One of the most important concepts to the Christian, Ephesians 4 talks about this, is humility. Humility is to be a hallmark of the Christian because we, by definition, have humbled ourselves before God. We have repented of our sins. We have acknowledged that we are sinners in need of a Savior. But that can go to a different extreme that some have called self-hate.

Self-hate and humility are very different. Humility, in the strictest definition, doesn't think about self in one way or another. I don't think about elevating myself. I don't think about denigrating myself. I'm just simply not focused on self. Self-hate, ironically, is actually a form of selfishness. It's a way of focusing on myself and all of my flaws and everything I don't like about myself, when in fact Christ has said that if you're in Christ, you're a new creation in him.

And so there is no place for self-hate. There's no place for self-love in the sense of elevating yourself above others, but neither is there a place for self-hate. Humility is a completely different concept.