Does the Bible say anything about ego?

what does the bible say?

The ego is our sense of self; it represents the "I" aspect of a person. Though it is not inherently prideful, it can easily represent human pride because our natural tendency as humans is to be self-focused. The Bible doesn't discuss the ego by name; however, it gives us guidelines to live by that often conflict with our natural egos. Throughout the Bible, an inflated sense of self is shown to be destructive, as seen beginning with Lucifer. God calls us to love Him and love others. We cannot do this when we have a conflated view of self. Instead, we are called to live humbly and recognize who we are before Christ. Doing this allows us to live as Christ did and to glorify Him in all we do.

from the old testament

At the beginning of time, Lucifer wanted to be at the same level as God, and his inflated ego led to his banishment from heaven and his transformation into Satan. This all happened as a result of pride (Isaiah 14:13–15).In the garden of Eden, Satan deceived and tempted Eve by telling her that she could be like God (Genesis 3:4–6).The Bible says that pride will destroy you: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18).For Christians, the Bible makes it clear that we are to be humble, not egotistical: "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).It is much better for us to be lifted by God in His way and His timing than to lift ourselves by our own egos: "The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life" (Proverbs 22:4).

from the new testament

The Bible calls us to die to ourselves that we may live in Christ: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). This does not mean that we cease to be unique individuals or to have a sense of self, but it does mean that we are no longer self-obsessed or prideful. Instead, our primary identity is founded in the truth of Christ, and our lives are lived by His power and for His glory.Romans 12:3 tells us we are to see ourselves rightly, not with a conflated ego: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”We must remember that everything we have comes from Christ. Paul makes this observation: "…What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?" (1 Corinthians 4:7).When we realize that everything we have has come from God, it leaves no room for prideful ego (Ephesians 2:8–9).As we stay humble, God promises that He will lift us up: "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you" (James 4:10; cf. 1 Peter 5:5).

implications for today

The Bible calls us to live with humility. We can do this when we see ourselves rightly before God and rightly among others (Romans 12:3). Jesus serves as the best example of humility. Jesus did only what His Father God directed Him to do: "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me" (John 5:30). Jesus recognized that even talent and spiritual revelation are gifts from God (John 7:16). By coming to earth as a human, Jesus "emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." (Philippians 2:7). Living in humility like Jesus brings rest to our minds (Matthew 11:29).

The true purpose of humility is that it enables us to honor God and to treat others as better than ourselves: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3–4). The greatest commandments God has given us are to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind and to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37–40; John 15:1–17). There is not room to fulfill these commands if we allow our egos to have first place in our lives.