The inner critic in most people runs harder and longer than they would ever allow it to run about anyone they love. The harsh self-assessment after a mistake that a friend would have been forgiven for in minutes. The standard applied to the reflection in the mirror that would be called unreasonable if applied to anyone else. The voice that replays failures, catalogs shortcomings, and has a remarkable talent for drowning out anything kind before it has a chance to land. That voice is not from God — and Scripture makes that clear in ways that are both gentle and completely unambiguous about the value He places on every person He created, including the one reading this right now.
That’s exactly what this collection of Bible verses about self love is here to speak into. You’ll find the best Scripture verses on being fearfully and wonderfully made, on God’s intimate knowledge of every person He created, on loving your neighbor as yourself — which has always implied that loving yourself is part of the design, not a departure from it — on caring for the body and soul entrusted to you, and on the deep, settled acceptance of someone who has been known completely and loved without condition by the God who made them. Read them when the inner critic is loudest. Write the ones that reach deepest somewhere you will see them daily. God has never once looked at you the way your harshest thoughts do — and these verses are the reminder of exactly how He does.
JUMP TO:
Before Anyone Told You Who You Were — What God Said First
- “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” — Genesis 1:27 (NIV)
- “In the image of God he created them.” — Genesis 1:27 (NIV)
- “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” — Genesis 1:31 (NIV)
- “It was very good.” — Genesis 1:31 (NIV)
- “You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” — Psalm 139:13 (NIV)
- “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” — Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
- “Fearfully and wonderfully made.” — Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
- “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.” — Psalm 139:15 (NIV)
- “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” — Psalm 139:16 (NIV)
- “All the days ordained for me were written in your book.” — Psalm 139:16 (NIV)
- “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” — Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
- “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” — Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
- “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love.” — Ephesians 1:4 (MSG)
- “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” — Deuteronomy 7:6 (NIV)
- “His treasured possession.” — Deuteronomy 7:6 (NIV)
- “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” — Matthew 10:30–31 (NIV)
You Are Not a Mistake — the Verses That Settle the Design Question
- “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
- “God’s handiwork.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
- “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” — Psalm 100:3 (NIV)
- “It is he who made us, and we are his.” — Psalm 100:3 (NIV)
- “Yet, Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” — Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
- “We are all the work of your hand.” — Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
- “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever — do not abandon the works of your hands.” — Psalm 138:8 (ESV)
- “Do not abandon the works of your hands.” — Psalm 138:8 (ESV)
- “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
- “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” — Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
- “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” — Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
- “He works in you.” — Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
- “Your hands made me and formed me.” — Psalm 119:73 (NIV)
- “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
- “Plans for you.” — Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
- “The very hairs of your head are all numbered.” — Luke 12:7 (NIV)
- “But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” — 1 Corinthians 12:18 (NIV)
What God Actually Thinks When He Looks at You
- “You are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you.” — Isaiah 43:4 (NIV)
- “Precious and honored in my sight.” — Isaiah 43:4 (NIV)
- “I have called you by name; you are mine.” — Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)
- “You are mine.” — Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)
- “I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” — Isaiah 49:16 (NIV)
- “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” — Isaiah 49:15 (NIV)
- “I will not forget you.” — Isaiah 49:15 (NIV)
- “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” — Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
- “He will take great delight in you.” — Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
- “He will rejoice over you with singing.” — Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
- “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.” — Psalm 149:4 (NIV)
- “The Lord takes delight in his people.” — Psalm 149:4 (NIV)
- “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” — 1 John 3:1 (NIV)
- “And that is what we are.” — 1 John 3:1 (NIV)
- “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” — Song of Solomon 4:7 (NIV)
- “There is no flaw in you.” — Song of Solomon 4:7 (NIV)
- “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you.” — Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)
- “I have made you and I will carry you.” — Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)
Loved Before You Were Lovable — the Gospel Case for Healthy Self-Worth
- “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8 (NIV)
- “While we were still sinners.” — Romans 5:8 (NIV)
- “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16 (NIV)
- “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” — Romans 5:6 (NIV)
- “When we were still powerless.” — Romans 5:6 (NIV)
- “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” — 1 Peter 1:18–19 (NIV)
- “With the precious blood of Christ.” — 1 Peter 1:19 (NIV)
- “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NIV)
- “You were bought at a price.” — 1 Corinthians 6:20 (NIV)
- “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” — Ephesians 1:7–8 (NIV)
- “The riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” — Ephesians 1:8 (NIV)
- “We love because he first loved us.” — 1 John 4:19 (NIV)
- “He first loved us.” — 1 John 4:19 (NIV)
- “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” — Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)
- “An everlasting love.” — Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)
- “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38–39 (NIV)
- “Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God.” — Romans 8:39 (NIV)
Who You Are in Christ — Your Actual Identity Right Now
- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
- “New creation.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
- “The old has gone, the new is here.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
- “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” — 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
- “Chosen. Royal. Holy. God’s special possession.” — 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
- “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” — John 1:12 (NIV)
- “The right to become children of God.” — John 1:12 (NIV)
