May 11th, 2022

Righteous or Self-Righteous?

Romans 2:13 NIV

"For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous,"

      After reading this scripture, I'm sure we can all call to mind someone-whom you probably know from church-that hears the sermons, but never applies the lessons to their lives. Or better yet, you might even know someone who goes to church and listens long enough to judge others for not applying the lessons to their lives, and yet they dig their ditch of hypocrisy because they don't follow the law either. No matter what way we spin it, there are always going to be people in this world who proudly claim their righteousness but fall short in God's sight. Why is that? Because when they're taught a lesson, or dig into the word, they aren't doing it to purify themselves but to use it as a show. This can be viewed as "self-righteousness." While I'm sure we could go on for days talking about this issue, I want to shed light on our own lives for a moment.

      It's easy to get upset with people like this. Those who put on a face and use scripture against others when they don't apply it to themselves. But what are we doing in our own lives? Though we may not be so vocal and judgmental towards others about their lack of righteousness, where do we stand as far as living righteously? Are we doing everything we can to apply these lessons and scriptures to our lives or are we falling short? Are we making enough time in our day to pray, praise, worship, and be with God? Are we upholding the laws that the word draws out for us to follow? If we spend our time worrying about self-righteous Shannon or Judgy Jill (no offense to any Shannon's or Jill's out there, I just went with some random names!), then we may become one ourselves! We can't control how they live their lives, but what we can control is our obedience to the Lord. V. 7 tells us, "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life." While Shannon and Jill may be excelling in the self-righteous department, we can rest easy knowing that in doing good and following God's commands, we will be richly rewarded. As always, I want everyone to ask themselves this question (as I often bring it up in my sermons), "What would Jesus do?" 

Take a minute to reflect on what path you might be on. Are you living self-righteously or righteously? If you're unsure, then where can changes be made to ensure that you're on the path of righteousness?