Flee Self-Righteousness
When we think about confessing sin, self-righteousness is likely at the top of the list. Rooted in pride, it is something we’re all prone toward. Sadly, it destroys godliness and humility, as it wreaks havoc in our relationship with God and with others. It also steals our joy. The book of Philippians, which is known for its theme of joy, speaks to this. In fact, one of the ways that Paul wants to safeguard the Philippians’ joy is to emphasize the importance of fleeing self-righteousness. Perhaps surprisingly, self-righteousness doesn’t only come from the desires of our own hearts. It also comes by way of false teaching (Phil. 3:1-6).
Paul emphasizes three points about false teachers. First, he calls them “dogs” (Phil. 3:2). In the Bible dogs are associated with unholy things and evil people (see, for example, 1 Kings 21:17-24 and Matt. 7:6). Notably, Jews considered Gentiles to be dogs (see Matt. 15:26). So it’s ironic that Paul calls the Jews promoting a false gospel the real dogs. Sadly, these Judaizers were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to be saved. The second term Paul uses to describe these false teachers is “evildoers” (Phil. 3:2). They were evil in that they were adding to the message that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Finally, Paul calls them “those who mutilate the flesh” (v. 2). This was a term associated with pagan worship (1 Kings 18:25-29), which Israel was not to engage in (Lev. 21:5).
These false teachers were confident in their own good works, like circumcision. Contrarily, although Paul was also a Jew who was circumcised, his confidence was in Christ. Like Paul, the Philippian church understood that true circumcision comes by way of Jesus. The majority of the church were Gentiles and therefore, uncircumcised, but they recognized God cuts out the old hearts of believers and gives them new ones (see Rom. 2:28-29; Gal. 6:14-16).
False teaching is still a problem today. It promotes self-righteousness and therefore, steals our joy. Since it is often subtle, we should always be on guard. We must immerse ourself in Scripture so that we will recognize error. We should be an active member of a gospel-centered church. And we need to be alert to messages, like self-help literature, that teach a message contrary to the gospel.
Paul could have easily embraced a gospel of self-righteousness because of his family and upbringing, as well as his personal accomplishments (Phil. 3:5-6). In fact, prior to his conversion, Paul believed he had attained a blameless record of keeping the law. But on the day that Christ spoke to him on the Damascus Road and saved him from self-righteousness (Acts 9:1-9; 17-22), Paul knew that any birth and family privileges, and any kinds of achievements, were no gain at all. Every true believer comes to recognize this at some point. There is nothing we can bring to Jesus that makes us worthy of salvation.
If we’re honest, we’re often tempted toward self-righteousness. When our appearance is stripped away by acne, an accident, or aging, we often realize that we’ve trusted in those things for our beauty and righteousness. When our achievements are stripped away by unemployment, lack of funding, a younger replacement, or an unjust judge, we often realize we’ve trusted in other things than Christ alone for our salvation.
When our spouse and children think we’re more aware of their shortcomings than their strengths, we’re likely being self-righteous. When we think our walk with Christ is stronger than another’s and we look down on them because of it, we’re being self-righteous. When we trust in how much kingdom work we’ve done for the Lord instead of trusting in the Lord who empowers us to do kingdom work, we have fallen into self-righteousness. When we’re proud of our heritage and trust in it for our significance, we’re trapped in self-righteousness. When we secretly boast in our education, thinking we’re better than someone else, our self-righteousness is exposed.
How have you trusted in your family name, upbringing, education, memorization of Scripture, or good moral conduct for right standing before God? In what ways are you boasting in your appearance and achievements? When was the last time you felt you were morally superior to another person? Let us flee self-righteousness and run to the righteousness of God that comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Sarah Ivill (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary) is a Reformed author, wife, homeschooling mom, Bible study teacher, and conference speaker who lives in Matthews, North Carolina, and is a member of Christ Covenant Church (PCA). To learn more, please visit www.sarahivill.com.
