Is God a Narcissist? Why God’s Demand for Worship Isn’t Selfish

The first commandment God gave Israel was this: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). And the rest of God’s commands and revelations throughout the Bible are consistent with this. God, and only God, is to be worshipped. Only God can get the glory.

But the skeptic looks at this and asks: “If anyone else acted the way God acts, we’d call them a narcissist and accuse them of outright selfishness. Isn’t his demand for worship just a sign of selfish egotism?”

In this episode, Scott and Shawn sit down to talk through this objection, looking to God and his word to answer this challenge against God’s character. Tune in and discover that far from an act of selfishness, God’s command that we worship him only is born from his selfless love.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Kristi Burke’s video, “The Inherent Selfishness of the Biblical God”
• “What is the Relationship Between Apologetics and Theology?” by Scott Stein on YPT
• John Piper’s response in his book Life as a Vapor
• “Why Does God Command Us to Worship Him?” by John Piper
• Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis

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