatly. This drastically changes how I act and how I think about myself: if I truly believe that I am God’s beloved it seeps into my daily life. It becomes easier to love people genuinely even when someone frustrates me because it is easier to love myself. I am kinder and more accepting to all individuals because I have grace for myself. I am more aware of how my words and actions effect and impact others because I am more aware of myself. Being God’s beloved is a blessing, and I am glad that it is part of my …show more content…

I judge others more harshly than I judge myself, because there is always an external reason whenever I do a bad thing. I lie and misrepresent myself in order impress others, because I want other people to like me. I do not always rely on true information before making assumptions because I am lazy. I like to think well of myself, my bad behaviors are situational but other’s bad behaviors are dispositional. I am often afraid of self-awareness because I do not like to see myself for who I really am because my beliefs and actions are not always congruent. I am selfish. Self-esteem is so important to me that I am willing to lie not only to others but also to myself in order to protect it. I am not always sincere. I am self-serving. I have addictive tendencies. I am invested in protecting myself, more specifically the image that I project to

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