Righteousness
Lu.18:9-14 “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus 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.”
Jesus often mentioned the Scribes and Pharisees in his teachings. These were people who spent their life with a focus of being obedient to the Law and that effort winning their own righteousness or right standing with God.
Before you cast judgment on the Scribes and Pharisees in this story, consider your own self-righteousness. I am considering how self-righteousness has been allowed a place in my mind and heart, and I am ashamed of it! It is certainly not difficult to spot others self-made rightness and not see our own. God help us!
The English definition for righteousness is “a state or condition, acting in accordance with divine or moral law apart from guilt or sin, having a strong moral compass.” Notice the words, “apart from guilt or sin.” In the natural, who is qualified as righteous? I know it’s not me, is it you?
The Tax Collector was deeply despised and commonly rejected by others. He recognized his shortcomings and failures but was honest and humble enough to cry out for mercy. He knew he had no ability to measure up to the standards of the Law. He simply took the posture of asking for mercy. That was humility! Humility is seeing oneself as you truly are. The Pharisee could not see who he truly was. Like most of us, he was blind to his own sin.
Jesus presented another picture of self-righteousness in Jn.8:2-11 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? No one, sir, she said. Then neither do I condemn you, Jesus declared. Go, and leave your life of sin.
Once again the teachers of the Law were judging the woman’s sinful actions. They made a public spectacle of her and loudly proclaimed her failures. That is what self-righteous people do. They work at pointing out how self-righteous while they are degrading others.
Both of these stories Jesus presented are very important for you and me to pay attention to. We are not beyond being self-righteous in thought and actions even though we don’t see it.
The antidote for self-righteousness is humility. Humility makes the choice to not think of yourself above others. Humility takes action to extend grace (unmerited favor) instead of judgment and condemnation. Humility extends mercy. Mercy assumes the need of him who is to receive it. These things are exactly what Jesus has done for you and me. Instead of condemning and stealing hope, he brought hope, forgiveness, and grace to move forward in life. The ultimate act of humility was giving his life for our sins.
2 Cor.5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
You are loved!
Jesus often mentioned the Scribes and Pharisees in his teachings. These were people who spent their life with a focus of being obedient to the Law and that effort winning their own righteousness or right standing with God.
Before you cast judgment on the Scribes and Pharisees in this story, consider your own self-righteousness. I am considering how self-righteousness has been allowed a place in my mind and heart, and I am ashamed of it! It is certainly not difficult to spot others self-made rightness and not see our own. God help us!
The English definition for righteousness is “a state or condition, acting in accordance with divine or moral law apart from guilt or sin, having a strong moral compass.” Notice the words, “apart from guilt or sin.” In the natural, who is qualified as righteous? I know it’s not me, is it you?
The Tax Collector was deeply despised and commonly rejected by others. He recognized his shortcomings and failures but was honest and humble enough to cry out for mercy. He knew he had no ability to measure up to the standards of the Law. He simply took the posture of asking for mercy. That was humility! Humility is seeing oneself as you truly are. The Pharisee could not see who he truly was. Like most of us, he was blind to his own sin.
Jesus presented another picture of self-righteousness in Jn.8:2-11 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? No one, sir, she said. Then neither do I condemn you, Jesus declared. Go, and leave your life of sin.
Once again the teachers of the Law were judging the woman’s sinful actions. They made a public spectacle of her and loudly proclaimed her failures. That is what self-righteous people do. They work at pointing out how self-righteous while they are degrading others.
Both of these stories Jesus presented are very important for you and me to pay attention to. We are not beyond being self-righteous in thought and actions even though we don’t see it.
The antidote for self-righteousness is humility. Humility makes the choice to not think of yourself above others. Humility takes action to extend grace (unmerited favor) instead of judgment and condemnation. Humility extends mercy. Mercy assumes the need of him who is to receive it. These things are exactly what Jesus has done for you and me. Instead of condemning and stealing hope, he brought hope, forgiveness, and grace to move forward in life. The ultimate act of humility was giving his life for our sins.
2 Cor.5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
You are loved!
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