OVERCOMING SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
February 23, 2025
TEXT: “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)
Self-righteousness is a problem that is very common in the body of Christ. Many people struggle to identify their personal flaws and struggles, but they are always quick to despise others for their mistakes. The Bible teaches us that our righteousness, without God, is like a filthy rag. As Isaiah writes, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…” (Isaiah 64:6). This means that our attempts at being righteous, without God’s intervention, are worthless and unclean. This attitude of self-righteousness and pride is what Jesus addresses in our text today.
In our text, Jesus admonishes us to remove the “log/beam” from our own eyes to enable us to see clearly and help our brother remove the “speck” from his own eye. These words are basically symbolic. The beam/log represents the fact that we are ourselves faced with huge sinful circumstances in our lives, while the “speck” illustrates how we focus more on the “small” faults of others. Many are self-righteous in their own sight. A chronic thief who embezzles every bit of money that comes his way is busy castigating another person for being a liar. An adulterer is busy passing judgment on a pilferer. These are hypocritical circumstances. You wonder why the “judges” are so at peace with their sinful state and seem to see themselves as demigods who are pure and have no blemish.
As we recognize our own sinful nature and the futility of our self-righteousness, we must turn to Christ, who is our righteousness. We must humble ourselves and acknowledge our dependence on His righteousness. As believers, we are called to reflect the love and compassion of Christ, who came not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17). Let us lovingly preach the gospel to those around us, not with a spirit of condemnation, but with a heart of love and a desire to see people reconciled to God through Christ.
SEARCHLIGHT: Self-righteousness is a hindrance to our spiritual growth and relationships. We must recognize this, humble ourselves, and always depend on Christ’s righteousness, and lovingly preach the gospel to those around us.
PRAYER: O Lord, help me to evaluate, identify and overcome my own inadequacies, in Jesus’ name.
BIBLE READING: 1 Samuel 5-7, 1 Corinthians 2
PASTOR MICHAEL OMOLE
