The Positive in the Negative
Anyone who has radically “accepted being accepted” already thinks well of themselves. Their positive and secure self-image is a divine gift totally given from the beginning and never self-constructed. It is quite stable and needs no fanfare.
.. One thing we all have in common is that we all “sin” (Romans 5:12), transgress, fall into our imperfections, and make mistakes. There are no exceptions to this. We are also sinned against as the victims of others’ failure and our own social milieu. Augustine called this “original sin.” But that does not mean we are bad at the core, which is the way it has unfortunately been misinterpreted for much of Christian history.
.. It is crucial that we understand Jesus was never upset with sinners; he was only upset with people who did not think they were sinners!