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5 signs that (and 1 reason why) you’re self-righteous

Posted by Mathew | 9 April 08

Many non-Christians will label Christians as being an overtly self-righteous bunch. Is there truth to this claim? Well … yes. A lot of truth, actually.

The dictionary says this about self-righteousness:

convinced of one’s own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic.

There’s a common theme going on here. See if you can pick it before you reach the concluding remarks at the bottom of the post. Here’s my brief 5 signs that (and 1 reason why) you’re self-righteous:

#1. Denial
When faced with the charge of being self-righteous, you immediately defend yourself. In your defense, you will typically throw back reasons as to why you are righteous and not self-righteous.

#2. Everyone else is substandard
You’re the king. You are busy finding fault in others and proclaim yourself better than they. You carry the ‘holier than thou’ attitude. You have no ‘log in your eye’ (Mtt 7:3-5)

#3. Religious works are the be all and end all
This can include a number of activities - religiously attending every worship service, prayer meeting and bible study and talking about those who don’t. Tithing openly - after all, people need to be lead by example, right? Praying lengthy, long-winded prayers for the sake of praying lengthy, long-winded prayers.

#4. Gossiping
It’s the nature of gossip to talk others down, thus elevating yourself above them.

#5. Causing hurt
Especially when you should be causing love. If you sacrifice your time, talents and treasures for the need to feel important at your church or church community, at the expense of those nearest to you - you will hurt those around you, least of all the ones you love.

What’s the one reason why you are self-righteous? It’s the very same reason that Satan was cast out of heaven - Pride.

At the heart of any self-righteous person is the issue of pride. By definition, self-righteousness assumes that we are the makers of the righteous yardstick - so that what ever we say becomes the golden rule, most notably at the expense of God’s righteousness. So pride is actually the attempt to elevate oneself above God and it is the act to say that, by one’s own effort, we are declared righteous. A great example of such a heart can be found in Job’s character. Though many tragedies had befallen him, Job declared until he was blue in the face to his accusing friends that he had done nothing wrong to deserve such personal loss. Job was ‘righteous in his own eyes’ (Job 32:1).

Job had created his own yardstick for measuring his ‘righteousness’. He was able to point to his faultless track record - his philanthropy to the community, his willingness to assist others, his desire to ensure his children’s sins were atoned for - and say to his friends that he has done nothing wrong at all. Many Christians are like Job in this respect. We attend church regularly. We tithe. We perform community outreach and help the poor. We outwardly live very upright lives, not giving in to a multitude of temptations. But what many of us don’t realise is that we’ve fallen into the worst sin of them all: pride.

This is why humility in all that we do as Christians is so vitally important. We can perform well above all expectations of the practicalities of the Christian faith, but it is all self-glorifying if we do not have humility in our heart.

It is not by our strength, and our strength alone by which we can accomplish things. It is by God’s grace (to both Christians and non-Christians alike) that we can dare to achieve anything at all. This lesson reminds me of one of my favourite verses:

I can do everything through him [Jesus] who gives me strength (Eph 4:13).

In your Christian walk and in everything you do, remember your humility before our most merciful and gracious God. Be aware of any pride in your heart. Pray that such pride will be sought out and rebuked, and then recommit yourself to the Lord Jesus. It is all for His glory.

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