WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JULY 11, 2022
TOPIC: SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL TAKE ONE NOWHERE BUT HELLFIRE
BY T. O. BANSO
âThe Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, âGod, I thank You that I am not like other men â extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possessââ (Luke 18:11-12 New King James Version).
There are two kinds of righteousness: self-righteousness and Godâs righteousness. Self-righteousness is manâs righteousness, and itâs nothing before God. Isaiah 64:6a says, âBut we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy ragsâ (New King James Version).
If you want to be saved, self-righteousness wonât help you. You need the righteousness that comes through Christ Jesus. And the way to receive this is to be born again â accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. âFor with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvationâ (Romans 10:10 New King James Version). Those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17b).
The Jews were guilty of self-righteousness. Romans 10:3-4 says, âFor they [the Jews] being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believesâ (New King James Version). Paul said his heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Jews was that they might be saved (verse 1). He testified that they had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Because of their ignorance of Godâs righteousness, they sought to establish their own righteousness. That would never work. The right thing they should have done, as he said, was to submit to the righteousness of God.
The Pharisee in Luke 18 was also guilty of self-righteousness. He brandished or flaunted before God self-righteousness â righteousness by works. He believed that would impress God and convince Him to answer his prayer. âThe Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, âGod, I thank You that I am not like other men â extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possessââ (Luke 18:11-12 New King James Version).
Did you see his self-righteousness, which he was proud of but which, as you have read earlier in Isaiah 64:6a, was like an unclean thing, like filthy rags? This Pharisee believed that God owed him attention because of his religious activities. But he was wrong. God rejected him.
While we must live a holy life, fast, and do the like, theyâre not the basis of our acceptance by God. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, âFor by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boastâ (New King James Version). Jesus died to save us, not because of the works of righteousness we have done, but according to Godâs mercy (Titus 3:5).
Unlike this Pharisee, the tax collector, whom he had mocked, simply stood at a distance. He did not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. He beat his chest in sorrow, acknowledged his sinfulness, and said, âGod, be merciful to me a sinner!â (Luke 18:13b New King James Version). He returned home justified by God.
Donât try to justify yourself before God like this Pharisee who trusted in himself that he was righteous and viewed the tax collector with contempt. In Luke 16:15, Jesus said this about the Pharisees: âYou are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of Godâ (New King James Version).
The Pharisees didnât acknowledge that they were blind. Therefore, Jesus didnât have to open their eyes because He came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind (John 9:39).
You should also not be like the lawyer in Luke 10 whom the Bible says wanted to justify himself (verse 29). Proverbs 30:12 says, âThere is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthinessâ (New King James Version). Put on Godâs righteousness, not self-righteousness. You may think youâre a good man or woman, but thatâs not enough to save you from hellfire. You must accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If you havenât, surrender your life to him now. And after youâre saved, never promote your good works above grace â Jesusâ death on the cross.
Hear what Paul said about not having his own righteousness: âBut what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faithâ (Philippians 3:7-10 New King James Version).
The righteousness which is from the law cannot save anyone because no one can keep all the laws by his power. That was why God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for the sins of the world. The nature of the law is that if you keep the whole law but stumble in one point, you are guilty of all. James 2:10-11 says, âFor whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, âDo not commit adultery,â also said, âDo not murder.â Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the lawâ (New King James Version).
Therefore, justifying oneself based on obeying the law is an exercise in futility. âNow do you see it? No one can ever be made right in Godâs sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of Godâs laws, the clearer it becomes that we arenât obeying them; his laws serve only to make us see that we are sinnersâ (Romans 3:20 The Living Bible).
Our salvation is through Jesus Christ, not the law. âFor what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spiritâ (Romans 8:3-4 New King James Version). We cannot be justified by the deeds of the law but through Jesus Christ. Romans 4:25 says He was delivered up because of our offences and was raised because of our justification. We are justified by His grace (Titus 3:7; Romans 3:24).
Self-righteousness will take one nowhere but hellfire. As 1 John 1:8-9 says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us but if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Self-righteousness will only take one to hellfire. Submit to the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus by accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour and obeying His teachings. You have been saved by grace. Nevertheless, you cannot continue in sin that grace may abound (Romans 6:1-2). Therefore, walk in the newness of life as you depend on the Holy Spirit.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life â your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS:Â Father, thank You for saving me according to Your mercy. I shall not have my own righteousness and promote it above the work of Christ on the cross. I shall not trust in myself that I am righteous apart from Christ and view others with contempt. Father, deliver those who are ignorant of Your righteousness and seek to establish their own righteousness instead of submitting to Your righteousness.
(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
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