Quote:
Originally Posted by JBaldwin  Quote:
Originally Posted by panta dokimazete Folks - couple of questions to clarify the OP:
1. Is natural self-love godly?
2. Should God's love be the model to reform our natural self-love?
3. Won't that reformed self-love help us better love our neighbor? | In reference to your first question--If I understand you correctly, you are asking this: Is natural self-love part of our sinful nature or is natural love something that was part of man in his innocency and is now going to be renewed in our sanctification? I would like to throw out this same question, because I think it is valid.
What would we look like if we were completely sinless, i.e. if our sanctification were complete? My answer is that we would be like Jesus was. If that is the case, did He love Himself? Does God love Himself? I think so, but not in the sinful way that man loves Himself. In the sense that God is completely satisfied with Who He is, He has no longing to be something other than He is, I believe God loves Himself. |
Which is the point of the OP
- as we strive more and more to love God as we are in the process of being sanctified, our "natural" fallen self-love will become more and more turned toward the type of self-love God has - which will then influence us to love others as a perfect expression of godly self-love.