Is God a Narcissist?

In a recent session, a client told me about a conversation with a friend who is struggling to believe God is good and labeled Him a narcissist. As I reflected on this, I thought about the qualities and characteristics of a narcissist. A narcissist is someone whose identity is wrapped in shame and self-hatred. Everything a narcissist does is to mask and deny their own internal state of self-loathing. They require admiration and glory from others to sustain the narrative they’ve built on lies.

Returning to the original question...does God require glory? Yes—but not because He needs us to worship Him. It is because of who He is and who we are. A narcissist tells stories and creates a narrative that glorifies them and makes them look good. It’s not founded on truth, like currency not backed by gold. God, on the other hand, is backed by gold. His character, His attributes, His actions—His justice, mercy, forgiveness, unrelenting love, faithfulness, and all-knowing nature—are not things we need to affirm. They are simply who He is, and they always will be, with or without our worship. The created can never be greater than the Creator. Worshiping God is remembering and acknowledging our place in the created order.

Is God a narcissist? Let’s look at Jesus. He was born in the most humble, weak, and feeble state imaginable. Scripture tells us He was not much to look at (Isaiah 53:2). His every action, word, and manner drew people to Him. The only ones threatened were those whose authority and power rested on fragile narratives. Jesus brought people hope, healed people despite the state of their sin, and fulfilled the promise that began in Genesis. Does that sound like a narcissist?

Then there is the Holy Spirit—our helper. The one who goes before us and works within us, empowering us to do what we cannot do in our flesh. A glimpse of the glorified body to come, not on this earth, but in the next. Why would a narcissist help if not for their own gain? The only gain God has in reaching down to us mere humans is relationship.

You may not believe in God—or even the triune God—and you may read this like mythology. The argument still stands whether you believe in the God of the Bible or not: God is not and cannot be a narcissist.

What questions about God's character have you wrestled with in your own journey?

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Scripture References (NLT / NIV):

• Isaiah 53:2 (NLT): “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.”

• Psalm 103:8 (NIV): “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”

• Romans 5:8 (NIV): “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

• John 14:16-17 (NLT): “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”

• Genesis 3:15 (NLT): “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”