The Deadly Sin of Self-righteousness Part 2

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart,  I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the  north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” –Is 14:12-14

It was a deadly mix of pride, hypocrisy and self-righteousness that, in the beginning, caused the created to revolt against his Creator. Lucifer, the most beautiful of covering cherubs, the one whose honour it was to defend the law of God and who stood in the very presence of God, was by reason of his beauty corrupted. He did not glorify God for having made him perfect, but instead attributed all perfection to himself.

The sins of pride, hypocrisy and self-righteousness usually occur in a subtle, but explosive and dangerous mix that  results in division in the Body of Christ and unnecessary hurt and anger. The worst sins are often the ones that leave no physical scars, the invisible sins of the heart that manifest in all manner of evil and wickedness. Like a noxious weed, they grow in the heart of man bringing out the worst in himself and others.

Self-righteousness is the only sin that one can be totally guilty of , yet never know it. To be self-righteous is to reject the righteousness of Christ which is our only means of salvation, yet many are guilty of this sin of omission. It’s very tempting and easy to just “look like a Christian”. Many people have admitted having successfully pulled off the façade, but unless the seed of self-righteousness is put away, Christ will not reign in a person’s heart. The one who is guilty of self-righteousness prefers to keep Christ on the Cross and his own desire on the throne. Every man who would leave self-righteousness behind must surrender the throne of his heart to Christ, and himself be crucified daily that he may live only for Christ. Until then, a person may preach and even teach on the righteousness of Christ, yet never experience its power.

No one enjoys the company of a self-righteous person, for the topic of discussion is usually the faults and failures of others. Self-righteous people seldom apologise for , or admit their own mistakes and, because they fail to do so, do not experience the joy of great spiritual growth. Self-righteousness focuses on the outward appearance and lives by the law of works, while those who truly surrender to Christ live by the law of faith, revealing a heart circumcised on which is found engraved the royal law of God. Self-righteousness exalts in  seeing others fall short of the glory of God, and satan uses the self-righteous as active “accusers of the brethren”,  as his trusted deputies.  A self-righteous person enjoys pleasure by seeing himself as superior to others. He enjoys seeing them fall because, by default, it makes him look good with minimal effort. Self-righteousness has the tendency to creep up on you unnoticed. Ask Christ to remove the hypocrisy, self-righteousness and pride from your heart so that you can serve Him in spirit and truth and escape from the prison of living a double life.

Keeping the Faith

In the world we live in today, it’s easy to find ourselves disillusioned and distracted. However, it was no different in the days when Jesus walked the earth performing convincing miracles, signs and wonders which testified of His divinity. In Matt 14:24-33, we see the well known story of Peter who got out of the boat full of disciples as he desired to walk on water to go to Jesus. This story has been used in countless sermons to illustrate important foundational Christian truths e.g. faith and the fact that Jesus is with us even in the midst of the storms of life. However, the Word of God, when carefully studied, can reveal new truths and insights to those earnestly seeking them. New truths can be learned from an old story!

Like all of us, Peter desired to grow spiritually and to be closer to Christ. He succeeded as long as he kept his eyes focused on Jesus. Today, we face greater challenges than ever before but in order to succeed and attain to greater spiritual heights, we will have to leave our comfort zones behind and desire to walk with the Lord, wherever He leads us.

One of the greatest hindrances to the Christian is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is like the raging waves of the sea that Peter chose to focus his eyes on and when he did, it left him faithless and sinking. When you focus on the hypocrisy of others who call themselves brothers in the faith, you are actually shifting your gaze off Jesus and resting it on man instead. Rev 17:15 confirms for us that waters symbolize people and nations. Therefore, when you choose to feast your eyes on the hypocrisy of others, using their hypocrisy as an excuse to allow yourself to stray from the path the Lord has chosen for you, you have essentially affirmed that you look to man and not to Christ as your role model. There are many professing Christians who leave the faith and forsake the fellowship of the saints because they are searching for the “perfect church”. There is no one perfect church; the church today is made up of imperfect members, broken vessels that the Lord in His grace has chosen to fill with His Spirit and with whom He is still working to make perfect. (Phil 1:6)

When you leave the church that God has established because of the perceived hypocrisy of others, you are basically demonstrating that you regard yourself superior to them! You may find that you are suffering from a serious bout of self-righteousness and pride which in itself is one of the most abominable sins. Why would any person in their right mind leave the only One who can save him because of the untoward behaviour of another who has chosen to go his own way? It begs the question: Did you ever even truly know Christ, because if you did you would not let someone else’s hypocrisy get in the way of your eternal destiny in His Kingdom!

Keeping the faith is a daily choice that you must make. You must choose to keep the connection with Christ alive and strong every day of your life. He has promised that if you abide in Him, He will abide in you, and anything you ask according to His perfect Will for your life will be done for you. Instead of judging others for the hypocrisy and sin in their lives, choose to let Christ’s gaze meet yours. Choose to let the fire in His eyes penetrate your soul and remove all the dross and self-righteousness until you are covered only in His robe of righteousness. Don’t give up-remain steadfast!

Scripture refs: Matt 14:23-31, Rev 14:12, John 15:7

"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he [Jesus] went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.   But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
Matt 14:23-31