There is a subtle danger that lurks about plaguing those who have found Truth in God’s Word and those blinded by religion alike. I know because I have been both. I lived for many years knowing a lot about God, but serving my own religion rather than actually following Christ. For the past several years, I have been working to follow the Holy Spirit in every area of my life. Let’s just say, I’m a work in progress.

But even a life such as mine that is trying to follow God and not a religious substitute faces a spiritual disease that is often overlooked if not actually embraced. Some people even celebrate it as an accomplishment, failing to realize the true nature and destruction they are willfully inviting into their hearts and thinking… Self-Righteousness.

I hesitated to use its name, Self-Righteousness, because the very mention of it sends those afflicted by it into immediate denial, deflection, and comparison. Ironically, those are the very symptoms of the disease.

Jesus told a parable in Luke 18:9-14, and in true Jesus fashion, he illustrates the disease perfectly.

“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:10-14

How often we go about our days thinking we’re “all good” in our hearts much like the Pharisee. We found truth and God, and we began studying His Word, praying, tithing, and everything else that comes with living for Christ, but at some point if we’re not careful, we forget that it’s only by the mercy and grace of God that we are justified, saved, forgiven, and even able to draw our next breath.

Let us not lose sight of the fact that our righteousness, that is Self-Righteousness, is the equivalent of used tampons, Isaiah’s simile in modern English, not my own. Self-righteousness is filthy, disgusting, and worthless, and it brings about a life that is equally filthy… disgusting… worthless. When we puff ourselves up on our Self-Righteousness, we stop relying on God for our thinking, wisdom, actions, and basically everything else we need. The Self-Righteous thinker prides themselves on their knowledge of God, their self-righteous lifestyle, and accomplishments of avoiding immoral behaviors.

But those living in the righteousness of God are like the tax collector in the story, who rely on the mercy and grace of God to justify them. They remember that Christ died for us while we were yet unworthy sinners. “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.” Romans 5:8-9

God’s mercy and grace is not a license to continue living in sin, and we should fully trust and believe that His grace is sufficient. The sacrifice that Jesus made for our lives completely paid for our sins, and it is that knowledge that should remind us that it is His righteousness that saves us, not our own.

The arrogance of the self-righteous takes away from the amazing grace of Jesus dying on the cross, our Father in Heaven sending His Son on that mission, and the unfathomable beauty and worth of the Holy Spirit living inside of us!

When I look at the things I accomplished on my own, even proclaiming them to be in the name of God, I realize they were selfish and disgusting in comparison to the amazing and powerful things that God accomplishes through and in me when I fully rely on Him, knowing all the while that it is God alone who deserves all of the GLORY and HONOR for all things good!

Our prayer should be…

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner that You alone have redeemed and made righteous! I love You and thank You! Use me in whatever capacity You will, and may my lips always sing of Your praise as my heart holds dear Your righteousness in my life. Jesus, I thank you for your love and sacrifice that has bought me. Holy Spirit, what do YOU want to do today? Let’s do that!”