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Presented by Lisa Bishop
Are you self-righteous? What an opening question, isn’t it? I would venture to say there are times in our lives when we have been self-righteous, and self-righteous behavior can jeopardize relationships and destroy community. As followers of Jesus, you and I are called to be a community that loves one another. But how do we do that well?
We’re looking at what the Bible says about our dispositions, mindsets, and attitudes and how we are to behave in a way that fosters unity.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-24).
All have sinned and fallen short. That includes you and me. This biblical truth should keep us humble. But when we focus on the shortcomings of others and forget to look in the mirror, self-righteousness can rear its ugly head and wreak havoc on community. Self-righteousness often sneaks into our lives when we start comparing ourselves and our actions to others instead of measuring ourselves against God’s perfect standard.
We can fall into the self-righteousness trap when we are critical and judgmental of others and become overly confident in ourselves and our own moral superiority.
We might think, “I’m more faithful than that person,” or “At least I don’t act that way or struggle with that sin.”
Jesus gave us a powerful warning about self-righteousness in Luke 18, when he told this parable.
Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted (Luke 18:10-14).
The irony of self-righteousness is it not only blinds us to our sin, but it also prevents us from loving others as Jesus commands. When you and I remember that we fall short of God’s perfect standard, we will be less inclined to point the finger when people around us do too.
How might you be acting in hyper-critical, superior, or fault-finding ways toward others? Rather than being self-righteous, let’s remember we all fall short and live in light of the righteousness that is ours because of our faith in Christ. When we live this way, we display unity and draw others to Jesus.