- “For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” — Galatians 3:26 (ESV)
- “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.'” — Romans 8:15 (NIV)
- “Abba, Father.” — Romans 8:15 (NIV)
- “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” — Romans 8:16 (NIV)
- “We are God’s children.” — Romans 8:16 (NIV)
- “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” — Romans 8:37 (NIV)
- “More than conquerors.” — Romans 8:37 (NIV)
- “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” — Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
- “Christ lives in me.” — Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
- “Who loved me and gave himself for me.” — Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
- “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1 (ESV)
- “No condemnation.” — Romans 8:1 (ESV)
When the Mirror Lies — the Verses for the Voice That Says You’re Not Enough
- “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
- “The Lord looks at the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
- “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” — 1 Peter 3:3–4 (NIV)
- “Of great worth in God’s sight.” — 1 Peter 3:4 (NIV)
- “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” — Proverbs 31:30 (NIV)
- “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?” — Galatians 1:10 (NIV)
- “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” — Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)
- “Fear of man will prove to be a snare.” — Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)
- “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
- “My power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
- “When I am weak, then I am strong.” — 2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV)
- “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” — 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
- “Not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” — 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
- “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
- “He cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
- “Whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” — Romans 10:11 (ESV)
- “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” — Proverbs 31:25 (NIV)
Comparison Will Steal Your Peace — the Verses That End the Competition
- “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.” — Galatians 6:4 (NIV)
- “Without comparing themselves to someone else.” — Galatians 6:4 (NIV)
- “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?'” — Romans 9:20 (NIV)
- “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit — fruit that will last.” — John 15:16 (NIV)
- “I chose you.” — John 15:16 (NIV)
- “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord.” — 1 Corinthians 12:4–5 (ESV)
- “Each person has their own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” — 1 Corinthians 7:7 (NIV)
- “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.” — 1 Corinthians 12:4 (NIV)
- “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” — Romans 12:3 (NIV)
- “Think of yourself with sober judgment.” — Romans 12:3 (NIV)
- “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” — 1 Corinthians 12:17–18 (NIV)
- “Just as he wanted them to be.” — 1 Corinthians 12:18 (NIV)
- “I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content.” — Philippians 4:11 (ESV)
- “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” — Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
- “His power that is at work within us.” — Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
- “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Forgive Yourself — the Verses That Give You Permission to Stop Carrying It
- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
- “He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
- “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” — Psalm 103:12 (NIV)
- “So far has he removed our transgressions from us.” — Psalm 103:12 (NIV)
- “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” — Psalm 103:10 (NIV)
- “He does not treat us as our sins deserve.” — Psalm 103:10 (NIV)
- “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” — Isaiah 43:25 (NIV)
- “I will remember their sins no more.” — Jeremiah 31:34 (NIV)
- “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” — Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)
- “As white as snow.” — Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)
- “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” — Isaiah 44:22 (NIV)
- “Swept away your offenses like a cloud.” — Isaiah 44:22 (NIV)
- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
- “The old has gone.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
- “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” — Philippians 3:13 (NIV)
- “Forgetting what is behind.” — Philippians 3:13 (NIV)
- “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” — Psalm 51:12 (NIV)
What Love for Self Actually Looks Like — the Balance Scripture Holds
- “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” — Matthew 22:37–39 (NIV)
- “Love your neighbor as yourself.” — Matthew 22:39 (NIV)
- “As yourself.” — Matthew 22:39 (NIV)
- “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you? Therefore honor God with your bodies.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NIV)
- “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV)
- “For no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church.” — Ephesians 5:29 (NIV)
- “They feed and care for their body.” — Ephesians 5:29 (NIV)
- “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” — 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)
- “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” — Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)
- “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” — Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)
- “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” — Psalm 23:2–3 (NIV)
- “He refreshes my soul.” — Psalm 23:3 (NIV)
- “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
- “I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
- “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” — Psalm 23:1 (NIV)
- “I lack nothing.” — Psalm 23:1 (NIV)
Carry This All Day — the Declarations Worth Saying About Yourself
- “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” — Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
- “You are precious and honored in my sight.” — Isaiah 43:4 (NIV)
- “You are mine.” — Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)
- “You are a new creation.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
- “You are chosen.” — 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
- “You are God’s handiwork.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
- “You are God’s child.” — Galatians 3:26 (ESV)
- “There is no condemnation for you.” — Romans 8:1 (NIV)
- “Nothing can separate you from his love.” — Romans 8:39 (NIV)
- “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” — Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
- “The Lord takes delight in you.” — Psalm 149:4 (NIV)
- “He will rejoice over you with singing.” — Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
- “He has engraved you on the palms of his hands.” — Isaiah 49:16 (NIV)
- “He has made you and he will carry you.” — Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)
- “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” — Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
- “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” — Revelation 22:21 (NIV)