Just Be True To Yourself?

The snatch of Thought for the Day which I heard today seemed to conclude along the lines of, "well, even if you don't believe in God etc., at least we can all agree that we should try to be true to ourselves."

Well, can we agree on that?

I don't think so! Not, at least, from a traditional Christian point of view.

You see, myself is part of the problem! Yes, human beings were created good, in the image of God, but they are also totally depraved. That is, not that we are as bad as we might be, but that every aspect of our being is affected by The Fall. We are originally good, but also subject to original sin, which goes deep down to the basic level of who I am. I can't escape my sinful self.

All my thoughts and desires are affected by my spiritual deadness and my bias to sin. So it's no good even to try to be true to myself in my better moments or my vision of who I would like to be, because I never have a thought that is entirely Godly and my idea of my best self is distorted.

Human effort might tidy up our appearance and allow us to sin more efficiently and less disruptively, but I need a new heart, a life transplant - a new self which is more me.

Be true to yourself? No, because I am pretty messed up.

We need Jesus the Truth to set us free from ourselves if we are to be the people God intended us to be and who we will be in Christ in the New Creation.

The way to be most fully and happily yourself is to be found in Jesus by faith. That way, nothing good is to be lost. We give up our lives to Jesus - and he gives ourselves back to us in him, transformed and renewed, and awaiting that day when we will be true to ourselves.