Could The Righteous Be Self-righteous?

What does it mean to be self-righteous?

According to the Oxford dictionary, it is defined as , "having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior."

Now this definition of the word appears to correspond with the attitude of the Biblical Pharisees, as this was the opinion of Jesus concerning them:

Matthew 23:25 (KJV)

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Matthew 23:27-28 (KJV)

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Luke 16:15 (KJV)

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth thy hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Therefore the Pharisees were men who portray themselves as righteous before men, but their righteousness was unfounded because they were never righteous in God's sight but sinners and workers of iniquity.

That was exactly what Jesus intended to illustrate in the following parable about a Pharisee and publican who went to pray in the temple.

Luke 18:10-14 (KJV)

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Therefore Jesus was actually speaking of two sinners praying, as both the Pharisee and the publican were sinners in God's sight, so the reason the publican was more justified than the Pharisee in the sight of God, was because, despite being a sinner himself, instead of the Pharisee humbling himself as the publican had done before God, he exalted himself and claimed to be righteous when it was unfounded in God's sight.

And the prayer of a sinner is an abomination to God, except that of repentance, hence was the publican more justified in the sight of God than the Pharisee, because he humbled himself and was more repentant than the Pharisee who was also sinner. John 9:31

Therefore the Pharisee was never a righteous man who tried to justify himself by his righteousness in the first place, but a hypocritical sinner and an abomination in God's sight according to Jesus, who prided himself in his righteousness that was unfounded. Hence his rejection by God.

However this has been misinterpreted by many to mean that anyone, including the righteous, who justifies himself by his righteousness was being hypocritical as the Pharisees, and they call the person self-righteous.

Moreover this misinterpretation has especially given the sinners and the wicked some justification, and a tool to condemn the righteous and undermine the importance of righteousness in one's salvation.

But the Bible itself proves that the righteous justifying themselves by their righteousness is acceptable in God sight as shown in the next post.

God bless.

Some Righteous Men who Justified Themselves By Their Righteousness In The Bible.


*Abraham justified himself by his righteousness yet God called Him His friend. Genesis 18:25, Isaiah 41:8


*Job justified himself by his righteousness yet God was proud of him and said he had done what was right.


Job 27:5-6 (KJV)

God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

Job 32:1 (KJV)

So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

Job 42:7 (KJV)

And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.


*David justified himself by his righteousness, yet he was called a man after God's heart and God called him his servant.


Psalms 7:8-11 (KJV)

The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.
Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

1 Samuel 13:14 (KJV)

But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.


*Hezekiah justified himself by his righteousness and that was what compelled God to reverse His pronouncement upon him that he would die.


2 Kings 20:3 (KJV)

I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

2 Kings 20:5-6 (KJV)

Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.


*The disciples of Christ justified themselves by their righteousness and Jesus called them His friends.


Matthew 19:27-29 (KJV)

Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

John 15:15 (KJV)

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.


*Apostle Paul also justified himself by his righteousness, yet he was still justified in the sight of God.


2 Timothy 4:7-8 (KJV)

[b]I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

So if speaking of one's righteousness makes one to be self-righteous, that would mean that just about all the righteous men and prophets of God in the Bible were self-righteous, and that being self-righteous was a good thing after all which should be emulated, because it couldn't get any better than these ones in God's sight.

But whatever being self-righteous means, if it means priding in unfounded righteousness as the Pharisees were known for, then it's impossible for the righteous to be self-righteous and it would ignorant to accuse them of such, because they are justified in the sight of God.

God bless.

jesusjnr2020:
Could The Righteous Be Self-righteous?

What does it mean to be self-righteous?

According to the Oxford dictionary, it is defined as , "having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior."...

Now you see Oxford is Wrong!

Self Righteous is as one who has written an exam and thereafter, he marks his own answer script, then he proclaims to the world, the pass mark which he himself gave himself. (As proven people never fail when they mark their own scripts)

As Christ proclaimed The Law "He who judges himself, his judgement can not be True"

"Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips." Proverbs 27:2.

Therefore, the righteous are not righteous because they said "I am righteous", BUT BECAUSE OTHERS, EVEN STRANGERS JUDGED THEM, RIGHTEOUS!

jesusjnr2020:
Some Righteous Men who Justified Themselves By Their Righteousness In The Bible..

This is where you learn, if you may, that when ACCUSED, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO SHOW THAT YOU HAVE DONE NO WRONG THING. ONLY THE RIGHT AND GOOD THING

So your example clearly shows those who are saying to The Judge "I did no wrong thing Lord. I did The Right, even according to Thy Laws".

Self-righteousness? Overly righteous for trends.