Is self-centeredness the root of all sin?
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Asked February 25 2014
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Linwood X Purvis
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Frederick Thomas
Self-centeredness or it’s about me Jas_4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. This principal will apply for the “wrong motives” Let’s use “Money” because special mention is made about money been a root of all evil 1Ti_6:10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. When God put money in our hands it is to feed our families and the poor. Now we apply Biblical principals with what God has given us. The Word teach us that when you give you will receive and whatsoever you sow you will reap. When some of us put it into practice it don’t work. NASB Jas 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. Give to get ends with you but God wants us to exercise the goodness that is in us Give to Get to Give. Sow to Reap to Sow If you sow to reap then the motive is wrong and your supply will be cut James 4:3 If you sow to reap to sow then the heart is right (generosity) and James 4:3 don’t apply to you. The greatest concern God has for us is to get us to heaven. If wealth will keep us out of heaven, our Father will remove it. Self-centeredness comes with a lot of disappointments Jas 1:9 Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up, Jas 1:10 and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant. 1 Sa 2:7 He makes some people poor and others rich (to be poor is a humble position, and to be rich is a great position); he humbles some and makes others great. The great position is the problem for it does not support you to be humble but temps you to be self-centered 1 Sa 2:7 The Lord maketh poor - For many cannot bear affluence, and if God should continue to trust them with riches, they would be their ruin. Maketh rich - Some he can trust, and therefore makes them stewards of his secular bounty. Deu 8:17 So then, you must never think that you have made yourselves wealthy by your own power and strength. Deu 8:18 Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to become rich. He does this because he is still faithful today to the covenant that he made with your ancestors. Job 1:21 He said, "I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The LORD gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!" Job 5:11 Yes, it is God who raises the humble and gives joy to all who mourn. Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Christians are generous people Rom_15:14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Goodness applied 2 Co 9:8 and God is able to give you more than you need (God is the Supplier), so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause. 2 Co 9:9 as the scripture says, "He gives generously to the needy;His kindness lasts forever." 2 Co 9:10 and God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread to eat (God) will also supply you with all the seed you need and(God)will make it grow and (God will)produce a rich harvest from your generosity. (All God need from you is this, to be sincerely “concern for others lack”) 2 Co 9:11 He will always keep you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts which they receive from us. Remember this is all subject to our character, but whichever way we are taken we must thank God in all things Msg Bible Jas 1:9 When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! Jas 1:10 And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don't ever count on it. May God Bless
Vin Smith
This is a very intriguing question… Considering that many have given great thought to examining the roots of evil, let’s take a look at a famous misconception, and then see how the correct Bible statement is actually tied into the core of self-centeredness. Many think erroneously that money is the root of all evil. But scripture is more specific than that. We are told that when we lust after filthy lucre, that is when sin begins to win. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. (1 Timothy 6:10) Holman Christian Standard Bible In fact, solid Christian stewardship enables us to use money wisely, ranging from sustenance for our families to selfless charity. When we consider the story of the rich young ruler, we see a fellow who is not only self-centered—he had many possessions—but his lust for his own wealth caused him to walk away from Jesus (rather than selling all that he had to give to the poor) Love of money spawning a deeply blinding and counterfeit self-regard. “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Phil 2:3-4) NAS Self-centeredness, indeed, can prevent the Christian life. In this day and age, it is necessary that we earnestly seek the reproof and correction (2 Timothy 3-16-17) of the above scripture (Philippians 2:3-4) Otherwise, our course will proceed along the path of destruction… “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) NKJV
JD Abshire
I believe we need to restructure the question which will give us a biblically correct answer. "Is the sin nature the root of self centeredness"? Psalms 51:5 "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Psalms 58:3 "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" It is the depraved nature of the human heart that manifests itself in our thoughts, speech and actions. Depraved does not mean that we are as bad as we can be but that we are as bad off as we can be. James put it like this in 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." I feel most have a misconception regarding sin. I believe the Bible teaches that we are not deemed "sinners" because of the sins committed but we commit sin because we are sinners by nature. Also quoted in several other passages, Galatians 5:14 states " For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." I believe this verse is terribly misrepresented by many. I have heard quite frequently "that in order to love others we must first learn to love ourselves" Are they kidding? Wow! This is the problem, we already love ourselves too much. Knowing the heart of man, the Holy Spirit had several writers pen this principle. In a Godly and Spirit filled marital relationship we are told in Ephesians 5: 28-29 "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. FOR NO MAN EVER YET HATED HIS OWN FLESH; BUT NOURISHETH AND CHERISHETH IT, even as the Lord the church:" (caps mine for emphasis).
Tim Thornton
Its the condition of every son and daughter of Adam because of the death that we all participate in. Self is at the very center of every dead sinners consciousness. Pleasing the self through finding pleasure and avoiding pain is the very essence of defining good and evil for fallen man. Self-centeredness is the root therefore of not only the bad sin but also the "good" sin. Every act of a fallen man is by definition sinful. I know and feel how shocking this sounds. But until we understand this we will not understand the true nature of sin the sinful self and what being reconciled to God really means. Some peoples self centeredness looks better than others. When it is painful for someone to be thought of as selfish they will give in order to look and feel like a generous person. In either case self is being served. It is much more comfortable for self to hide it true nature in "goodness" than evil. 1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Romans 14:23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. These verses elevate the most regular and mundane tasks to the place where we can see just how intimately God desires to be involved in our lives, but also brings to light how commonly we sin and don't even know it. God is to be at the center of our consciousness in every activity we engage in so that He will be glorified and we will enjoy Him by experiencing the gratitude that He is due. Please don't hear my words to say we should be grateful for all God gives us, though this true, there is something much more glorious in what I am saying. Gratitude in not so much a debt as though it was the payment God demanded as the least I can do for all He's done for me, but the free heart response of love to the one who gives and desires to keep on giving, even the gratitude He wants me to have is a gift from Him. If it was otherwise my natural self would resent the gift because it burdens it with debt. He wants me to know I was created by Him as a receiver, God doesn't give to get He gives to communicate Himself as the fountainhead of all the good we could ever need or want. He does this so we can rest in His care knowing we don't have to concern ourselves anymore with what concerns our lives. He simply wants me to trust Him receive from Him and delight in Him. This is How He delvers us from self-centeredness. 1 Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. In order for this to happen we must first be united to Him by faith in His only Son whom he offers to us freely to wash away our sins by His shed Blood and clothe us in His Righteousness in order to reconcile us to Himself. Our renewed true self once in union with Christ begins to experience freedom from the tyrannical selfish self that was incapable of any goodness or gratitude to God. Romans 1:21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 3:10-12 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” But once renewed by the gift of grace a Christ centered orientation fixes us on a path of; Romans 2:7-11 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self- seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good,
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