Self-Righteous?

Have you ever been called "self-righteous"?  We need to be careful who we're being "righteous" for because if it's being done to glorify the self, then it's not righteous! "Self-righteousness" is an oxymoron.

Being "righteous" is living without sin. Can I do that? Can any of us do that? "No" for the simple reason that only God is "good" and by his standard we all fail.

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..."

Unfortunately, as hard as I try that means me... and you!

Romans 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one..."

We usually focus on "there is none righteous", but never ask "Where is it written"? Here's where:

Psalm 14:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."

Most people will say "I do good!" We think too highly of ourselves. The meek are the ones who'll be blessed if you remember!  If we break one of God's law we may as well have broken them all:

 James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

 This is why we can't save ourselves. We can never be "good" enough to "not sin". That's why we need Jesus. We can't save ourselves because we will always sin. God, overlooking our guiltiness, can save us if we're sincere, repent, believe, accept and have faith. Saving the undeserved is "grace". We get the reward of salvation although we're guilty and deserve death.

Therefore, the "self" can never be righteous. We can only pretend to be!  The folks Jesus called "vipers", the Pharisees, tried to gain favor with God by obeying all the law. They failed because they forgot what's important:  loving!  The Law is all about loving God and others. The Pharisees failed miserably because they had an unloving heart. They even hated Jesus, let alone others!

Telling a person that they're "self-righteous" is just like calling them a Pharisee or a snake. Before we judge someone that harshly and condemn them, one must ask the question: "Is the perceived self-righteous person doing good to gain God's favor or to please him?" If the person has not been born-again, it's obvious that  the person is trying to make it to heaven by "works", following The Law of doing "good". Since only God is good, then we go right back to original sin. The self-righteous person is trying to be like God, emulating the person's antecedents. We can never be righteous on our own, so self-righteousness is an impossibility. The "self-righteous person" is just playing games with God!

On the other hand, a born-again Christian is called to be holy.

1 Peter 1:16 "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."

We're to copy God who is holy. It is commanded, not suggested, that we do all in our power to please God! Again, this verse says "Because it is written". Where was it written:

Leviticus 20:7 "Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God."

It comes from The Old Testament. Being holy at that time meant following The Law. Jesus tells us that he came not to replace the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). How is the law fulfilled?

Galatians 5:14 "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

It's impossible to love thy neighbor if you steal from him, lie to him, covet what he has, kill him or set a wrong example for him by not loving God. Hence, fulfilling The Law is  loving others through keeping God's Law! Some would throw The Law out the door in place of grace. However, because of God's grace, the born-again person endeavors to keep The Law, although still failing because we're mankind. Overlooking our failures is grace. God's love is manifested as grace.

Then, it's to be expected that a Christian be "sanctified" (Lev 20:7). We're to set ourselves apart from the world and be holy. Fortunately for us we're not on our own! Jesus left us, but God provided for the Holy Spirit to "comfort" us. That comfort he provides is that we have help. It's like running a race, according to Paul, but the Holy Spirit increases our adrenalin and minimizes adenosines in our muscles; so to speak. Although, we're to "work" on being "good", "goodness" cannot be achieved without faith. Faith is a work and it's a gift of God, so while we're able to work, we're able because God helps us!

James 2:20 "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"

Since "works" are "doing good" and following The Law, then a Christian is to do good and follow The Law! In effect James is saying "So your born-again. Demonstrate it!", not "Act like it!" as some would say because we're not to "act", we're to "do".

I sin every day. You do as well! Does that mean that I just keep on sinning? Paul answered that as well. We're not to keep on sinning so that we'll love God because he forgives us more. We're to minimize sinning! I might think bad thoughts of someone during the course of the day. Does that mean that I can go ahead and lie because I'm saved anyhow?  Not on your life. One sin is not a ticket for the liberty of sinning. Because a saved person breaks a law, doesn't mean that they're free from the law. It just means that some self-control needs to be practiced by reading scripture and  praying. (Some of our demons required fasting with prayer.)

Never accuse a Christian who's trying hard to please Jesus of being "self-righteous". By doing so, the person doing the critique is judging harshly because that person who also may be a Christian is failing by the same measure!  It takes a "snake' for a Christian to call another Christian a "snake". That's not loving others and that's the commandment we're to keep!