Self Righteousness
Self Righteousness: The Enemy Within.
Self-righteousness, self-righteous, selfish, and prideful are types of human attitudes. People with these attitudes are typically self-centered, believing they know better, understand better, and assume they have wisdom better than others. Moreover, they show off what they possess to call attention not only to their targeted audience but also to their colleagues. Therefore, what good will it bring when somebody with this attitude only intends to gain praise for himself?
A holier than you are (Holier than thou) attitude or any egoistic attitude can affect the behavior of the people around us. It is more of a distraction to get whatever the message we are trying to imply; rather than impress and encourage us to get things done; it will be the other way around; instead of gathering and listening to our message, they will be scattered only to avoid us.
In some churches, many churchgoers do that for whatever reason; I do not even understand why? Some may believe that behavior only shows that they have no personal connection with the Lord Jesus or have established a relationship with Father. Some may think it is grabbing attention, self-centeredness, or asking for particular respect. I do not understand. Correcting this kind of person should be done gently with respect and humility.
Some individuals with such attitudes should be treated the way Christians treat their family, with understanding and compassion; maybe they do not know that they are doing such behavior unacceptable to the group. The attitude might not change because the flesh understands how to enjoy being the center of many eyes. They feel the glory of being above many others makes them more inspired to be more than anyone else. Being a Christian doesn’t mean anything if we are doing a hypocritical act. A True Christian is different. Genuine Christians have a good heart for the people beneath them, help the less fortunate, and uplift someone who feels inferior. A True Christian behaves differently from just being a Christian. A True Christian does not only profess but confess the goodness of the Godhead, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
To be better than anyone will not give any glory unless we recognize that there are also people better than us. Some people are doing well in life and still don’t feel joy because they cannot answer how they can make their life worth living. Living a luxurious life is not all the answer because everything has an end. They have more worries and fear that someday it may be gone.
Everybody wants to be wealthy, but what can we do if we still fail after trying and striving hard? We do not want to blame ourselves because we tried, and we cannot blame God either. God has nothing to do with our failure here on earth because He already told us everything was written for our understanding.
For example, what will you expect to happen if you have knowledge of a business you tried to put up, and yet you do not understand how to manage it? Isn’t it a failure? If you have the knowledge and experience of the business but without the wisdom to make the right decision, it will also lead to loss. King Solomon, the wealthiest and wisest person who ever lived, knew what he would do when the need arose. He came to God and prayed and asked. He did not ask for a longer life or wealth; he only asked for wisdom. God granted his prayer and gave him learning, knowledge, and understanding.
We can be better than anybody as long as humility and a selfless attitude are within the bounds of righteous living and not hurting anyone; we do not boast about it and, as always, with God’s blessing. Unfortunately, these attitudes are hard to find in the real world. King Solomon was a godly person, wealthy and wise, but he chose to live an adulterous life when he decided to have 700 wives and 300 concubines, which led him to go astray and worship other gods or idols.
Prophet Jonah, who refused to preach the word of God to Nineveh to help in the salvation of the children and the people, went a different route after arguing with God. This is an unbearable attitude that deserves to be corrected. The power of God sent Jonah inside the belly of a whale.
Peter, the apostle of Jesus Christ, said that he would not deny Jesus, that He knows Jesus, but precisely as what Jesus said, Peter denied him three times, and he did reject him.
Paul considered himself self-righteous when he said that only the Jesus that he preached needs to be believed. Jesus is pointing to the Sanhedrin of their self-righteousness. Self-righteous think that they are righteous enough to be noticed by God for a reward. They feel very spiritual, but an error in identifying spiritual to a physical Spirit and Flesh opposes its other. The self-righteous act is an overreaction to be correct. It is more on a physical spectrum of an exaggerated sense of self-importance, Prideful, and pleasure to assess self-worthiness.
Whatever we do here on earth, we must do it for the glory of God. So we do business and connect with God. If God blesses you, help the poor and the needy, but don’t make a promise you cannot fulfill because He knows what is in your heart. “Holier than thou” is typically addressed to a religious person. You can observe this quickly because this person knows the scriptures by nature and the wrong thing about it, and they are proud to talk about it most of the time, overshadowing others and rendering opinions as if it is his own. He sees many things as enemies of the faith, such as television, games, vices, etc., because it distracts faith and focuses on something flesh.
A self-righteous person defeats the acts of humility. We can do many things that would look good, and we are confident that it is a plus in Christian living, but sometimes we overlook that when confidence becomes over our head, it turns unacceptable; then overconfidence becomes arrogance, and arrogance is related to pride, which God hates, is not a True Christian living. As we learn our walk with the truth, “holier than thou” should not be included in our baggage.
Being holy is hard work; instead of showing off, do the holiness by the outcome of your heart and not by your mouth. Check yourself now, analyze and interpret your action if you have that baggage. If you do, make a U-turn, and restore your good attitude, which may lead to better living.
Jesus said the man who humbles himself would be exalted by God, while God would humble the man who exalts himself. This is a good phrase: being in the light is always exciting and inspiring. God did not create us to be better than others but to be equal, sharing the same space and time, under the same eternal plan, to be under one God.
