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Beware of Self-Righteousness
'...you who judge others do these very same things.' Romans 2:1
A woman looked out of her window every morning and commented on the dirty laundry on her neighbour's line. One day she noticed it was sparkling clean: 'Maybe she's using a new detergent,' she remarked. 'No,' said her husband. 'I got up early and cleaned our windows.'
Hello! When Paul talks about '...greed, hate, envy, murder, quarrelling, deception...gossip' (Romans 1:29 NLT), it's tempting to think it doesn't apply to you. Then he says, 'You are just as bad...you...do these very same things.'
Maybe you've never embezzled money, but have you ever short-changed somebody? Or taken an 'iffy' tax deduction? How about when you're stuck in traffic, or you overhear some juicy gossip?
Phil Yancey says: 'Murder and adultery differ from hatred and lust only by degree...Paul reserves his most scathing comments for self-righteous people...A Pharisee of Pharisees, he knew the pattern...the danger that accompanies a feeling of moral superiority.
Just as denial keeps you from seeing a doctor about a lump or lesion...denial of sin leads to worse consequences...
I accepted a speaking engagement from some Christians involved in Twelve-Step Programmes...As I pondered what to say...it occurred to me that what recovering alcoholics confess daily-personal failure and the need for grace...represent high hurdles for those of us who take pride in independence and self-sufficiency.
Romans 3:10 NKJV says, '..."There is none righteous...' and God's grace is the only solution. It comes free of charge, apart from the law and...human efforts towards self-improvement...we need only hold out open, needy hands-the most difficult gesture for a self-righteous person.'
written by Bob Gass
'...you who judge others do these very same things.' Romans 2:1
A woman looked out of her window every morning and commented on the dirty laundry on her neighbour's line. One day she noticed it was sparkling clean: 'Maybe she's using a new detergent,' she remarked. 'No,' said her husband. 'I got up early and cleaned our windows.'
Hello! When Paul talks about '...greed, hate, envy, murder, quarrelling, deception...gossip' (Romans 1:29 NLT), it's tempting to think it doesn't apply to you. Then he says, 'You are just as bad...you...do these very same things.'
Maybe you've never embezzled money, but have you ever short-changed somebody? Or taken an 'iffy' tax deduction? How about when you're stuck in traffic, or you overhear some juicy gossip?
Phil Yancey says: 'Murder and adultery differ from hatred and lust only by degree...Paul reserves his most scathing comments for self-righteous people...A Pharisee of Pharisees, he knew the pattern...the danger that accompanies a feeling of moral superiority.
Just as denial keeps you from seeing a doctor about a lump or lesion...denial of sin leads to worse consequences...
I accepted a speaking engagement from some Christians involved in Twelve-Step Programmes...As I pondered what to say...it occurred to me that what recovering alcoholics confess daily-personal failure and the need for grace...represent high hurdles for those of us who take pride in independence and self-sufficiency.
Romans 3:10 NKJV says, '..."There is none righteous...' and God's grace is the only solution. It comes free of charge, apart from the law and...human efforts towards self-improvement...we need only hold out open, needy hands-the most difficult gesture for a self-righteous person.'
written by Bob Gass
