Loving Yourself the Way God Loves You

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… Romans 8:1

We often hear about God’s call to love others. Indeed, there are far more verses in the Bible about loving others than loving oneself. In fact, depending on the version of the Bible one uses, there are approximately 250-300 verses about loving God; approximately 500-600 verses about loving others, and only two verses (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:37-39) about loving oneself. Therefore, it is not surprising that so many believers think it is ungodly to talk about loving themselves. Or, that it is a sign of sinful pride and arrogance to love oneself.

I suggest to you that loving oneself is fundamentally biblical and necessary. Too many people are struggling with self-deprecation or self-hate. When people do not love themselves, they allow people to use and abuse them. Without self-love, one can easily become self-destructive.

Although there are far more verses about loving others than loving oneself, no one can love others with the love of God if they do not love themselves. Therefore, the journey to loving others and loving God begins with self-love. My challenge for you today is to love yourself as God loves you!

Loving yourself the way God loves you means refusing to condemn what He has already forgiven and choosing to treat yourself with the same patience, grace, and hope He extends every time you stumble. Thus, we read in Romans 8:1: "There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Imagine the following case scenario: a judge slams the gavel and declares, “Not guilty,” yet the defendant remains seated, head down, replaying the charges as if the verdict never came. The courtroom empties, the chains are removed, but the person still lives like a prisoner because they refuse to believe the ruling. Loving yourself the way God loves you means standing up and walking out of a sentence that has already been overturned. Grace only transforms your life when you stop arguing with the verdict God has already given.

It’s time you extend grace to yourself without guilt or condemnation. Stop beating yourself up for your past mistakes. Resist the temptation to treat yourself as a failure because you failed, or as a mistake because you made mistakes. You are not a loser because you’ve lost some battles in life.

Stop rehearsing past failures, internalizing guilt, and speaking harshly to yourself in ways God never does. Romans 8:1 reminds us of a liberating truth: in Christ, condemnation has been cancelled. God does not relate to us through shame, punishment, or constant disappointment. He relates to us through grace.

Let us therefore release every voice of condemnation that does not come from God. Let His love shape how we see ourselves, how we recover from failure, and how we move forward. When we learn to love ourselves as God loves us, freedom replaces shame, and peace begins to lead our lives.

Question for Reflection

Where have you been condemning yourself for something God has already forgiven?

Prayer

God, thank You that there is no condemnation in You. Help me to see myself through Your grace and to love myself the way You love me freely, patiently, and without shame. Teach me to live from forgiveness, not guilt. Amen.