If you feel you have to save someone who is lost, an attitude and behavior that is out of bounds, you have to think twice before you make a move, if it is proper to do it, to make sure that you are not in error. It could be you that has an attitude problem and is not aware of it. It sometimes happens when you observe how others work without looking at your work. The desire to help others in need is advantageous, and our heavenly Father sees that.
Being at peace, safe and secure, humble, and approachable is an excellent trait to achieve in living a harmonious life. There are more than three guides to do the work; I leave the rest at your convenience.
1 Placing yourself one dot below someone’s ego can be considered a legacy that can be recognized. It won’t be easy because sometimes it drives others to act as your boss and abuse you. Humbleness can be a habit-forming that can be practiced, and the ability to do it will come from God. It is His delight to see us doing good work. God is good and great; he did everything well, and anything that comes out good is from God.
2. Avoid comparing yourself to others because your knowledge and experience can be different from others, such as your gift from God. What good would it do to you when you know that you are better than them, and what good would it give them when they find out that you are better? Are you happy when you learn that they are jealous, if not envy you, or will you be concerned? God gave us different gifts, and we have to use this gift or gifts to their extent or use what is given to us only, so there will be no overstepping or intrusion to others.
3. Exaggerating or overemphasizing our gifts for egoistic motive is an act that will not be useful to our walk and to others that that act will impact. Having a self-righteousness thought is doing something that we are aware of and don’t make mistakes doing about it because doing something beyond your God-given gift might fall into sin, or as lying for something that you do not have, and lying or any kind of lying is one of the many sins that God hates.
4. If you are prone to non-stop talking about yourself, about anything to get people’s attention, and never give a chance to listen to others who also want to share their accomplishments or misfortunes, this is the time to give way, close your mouth for a moment and allow them to express themselves. If you have a gift for talking, I believe you also have good ears for listening. Listening to someone’s point of view can also benefit you eventually, and you may be able to use it when the same situation arises.
5. Sometimes, it sounds arrogant when a Christian boldly says that they are not under the law but under Grace without even knowing what they are talking about. I have not seen or heard in my experience that any church leader attempted to correct this notion simply because they support this doctrine. Many Christians have already set their minds believing only the Commandment of Love delivered by the Son Jesus Christ to distance them to what we call “Under the Law.”
The Commandment of Love that many Christians do not even follow is a summary of the Ten Commandments of God given to Moses for the Israelites, and it was carried up to this generation. Some of these commandments become part of the laws of the human government.
It breaks the heart of many mature believers that Jesus said that “He came not to abolish but to fulfill the law,”; yet many Christians ignored it due to improper interpretations of the Scripture. All we need is Love, the same message with the same purpose. Grace is the extension of human existence; without the law to be followed, more lost souls will be at stake, and Grace will be forfeited.
Grace works with the laws, and the Laws do not disagree with Grace, so we should not quarrel about this doctrine. The Laws of Grace is what we call Love without exaggeration. God gave us laws to follow and grace to hug; both are exalting to God.
The Commandments of God, Old and New, are the same commandments given to Moses and Jesus and the only difference is the dispensation of time but the same commands. God never changes His mind, and we should hold on to that.
Being under Grace is one of my greatest inspirations in Christian living. As a Christian, It gives us new birth and life in the kingdom because we didn’t make it when we were in the church, and the mighty Son Jesus mentioned in His teachings that we are the kingdom. What more would we want when we have it all under Grace? We are reconciled with the Father, our sins are forgiven, and Jesus Christ erased the sins we inherited from the Garden. No more original sin; human nature forced us to sin.
It is appropriate to honor Jesus Christ in prayers, and we can say his name by not omitting the Father’s name. I believe that Jesus will not even be happy to use His name in place of the Father. The Father said in the Book of Isaiah that He would not share His glory with anyone, and even Jesus said that the Father is mightier than Him. What is the reason that we keep on ignoring the Father’s word?
We have to change this practice by erasing the fear of not using the name of Jesus. We must understand that fear is the easiest enemy we can defeat; it might take months but not years to adjust. We cannot prevent some challenges, but we should be immune to them already. We have had difficulties since birth, so what is new? I did it; I’m sure you can do it. We have to pray earnestly to receive a revelation regarding this matter. Maybe when you read this article, it is already a revelation you are longing for in your confused mind.
We should be mindful that there are less fortunate people than us. We have God, we have Jesus, and we have the Holy Spirit with us. But, we have the complete Family of God; we are missing our trust, confidence, and faith to fight a good fight of faith.
For all we know, they could be more scared than we are, weaker than we are, and who can be against us but the wicked, whose job is to deceive and tempt us with their lies? Though our flesh is vulnerable to many kinds of evilness, the body is less of our worries. They want our souls that they can bring to their holding place until judgment day.
Brothers and Sisters and Mothers in Christ, we have to open our eyes. Our souls are in danger because of our sins. Therefore, let us secure our positions and start or restart to humbly submit with gladness our souls to the Almighty One, the One who is and was to come to the Almighty Father.
Let us be protected and develop a great relationship with the Father. The Son will take charge of the kingdom and be the King of kings after every enemy is put under His feet by the Father.
We should focus on the Holy One, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit and strengthen our position in the Godhead through the Holy Spirit. Let us remain humble and faithful; He will take every one of us with Him, which is God’s will.
Trust Him, and He will not fail us.
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