Paul launched the concept of narcissism long before psychology sank its teeth into the idea of a personality disorder. But having just made a list of fifteen narcissistic traits, I thought I’d see how Paul did it. Interestingly, Paul says that these men will appear in the last days. NPD, or Narcissistic Personality Disorder, didn’t make it into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders until 1980. Paul made it sometime in the 1900s.
I will just go one by one and take a deep look at the concept of narcissism according to Paul. I find it very educational and somewhat painful, as my writing on this topic stems from personal experience.
The concept of narcissism in the Bible:
1: Lovers of themselves:
This one is a no-brainer. But what interests me is how narcissists manage to arrange themselves at the center of the universe. They find victims who sign up to their own agenda. I remember the anger I sparked in my ex when I once asked him why I could never choose a restaurant or contribute to our lives. I think I forgot the terms of engagement: channel all his stuff all the time.
Psychological diagnosis is more accurate. Most narcissists hate themselves. They cannot love themselves, so they separate themselves from their true selves and stick to a mere reflection of themselves. Everything must bend to the worship of this image in order to protect the narcissist from having to deal with his true identity.
2: Greedy
Money is the narcissist’s currency of approval. Being perceived as wealthy or even just having more than someone else feeds the narcissist’s need for a grandiose image. Narcissists are usually guilty of financial abuse (see here) and often commit crimes in order to keep the money flowing. It is not uncommon for victims to find themselves in poor credit, overextended credit, and serious debt after a relationship with someone. Your fire. In fact, when I left my ex, I discovered a bunch of bills in my name that he had neglected to pay.
Psychologically, money fuels their sense of entitlement and grandeur. Money is useful for seduction and power, both of which are tools of the narcissist. Money is often at the heart of every relationship with a narc. If you find yourself with someone obsessed with money, beware. You may have found your fire waiting to use your resources.
3: The braggarts
The grandiose nature of narcissism is hard to miss. Psychologists often comment on how genuinely superior narcissists feel about the rest of us poor people. They display high self-confidence at all times in order to maintain the image. Think of the Wizard of Oz. It showed a frightening and powerful image, which ultimately had no substance. Narcissists are just little people behind the curtains trying to distract us from seeing the petty, pathetic tyrants they really are.
3: Proud
The concept of narcissism in the Bible always includes arrogance. Proverbs are full of warnings against pride. In fact, I believe Satan is the perfect example of pride and where it leads. Jesus often referred to the pride and greatness of the Pharisees, which is a warning to all believers if there are any. But pride has above all one characteristic that links it to narcissism. It’s the fundamental belief that we don’t need anyone. Pride is the rejection of true relationship. Narcissists don’t have relationships. They have slaves.
4: The infidels
This is the official definition of a blasphemer: one who disbelieves; A person who mocks or ridicules a god or religion, or claims to be God. While quite a few world leaders claim to be God, narcissists often act as if they are. But blasphemy has to do with desecration of the sacred. A narc can spend all day criticizing God, religion, and saints.
I remember a lady whose boyfriend was clearly a narcissist. In his sixties, he was standing at the back of the church, wearing his black leather coat like a fourteen-year-old teenager. She told me he believed God had called him to tell the church what had happened. Any day God was going to elevate him to a position of power within the evangelical world. I laughed and felt insulted. However, I am sure that God does not call anyone to attack His bride. Love her? Yes. Guide, preach and tell the truth? Yes. Truth without love is not the whole truth.
5: Disobedience to parents
The concept of narcissism in the Bible often includes how one deals with authority. Patriarchy is the first experience any of us generally have. How I wish I had noticed the disrespect with which my ex spoke of his parents. I did not discover until after my divorce from him that he had stolen money from them to finance their honeymoon. As far as I know, he has never held down a job for the simple reason that he cannot handle any authority. He tried here and there. I covered for him and told people he was an entrepreneur. The truth is that he despised authority.
6: Not thankful
There is no such thing as enough for a narcissist. Entitlement is the black hole in which the entire universe can be consumed. I think of the Screwtape letters written by C.S. Lewis. The demons in the book are organized as a bureaucracy where higher-ups often devour those below them while living in fear of being eaten as well. Of course, this is how the demons in the book saw humans.
This is how the narcissist sees people: as a show. Lack of gratitude kept the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years. Imagine the wilderness inside the narc. Never enough, always the wrong kind of food, clothes, etc… Going to a restaurant with a narc on it is usually an ordeal. Hope and thanks are just tools for manipulation. Lack of gratitude prevents one from praising God, and praise is the key to His presence. Narcissus lives in a complaint-filled hell of their own making.
The concept of narcissism in the Bible is so long that it cannot fit into one article! Paul’s list is so comprehensive that I have to write this blog in two parts. But when Paul warns of hard times in his concept of narcissism, I have to take notice. In this age of gunfire and political fury, I think Paul is making an alarming prediction. Be careful, my friends, and practice the true religion, which is to remain unstained by the world and care for widows and orphans.
Praise be to Jesus, the suffering servant who humbly came to wash our feet, die for us, and raise us with him. Knowing the extent of anti-Christ narcissism, how could we not want to call Him Lord?
