Why Self-Righteousness Is Never A Good Thing
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Titus 3:1-8-Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
Self-righteousness is a bad thing.
In a recent Sunday morning Bible study on Romans 2-3, brother Paul Matney helped us see how dangerous self-righteousness can be. Many Jewish people in the first century had gotten the (incorrect) idea that they were more righteous then Gentiles (or non-Jewish people). The Apostle Paul showed them clearly that the Old Testament itself demonstrated that the Jewish people had absolutely no room to boast and to be self-righteous. The Law condemns every sinner (Romans 2:14-25; cf. Galatians 3:10; Deuteronomy 27:26; Jeremiah 11:3; Ezekiel 18:4). They had no room to boast, and the same is true for Christians. The reason no follower of Jesus should be self-righteous is because every Christian comes from a sinful background, just like every non-Christian. We had a debt that could only be paid by Jesus going to the cross, and so we have no room to boast or be self-righteous towards others.
The size of the debt that we owe to God is shown by Jesus in the Parable Of The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35). There, a king settled accounts and found a servant who owed him ten thousand talents. This represents God (the King) and each sinner who is in debt to Him (i.e., the man who owed the King ten thousand talents). The King freely and kindly forgave the debt of His servant. Later, that forgiven servant found a man who owed him a hundred denarii, and he refused to forgive him, leading to bad consequences for the servant that had been forgiven the debt of 10, 000 talents.
Now, in modern language, how big are these debts that were owed?
“The first servant owed his master 10,000 talents–and a talent was the equivalent of fifteen years’ wages. That is an incredible debt. It was more than the total budget of the ordinary province. The total revenue of the province which contained Idumaea, Judaea and Samaria was only 600 talents; the total revenue of even a wealthy province like Galilee was only 300 talents. Against that background, this debt is staggering. It was this that the servant was forgiven. The debt which a fellow servant owed him was a trifling thing; it was 100 denarii, and a denarius was the usual day’s wage for a working man. It was therefore a mere fraction of his own debt. The biblical scholar A. R. S. Kennedy drew this vivid picture to contrast the debts. Suppose they were paid in small coins (he suggested sixpences; we might think in terms of 5-pence pieces or dimes). The 100-denarii debt could be carried in one pocket. The 10,000-talent debt would take an army of about 8,600 carriers to carry it, each carrying a sack of coins 60 lb in weight; and they would form, at a distance of a yard apart, a line five miles long! The contrast between the debts is staggering. The point is that nothing that others can do to us can in any way compare with what we have done to God; and if God has forgiven us the debt we owe to him, we must forgive our neighbours the debts they owe to us. Nothing that we have to forgive can even faintly or remotely compare with what we have been forgiven. As A. M. Toplady’s great hymn ‘Rock of Ages’ has it: Not the labours of my hands Can fulfil thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears for ever flow, All for sin could not atone. We have been forgiven a debt which is beyond all paying–for human sin brought about the death of God’s own Son–and if that is so, we must forgive others as God has forgiven us, or we can hope to find no mercy.” (William Barclay, Insights: Forgiveness: What the Bible Tells Us About Forgiveness, 235-257 (Kindle Edition): Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press)
May we never forget how much love God has shown each of us through His amazing forgiveness. And may that knowledge shape how we deal with others, especially those who have wronged us and are in need of salvation themselves.
Matthew 6:14-15-For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Ephesians 4:31-32-Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Father, thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for saving us from our sins. Guide us today as we interact with others. Help us to remain humble and kind toward everyone, especially toward those who have wronged us. Help us not to be self-righteous. Please, help us to become more like Jesus. In His Name we pray, Amen.