After reading a few threads here lately I think this is a topic that should be discussed. I came across there following article and it struck a chord. How many of us are guilty of this?
Christians seem to like to tell other people how to behave and act as if they never do anything wrong. They also tend to focus only upon a few moral issues - namely abortion and gay marriage - seemingly to the exclusion of more important issues, such as justice and care for the poor. Is this the kind of behavior the Bible commends or are these people acting against what biblical Christianity actually stands for?
What is being self-righteous?
To begin the discussion, it would be good to know what the words "self-righteous" really mean. Here is the definition from the The American Heritage Dictionary1:
self-right·eous (sělf'rī'chəs)
adjective
Piously sure of one's own righteousness; moralistic.
Exhibiting pious self-assurance: self-righteous remarks.
So, a self-righteous person is one who acts as if he is morally superior to everyone else.
Righteousness and the Christian
If there is anything that is antithetical to Christianity, it is a person who thinks that they can be righteous by their own good works. The Bible says that all people are sinners and that none can meet God's standard for righteousness.2 Both the Old Testament3 and New Testament4 say that righteousness comes from God alone. Righteousness for human beings is on the basis of faith in God's promises. Accordingly, the Old Testament says that God would send the Messiah as the source through whom righteousness would come to mankind.5 The New Testament says that Jesus of Nazareth is that Messiah and that righteousness comes only through faith in Him.6 So, a person is declared righteous based upon faith in the sacrifice of Jesus.7 The Old Testament even indicates that Abraham was considered righteous because He believed God.8 The New Testament indicates that one does not become righteous by obeying God's law,9 but by the mercy of God through the sacrifice of His Son.10 So, righteousness for a Christian is something that is imputed by God and one can never be "self-righteous."
Acting better than others
Since righteousness is not from what we do, but the result of what God has done for us,11 the Christian should never act morally superior to other people. Paul tells that we should never boast "except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."12 Jesus said that we should not act like we are morally superior to be noticed by others, and even indicated that doing such behavior would remove one's reward in heaven:
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 6:1)
Ultimately, we do not attain righteousness until we die and are rewarded with righteousness in heaven.13
Telling others what to do
Even though we cannot attain the righteousness of God through our own behavior, Christians are commanded to live godly lives.14 It is all fine and well that religious people want to live their lives with their own version of morality. However, why do Christians insist on telling others how they should live? It turns out that the Bible actually tells believers (both Jews and Christians) to warn others if their behavior does not meet God's standards.15 If we fail to warn the wicked, God will require their blood by our hands.16 However, if the wicked person turns from their sin, then even the evil they have committed in the past will be forgiven and forgotten by God.17 So, a Christian's motivation for telling others how they should behave is not one of self-righteousness, but one of concern for the fate of the other person's soul.
Conclusion
Christians who act as if they are better than everyone else are certainly not living by the creeds of Christianity, and may not even be Christians at all. Christianity says that all people are sinners, and none can be righteous on the basis of their own behavior. Jesus said that we should not act like we are better than others just to get noticed. Such a "holier-than-thou" attitude is strongly condemned in the Bible. When Christians tell others that their behavior does not meet God's standards, it is not to try to be superior, but rather to warn them of the peril to their soul in light of their actions.
Christians seem to like to tell other people how to behave and act as if they never do anything wrong. They also tend to focus only upon a few moral issues - namely abortion and gay marriage - seemingly to the exclusion of more important issues, such as justice and care for the poor. Is this the kind of behavior the Bible commends or are these people acting against what biblical Christianity actually stands for?
What is being self-righteous?
To begin the discussion, it would be good to know what the words "self-righteous" really mean. Here is the definition from the The American Heritage Dictionary1:
self-right·eous (sělf'rī'chəs)
adjective
Piously sure of one's own righteousness; moralistic.
Exhibiting pious self-assurance: self-righteous remarks.
So, a self-righteous person is one who acts as if he is morally superior to everyone else.
Righteousness and the Christian
If there is anything that is antithetical to Christianity, it is a person who thinks that they can be righteous by their own good works. The Bible says that all people are sinners and that none can meet God's standard for righteousness.2 Both the Old Testament3 and New Testament4 say that righteousness comes from God alone. Righteousness for human beings is on the basis of faith in God's promises. Accordingly, the Old Testament says that God would send the Messiah as the source through whom righteousness would come to mankind.5 The New Testament says that Jesus of Nazareth is that Messiah and that righteousness comes only through faith in Him.6 So, a person is declared righteous based upon faith in the sacrifice of Jesus.7 The Old Testament even indicates that Abraham was considered righteous because He believed God.8 The New Testament indicates that one does not become righteous by obeying God's law,9 but by the mercy of God through the sacrifice of His Son.10 So, righteousness for a Christian is something that is imputed by God and one can never be "self-righteous."
Acting better than others
Since righteousness is not from what we do, but the result of what God has done for us,11 the Christian should never act morally superior to other people. Paul tells that we should never boast "except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."12 Jesus said that we should not act like we are morally superior to be noticed by others, and even indicated that doing such behavior would remove one's reward in heaven:
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 6:1)
Ultimately, we do not attain righteousness until we die and are rewarded with righteousness in heaven.13
Telling others what to do
Even though we cannot attain the righteousness of God through our own behavior, Christians are commanded to live godly lives.14 It is all fine and well that religious people want to live their lives with their own version of morality. However, why do Christians insist on telling others how they should live? It turns out that the Bible actually tells believers (both Jews and Christians) to warn others if their behavior does not meet God's standards.15 If we fail to warn the wicked, God will require their blood by our hands.16 However, if the wicked person turns from their sin, then even the evil they have committed in the past will be forgiven and forgotten by God.17 So, a Christian's motivation for telling others how they should behave is not one of self-righteousness, but one of concern for the fate of the other person's soul.
Conclusion
Christians who act as if they are better than everyone else are certainly not living by the creeds of Christianity, and may not even be Christians at all. Christianity says that all people are sinners, and none can be righteous on the basis of their own behavior. Jesus said that we should not act like we are better than others just to get noticed. Such a "holier-than-thou" attitude is strongly condemned in the Bible. When Christians tell others that their behavior does not meet God's standards, it is not to try to be superior, but rather to warn them of the peril to their soul in light of their actions.
