Chapter 3, Gospel Enemy #1: Self-righteousness

Self-righteousness? Hey, most of us have problems with persistent guilt when we are not seeing things in gospel perspective, right! Persistent guilt is the territory of chapter #4, but this chapter #3 stuff on self-righteousness may not be nearly as applicable. We would never act like pharisees, right?

Those of us who sometimes have struggles with persistent guilt (my hand is raised high!) do so for the same root cause that produces self-righteousness. If you know the Savior and you struggle with persistent guilt, continually plagued with - I should have never done that! - I should have never made that selfish decision - I should have obeyed God in that situation - I should have done what I was supposed to do - etc., then you are depending on your own righteousness.

As you live your life doing really well for a season - lots of Bible reading - early morning prayer - increased giving at church - you and your wife experiencing a second honeymoon (not even a temptation to argue!) - God using you to really help several people - etc., you may begin to drift toward depending on your own righteousness. In a season like this, you may become self-righteous.

Leaning on Christ's righteousness and your own (and your own - major problem!) is the main cause of persistent guilt and the main cause of self-righteousness both. It is amazing that we can be battling persistent guilt one week and the very next week be puffed up in self-righteousness (usually without knowing it!).

The good place where God is constantly leading us back to is trusting in His righteousness alone. Not Christ's righteousness and .... but His righteousness only!

Putting some of our trust in our own righteousness is like a two edged knife - one edge is persistent guilt and the other edge is self-righteousness. So I guess if I ever struggle with persistent guilt (again hand raised high!), then I probably also have struggles with self-righteousness. I guess I am the self-righteous pharisee type at times - and amazingly I am certain that I have been cut by both edges of that knife on the same day!

To perhaps clarify a question that may be in your mind, should we be aware of our sin at all? - most definitely! As John Owen said, I am a great sinner and I have a great Savior! The booklet, Honey from the Rock, makes a great point about our need to be aware of our sin, but having that awareness lead us straight to the Savior - "The greatness of Christ's merit is known best by sinners in deep distress. The thirstier a man is, the more he'll prize a cup of water; the more our sins break and burden us, the more we will treasure our Healer and Deliverer."

A deep awareness of our sinfulness will guard us from self-righteousness. Looking to the Savior and His righteousness will keep us from persistent guilt. To be free from both edges of the knife, we must be about Christ's righteousness and not place our trust in our own.

In Chapter 3, Gospel Enemy #1: Self-righteousness, Jerry Bridges poses 10 questions for us to use as a gauge to see if we are given to self-righteousness in our life. Examine your life closely by these questions and remember that the way out is the righteousness of Christ and nothing else!

1- Do you tend to live by a list of dos and don'ts?
2- Is it difficult for you to respect those whose standards are not as high as yours?
3- Do you assume that practicing spiritual disciplines should result in God's blessing?
4- Do you feel you are better than most other people?
5- Has it been a long time since you identified a sin and repented of it?
6- Do you resent it when others point out your "spiritual blind spots"?
7- Do you readily recognize the sins of others but not your own?
8- Do you have the sense that God owes you a good life?
9- Do you get angry when difficulties and suffering come into your life?
10- Do you seldom think of the cross?

Wow! - great questions - Jerry Bridges says that if you answer yes to 5 or more then you have a bad case of self-righteousness - that would be the diagnosis - for the cure: Christ's righteousness alone!