In When People Are Big and God Is Small, Ed Welch makes a statement that slices through much of today’s pop-Christian messaging:
“Jesus did not die to increase our self-esteem. Rather, Jesus died to bring glory to the Father by redeeming people from the curse of sin.”
It’s not that Jesus is indifferent to our struggles with worth and identity—He cares deeply (Matthew 10:29-31). But the cross was never meant to be a divine pep talk. It was the cosmic, history-defining act by which God’s justice, love, and glory met to rescue sinners from eternal death.
The Glory of the Father
Jesus Himself was clear about His mission: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you” (John 17:1). Redemption is not primarily about us feeling better about ourselves, but about the Father being magnified through the salvation of His people. The cross shows God’s holiness—sin is punished. It shows His mercy—sinners are forgiven. And it shows His power—death is defeated.
The Curse of Sin
From the Garden of Eden onward, humanity has lived under the curse described in Genesis 3—a separation from God and a bent toward rebellion. Paul reminds us in Galatians 3:13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” Our problem is not low self-esteem; it’s that we stand guilty before a holy God. The cross addresses the root, not the symptom.
A New Identity in Christ
Yes, salvation transforms how we see ourselves—but not by inflating our self-worth in the world’s terms. Instead, it gives us an entirely new identity as children of God: “But to all who did receive him…he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). The worth we now have is not based on our performance or self-perception, but on Christ’s finished work.
Worship, Not Self-Focus
Paul writes, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The gospel frees us from obsessing over ourselves—whether in pride or insecurity—and turns our focus toward worship. The purpose of our redemption is to declare God’s excellencies (1 Peter 2:9), not to spend our lives trying to convince ourselves we’re enough without Him.
The True Cure for the Human Heart
Ironically, when we make “feeling better about ourselves” the primary goal of Christianity, we shrink God and enlarge self—the very problem Welch warns against. But when we see that the cross is about God’s glory and our rescue from sin, our hearts are steadied. In knowing God truly, we see ourselves truly: forgiven, loved, and called to live for His purposes.
Our deepest need is not higher self-esteem, but reconciliation with God. And that’s exactly what Jesus accomplished: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).