What can we learn about self-righteousness from the Pharisee's attitude in Luke 18:10? The passage “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man, rather than the other, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14) What we see in the Pharisee’s attitude • Self-congratulation: He thanks God, yet the focus is on himself. • Comparison: His standard is other people, not God’s holiness. • External score-keeping: He tallies fasting and tithing but ignores heart motives. • Contempt: He labels others “swindlers, evildoers,” pushing them beneath him. • Isolation: “Stood by himself” hints at separation rather than fellowship. Lessons on self-righteousness • It blinds us to our true need. The Pharisee never asks for mercy. (cf. Revelation 3:17) • It majors on performance over relationship. Works become badges, not worship. (Isaiah 29:13) • It breeds prideful comparisons that God resists. (James 4:6) • It forfeits justification; God justifies the humble, not the self-secure. (Romans 3:27-28) • It can hide behind religious language—“God, I thank You”—making it harder to detect. Why self-righteousness is spiritually dangerous • It displaces Christ’s righteousness with our own (Philippians 3:8-9). • It stifles repentance; we see no sin to confess (1 John 1:8). • It hinders love; contempt replaces compassion (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). • It invites God’s humbling discipline (Proverbs 16:18). Guarding our hearts today • Keep God’s holiness before us—measure against Him, not others. • Practice honest confession; name sins specifically. • Remember grace: salvation is “not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). • Celebrate others’ growth rather than compare; rejoice in God’s work in them. • Cultivate gratitude for mercy, not merit—like the tax collector’s simple plea. Takeaway The Pharisee’s attitude warns that religious activity without humility breeds self-righteousness. True righteousness begins with recognizing our need for mercy and trusting God to supply it through His Son. |
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