"Consider everyone as equal, and don't think that you're better than anyone else. Instead associate with people who have no status..." (Romans 12:16, CEV).
"We won't dare to place ourselves in the same league or to compare ourselves with some of those who are promoting themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they have no understanding" (2 Cor. 10:12, CEV).
We have no right to have a holier-than-thou attitude (cf. Isaiah 65:5) and think we've arrived (cf. Phil. 3:12), and don't need our fellow believer to encourage us or meet our needs--none of us is an island and only Christ is the Rock. Some believers seem to become Lone Rangers or lone wolves and don't hold themselves accountable to anyone, walking with the Lord as if it were "Me and Jesus." We are members one of another and no member of the body is self-sufficient and can stand alone. We tend to privatize our faith especially when we are at our weakest and don't want anyone to know our faults; however, we are to accept the faults of one another and remember that we have them too. Romans 15:7 says we ought to "welcome one another" as Christ has welcomed us. Our faith is a public matter and when stifled or muffled it cannot grow.
Remember: We are all saints and all equally holy in God's eyes. Martin Luther said that we are, at the same time, sinners and saints, as it says in Galatians 2:17 (ESV): "But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!" However, note that the Bible doesn't call us sinners, though we are, we are called saints now because we are justified in His sight, though we technically do still sin. Even Paul didn't claim to have laid hold of it yet and become perfect, though this is the command in Matt. 5:48 stating: "You, therefore, must be perfect, as You heavenly Father is perfect." What does this mean but that direction is the test and perfection is the standard or goal? We are held to a higher standard as believers than the world in our witness and testimony.
Pollyanna Christianity is erroneous and we are not to buy into the theory that, if you are walking with the Lord, everything is hunky-dory. Christians have trials, tribulations, adversities, temptations, and many kinds of sufferings that unbelievers are unaware of and cannot relate to. If we have certain sins that we cannot overcome, it is high time we get the body of Christ involved. James 5:16 says that we may need to confess our faults one to another and this may be why we are sickly or ill. The AA has a good thing going for it in that they learn the "buddy system" and realize that one-on-one help is a good system to find sympathy and survival techniques because they learn to help and encourage each other. Every one should find someone they can relate to and be honest with because true fellowship is linked to two people being in the same boat, as it were. What we need in the body is a little more realism; God isn't looking for the ideal person, but the real person!
Self-righteousness is one of the worst sins, and that made the Pharisees repugnant in Jesus' eyes and we must realize we can be guilty of it too when we think we are in line and are not willing to admit our faults. Even Job found out in the end that he was guilty of it and was forced to repent! In the story of Luke 18 about the Pharisee and the tax collector the people looked up to the Pharisees at the time as holy people and tax collectors as common sinners, but the tax collector humbled himself before the Lord and had the right mindset that he was a sinner and in need of a Savior. To the Pharisee, his faith had degenerated into a religion of works and performance, whereby he was just trying to impress the people--his motives were wrong and that is what only God can see.
He thought that appearances were everything and that he could impress God! Actually, the only way to impress God is to realize that you cannot impress Him and that you are at His mercy--your unworthiness is the only ticket. In God's economy, the way up is down and we must humble ourselves in His sight to be exalted, as John the Baptist said, "He must increase, and I must decrease" (John 3:30, ESV). The tax collector didn't actually say, "God me merciful to me a sinner," but "the sinner," because he felt so sinful in God's eyes. The worst attitude is to look down on our brother and to judge him when we do the same thing--he wasn't comparing himself to anyone more sinful or even feeling worthy!
When we've been forgiven, we are merciful to others in their sin and don't feel so self-righteous that we are holier than everyone. We forgive as the Lord forgave us (cf. Col. 3:13). If we are not doing this, we have forgotten that we have been saved and that God was merciful to us. Are our sins more easily forgiven than theirs? That is the epitome of self-righteousness, to believe it's okay for us to be that way, but not anyone else. The Pharisee was sure glad he wasn't like the so-called tax collectors and sinners, who were beyond redemption in his eyes.
We are all bad and as bad off as we can possibly be, but not too bad to be saved if we plead with God for mercy and realize our status as utterly sinful. "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God," (Rom. 8:7, ESV): Even our righteousness is as filthy rags in God's eyes (cf. Isaiah 64:6) and there is nothing we can do in our natural self to prepare for salvation or to make ourselves worthy; God must do a work of grace in our heart and make believers out of us (cf. Acts 18:27). Apart from the Holy Spirit's wooing none of us would believe and without the Father's granting of it none of us would come to Him (cf. John 6:44, 65).
