Ego, Pride, and the Power of 'I Am': Part One
In our identity-obsessed culture, we receive conflicting messages about the self. Social media teaches us to flaunt it. Culture teaches us to build it. Psychology often teaches us to transcend it. But what does the Bible teach about who we are and how we should think about ourselves?
What if we've misunderstood ego and pride entirely?
What if the real danger isn't having a self—but having a self that's cut off from its Source?
The Misunderstood Ego: A Biblical Perspective
In modern discourse, the ego is typically cast as the villain. We're taught to silence it, slay it, or rise above it. In psychological terms, the ego is our self-conception—the part of us that craves approval, status, and identity. But what if the ego isn't inherently problematic? What if, instead of being our enemy, the ego is a vessel—a container created to carry the image of God, but hijacked by sin?
What Is Ego, Really?
The term "ego" comes from Latin, simply meaning "I." Sigmund Freud defined the ego as the mediator between the id's primitive desires and the superego's moral requirements. Scripture never mentions the word "ego" specifically, but it speaks of self, flesh, heart, and soul.
"The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
"For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires." (Romans 8:5)
These verses remind us of the danger of an unredeemed ego—one controlled by fallen human nature rather than by the Spirit of God.
Is Ego Always Bad?
Not necessarily. The ego becomes dangerous when it steps beyond God's design. In Genesis, Adam and Eve didn't sin because they wished to be evil—they sinned because they desired to "be like God" (Genesis 3:5). Pride entered, and ego transformed from reflecting God to attempting to replace Him.
But ego, at its core, is not rebellion—it's identity. It's the "I am" that either submits to the Great I AM or tries to compete with Him.
The Redeemed Ego
The Apostle Paul states, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). This isn't ego annihilation—it's ego transformation. The self doesn't disappear; it becomes a canvas for Christ's presence.
A redeemed ego can truthfully say:
"I am a child of God." (John 1:12)
"I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14)
"I am more than a conqueror through him who loved me." (Romans 8:37)
The ego is not removed—it's renewed.
Modern Misconceptions vs. God's Design
Culture says:
"Lose yourself."
"Forget who you were."
"Destroy the ego."
But Scripture states:
"Deny yourself" (Luke 9:23)—not destroy yourself.
"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2)
"Clothe yourselves with Christ." (Galatians 3:27)
God doesn't call us to lose our identity—He calls us to surrender it and allow Him to restore it to wholeness.
The key insight: Kill the false self, submit the true one. The problem isn't ego itself. The problem is an unsubmitted ego—an identity divorced from its Creator. You weren't meant to eradicate your sense of self. You were meant to bring it to the altar, to be molded, filled, and defined by the One who first declared, "I AM."
