It is very easy to be self-deceived about our own self-righteousness.
Text: Philippians 3:1-11
Satan has come to steal, kill, and destroy. Scripture tells us he is the master of deception. Therefore, it is spiritually advantageous for us to wonder: where are my blind spots regarding self-righteousness?
A few months back, I walked through our house noticing an awful smell. It was in the bathroom. I walked into the bedroom and thought to myself, "This room stinks too!" Then I went to the kitchen, wondering if this horrible smell had taken over our home. There it was! It was nasty. Then I suddenly realized that the smell wasn't in our home. It was my own soured t-shirt!
This is what the self-righteous person does. He is keenly aware of the sins of others and is quick to smell others' evil while being oblivious to his own wretchedness.
In our text, the Judaizers downgraded Jesus and His work on the cross by attempting to force gentile Christians to be circumcised and keep the ceremonial laws given to Israel.
Today, we know the gospel implications of the false teaching of the Judaizers. But 1st century Christians would not have assumed that the Judaizers were the bad guy, not at first. They were model citizens—decent, upstanding religious men who thought they were pursuing holiness by demanding these religious observances. But they lacked appreciation for the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. They did not understand the mind-blowing implications of God coming in the flesh and dying on the cross.
Paul understood this. God had revealed it to him. Paul now recognized that salvation was based not upon human attainments of obedience to the law, but entirely and exclusively upon “the righteousness from God,” given to those united with Jesus by faith alone.
Paul Tripp writes, "Humility is a fruit of the rule of the gospel in your life. The gospel will humble you because it requires you to confess that the greatest dangers in your life live inside you and not outside you. The gospel calls you to run to God for rescue because your greatest problem is you. The gospel tells you that no matter how long you have known the Lord or no matter how successful you have been in his work, you need his grace right now as much as you did the first moment you believed. The gospel doesn’t work to make you independent and self-reliant but willingly dependent on God and the community of grace he has placed around you."
Prayerfully review these characteristics of the self-righteous and humbly ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you're blind to your own blindness.
Satan has come to steal, kill, and destroy. Scripture tells us he is the master of deception. Therefore, it is spiritually advantageous for us to wonder: where are my blind spots regarding self-righteousness?
A few months back, I walked through our house noticing an awful smell. It was in the bathroom. I walked into the bedroom and thought to myself, "This room stinks too!" Then I went to the kitchen, wondering if this horrible smell had taken over our home. There it was! It was nasty. Then I suddenly realized that the smell wasn't in our home. It was my own soured t-shirt!
This is what the self-righteous person does. He is keenly aware of the sins of others and is quick to smell others' evil while being oblivious to his own wretchedness.
In our text, the Judaizers downgraded Jesus and His work on the cross by attempting to force gentile Christians to be circumcised and keep the ceremonial laws given to Israel.
Today, we know the gospel implications of the false teaching of the Judaizers. But 1st century Christians would not have assumed that the Judaizers were the bad guy, not at first. They were model citizens—decent, upstanding religious men who thought they were pursuing holiness by demanding these religious observances. But they lacked appreciation for the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. They did not understand the mind-blowing implications of God coming in the flesh and dying on the cross.
Paul understood this. God had revealed it to him. Paul now recognized that salvation was based not upon human attainments of obedience to the law, but entirely and exclusively upon “the righteousness from God,” given to those united with Jesus by faith alone.
Paul Tripp writes, "Humility is a fruit of the rule of the gospel in your life. The gospel will humble you because it requires you to confess that the greatest dangers in your life live inside you and not outside you. The gospel calls you to run to God for rescue because your greatest problem is you. The gospel tells you that no matter how long you have known the Lord or no matter how successful you have been in his work, you need his grace right now as much as you did the first moment you believed. The gospel doesn’t work to make you independent and self-reliant but willingly dependent on God and the community of grace he has placed around you."
Prayerfully review these characteristics of the self-righteous and humbly ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you're blind to your own blindness.
- They do not see their walk with God as a community project.
- They do not work well with others.
- They consistently believe they are right and know best.
- They are resistant to change.
- They do not respond well when reminded that they need to change.
- They are not patient with those who mess up, struggle with sin, or have lost their way.
- They will consistently wonder why God has singled them out for difficulty.
- They do not see a need to admit or confess their sin.
- They consistently point out the sin of others with an air of superiority.
It's all about Jesus,
John