The biggest obstacle to overcoming sin is to admit it freely and to come clean; this is called repentance whereby we make a U-turn, or about-face and turn from it to believe in Christ. We simultaneously turn from our sins toward God in faith: "and they must change their hearts and lives as they turn to God and have faith in our Lord Jesus" (Acts 20:21, CEV); and Acts 26:20 (ESV) says clearly "that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance." Peter says in Acts 3:19 (ESV): "Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out." No one can convince us we are sinners and need repentance but the Holy Spirit, whose domain is the conviction, not our domain to convict. We should never think that our sins are unforgivable because God can forgive any confessed sin.
But it is worse when we think other people are unredeemable and they have gone too far and are beyond salvation or grace. We're all in the same boat as far as God is concerned, just like we all drowned, some of us in six feet of water and some in six hundred feet, but the fact is that we all drowned in sin. If sin were yellow, we'd all be all yellow with no exceptions. We must realize this before we can have the right mindset to repent. We shouldn't be ashamed of our sins, because we are all sinners and have different areas of weakness, but the point is that we are all sinners, some just more refined or cultivated than others.
Personal faith becomes merely "religion" when it isn't authentic and only performance or degenerated into keeping the rules or even a philosophy instead of a relationship. Christianity isn't a catalog of rules or a list of dos and don'ts! Religion can never save anyone and is, in effect, an attempt to reach up to God, while Christianity is God reaching down to man in grace. Religion is merely a do-it-yourself proposition or trying to lift yourself up by your own bootstraps, while Christianity is when God changes your heart from the inside out and gives you a new life and spirit. We don't turn over a new leaf, make a New Year's resolution, or make an AA-like pledge, but we give our hearts to Jesus and start over with Him in charge of our new life. Faith can degenerate into religion when one is merely worried about appearances and isn't accountable to anyone so that it becomes highly subjective.
In summation: We are not to play the "let's compare" game and think we are better than others or thank God we are not like others: As George Whitefield said, "There, but for the grace of God, go I," when he saw a man going to the gallows! Soli Deo Gloria!
"We won't dare to place ourselves in the same league or to compare ourselves with some of those who are promoting themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they have no understanding" (2 Cor. 10:12, CEV).
We have no right to have a holier-than-thou attitude (cf. Isaiah 65:5) and think we've arrived (cf. Phil. 3:12), and don't need our fellow believer to encourage us or meet our needs--none of us is an island and only Christ is the Rock. Some believers seem to become Lone Rangers or lone wolves and don't hold themselves accountable to anyone, walking with the Lord as if it were "Me and Jesus." We are members one of another and no member of the body is self-sufficient and can stand alone. We tend to privatize our faith especially when we are at our weakest and don't want anyone to know our faults; however, we are to accept the faults of one another and remember that we have them too. Romans 15:7 says we ought to "welcome one another" as Christ has welcomed us. Our faith is a public matter and when stifled or muffled it cannot grow.
Remember: We are all saints and all equally holy in God's eyes. Martin Luther said that we are, at the same time, sinners and saints, as it says in Galatians 2:17 (ESV): "But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!" However, note that the Bible doesn't call us sinners, though we are, we are called saints now because we are justified in His sight, though we technically do still sin. Even Paul didn't claim to have laid hold of it yet and become perfect, though this is the command in Matt. 5:48 stating: "You, therefore, must be perfect, as You heavenly Father is perfect." What does this mean but that direction is the test and perfection is the standard or goal? We are held to a higher standard as believers than the world in our witness and testimony.
Pollyanna Christianity is erroneous and we are not to buy into the theory that, if you are walking with the Lord, everything is hunky-dory. Christians have trials, tribulations, adversities, temptations, and many kinds of sufferings that unbelievers are unaware of and cannot relate to. If we have certain sins that we cannot overcome, it is high time we get the body of Christ involved. James 5:16 says that we may need to confess our faults one to another and this may be why we are sickly or ill. The AA has a good thing going for it in that they learn the "buddy system" and realize that one-on-one help is a good system to find sympathy and survival techniques because they learn to help and encourage each other. Every one should find someone they can relate to and be honest with because true fellowship is linked to two people being in the same boat, as it were. What we need in the body is a little more realism; God isn't looking for the ideal person, but the real person!
