The world’s view (as a moral system opposed to God) of self-esteem is always wrong. When the world exalts man, it merely exalts self. This leads to pride, which is the worst of sins, because it gives to man the glory that belongs to God. On the other hand, when the world demeans self, it demeans man. This is also wrong, for it demeans that which God created in His image and likeness. Since the fall, man has lost the likeness to God, but he is still here in the image of God.
True Christianity exalts man, but not self. This is because it exalts man in Christ—“that I may win Christ”—and thus self is kept in the place of death. In Philippians 3 Paul recognized that everything that gave self a place of honor must be counted loss. But in Psalm 8 we find man exalted, because it is Christ that is in view. In having Christ as our object, the Christian walks in all the dignity of a man in Christ, but without pride, for Christ gets all the glory.
W. J. Prost