Self-righteousness is one of the worst sins, and that made the Pharisees repugnant in Jesus' eyes and we must realize we can be guilty of it too when we think we are in line and are not willing to admit our faults. Even Job found out in the end that he was guilty of it and was forced to repent! In the story of Luke 18 about the Pharisee and the tax collector the people looked up to the Pharisees at the time as holy people and tax collectors as common sinners, but the tax collector humbled himself before the Lord and had the right mindset that he was a sinner and in need of a Savior. To the Pharisee, his faith had degenerated into a religion of works and performance, whereby he was just trying to impress the people--his motives were wrong and that is what only God can see.
He thought that appearances were everything and that he could impress God! Actually, the only way to impress God is to realize that you cannot impress Him and that you are at His mercy--your unworthiness is the only ticket. In God's economy, the way up is down and we must humble ourselves in His sight to be exalted, as John the Baptist said, "He must increase, and I must decrease" (John 3:30, ESV). The tax collector didn't actually say, "God me merciful to me a sinner," but "the sinner," because he felt so sinful in God's eyes. The worst attitude is to look down on our brother and to judge him when we do the same thing--he wasn't comparing himself to anyone more sinful or even feeling worthy!
When we've been forgiven, we are merciful to others in their sin and don't feel so self-righteous that we are holier than everyone. We forgive as the Lord forgave us (cf. Col. 3:13). If we are not doing this, we have forgotten that we have been saved and that God was merciful to us. Are our sins more easily forgiven than theirs? That is the epitome of self-righteousness, to believe it's okay for us to be that way, but not anyone else. The Pharisee was sure glad he wasn't like the so-called tax collectors and sinners, who were beyond redemption in his eyes.
We are all bad and as bad off as we can possibly be, but not too bad to be saved if we plead with God for mercy and realize our status as utterly sinful. "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God," (Rom. 8:7, ESV): Even our righteousness is as filthy rags in God's eyes (cf. Isaiah 64:6) and there is nothing we can do in our natural self to prepare for salvation or to make ourselves worthy; God must do a work of grace in our heart and make believers out of us (cf. Acts 18:27). Apart from the Holy Spirit's wooing none of us would believe and without the Father's granting of it none of us would come to Him (cf. John 6:44, 65).
The biggest obstacle to overcoming sin is to admit it freely and to come clean; this is called repentance whereby we make a U-turn, or about-face and turn from it to believe in Christ. We simultaneously turn from our sins toward God in faith: "and they must change their hearts and lives as they turn to God and have faith in our Lord Jesus" (Acts 20:21, CEV); and Acts 26:20 (ESV) says clearly "that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance." Peter says in Acts 3:19 (ESV): "Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out." No one can convince us we are sinners and need repentance but the Holy Spirit, whose domain is the conviction, not our domain to convict. We should never think that our sins are unforgivable because God can forgive any confessed sin.
But it is worse when we think other people are unredeemable and they have gone too far and are beyond salvation or grace. We're all in the same boat as far as God is concerned, just like we all drowned, some of us in six feet of water and some in six hundred feet, but the fact is that we all drowned in sin. If sin were yellow, we'd all be all yellow with no exceptions. We must realize this before we can have the right mindset to repent. We shouldn't be ashamed of our sins, because we are all sinners and have different areas of weakness, but the point is that we are all sinners, some just more refined or cultivated than others.
Personal faith becomes merely "religion" when it isn't authentic and only performance or degenerated into keeping the rules or even a philosophy instead of a relationship. Christianity isn't a catalog of rules or a list of dos and don'ts! Religion can never save anyone and is, in effect, an attempt to reach up to God, while Christianity is God reaching down to man in grace. Religion is merely a do-it-yourself proposition or trying to lift yourself up by your own bootstraps, while Christianity is when God changes your heart from the inside out and gives you a new life and spirit. We don't turn over a new leaf, make a New Year's resolution, or make an AA-like pledge, but we give our hearts to Jesus and start over with Him in charge of our new life. Faith can degenerate into religion when one is merely worried about appearances and isn't accountable to anyone so that it becomes highly subjective.
In summation: We are not to play the "let's compare" game and think we are better than others or thank God we are not like others: As George Whitefield said, "There, but for the grace of God, go I," when he saw a man going to the gallows! Soli Deo Gloria!