Self-Justification – Part 1

Today, we’re going to talk about the subject of self-justification.

Have you ever noticed how human beings are really good at justifying themselves?  Often, instead of admitting we are wrong, we find a way to explain why we are not.  There are several characteristics of believers who habitually “self justify.” Some to be careful of are:  getting offended, defensive and angry when confronted about doing anything wrong; not taking responsibility for mistakes/actions; disrespecting authority; overly defending oneself;  being unhappy because secretly we believe we are not appreciated for all we do.  These type habitual beliefs are a sure sign of an underlying spiritual problem.  Justifying our actions creates a pattern of unhealthy thoughts and behavior often keeping a person from growing into a sound-minded adult.  Let’s take a look.

Scriptures:

Galatians 6:7:   Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.    ^NAS

Galatians 6:7:   Don’t be misled–you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.   ^NLT

Luke 18:9-14:   ⁹ And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ ¹⁴ “I tell you, this man went to his  house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”    ^NAS

2 Corinthians 10:12:  For we dare not to classify or to compare ourselves with some commending themselves. But these, measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves with themselves, do not understand.   ^{Berean Literal}

Romans 3:23:   for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,   ^NAS

Galatians 2:11-16:  ¹¹ When Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, however, I opposed him to his face, because he stood to be condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group. ¹³ The other Jews joined in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. ¹⁴ When I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? ¹⁵ We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile ‘sinners’ ¹⁶ know that a man is not justified by works of the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law, because by works of the Law no one will be justified.    ^{Berean emphasis added}

Galatians 2: 17:  But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.  ^KJ

Galatians 2:17:   But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not!   ^NLT

Galatians 2: 19-21:  ¹⁹ So far as the Law is concerned, however, I am dead—killed by the Law itself—in order that I might live for God. I have been put to death with Christ on his cross, ²⁰ so that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me. ²¹ I refuse to reject the grace of God. But if a person is put right with God through the Law, it means that Christ died for nothing!   ^{Good News Translation}

Galatians 3: 1-3; 5,6,8,9:  ¹ O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. ² I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?  ³ Are you so foolish? After starting in the Spirit, are you now finishing in the flesh?  ⁵ Does God lavish His Spirit on you and work miracles among you because you practice the Law, or because you hear and believe?  ⁶ So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ⁸ The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” ⁹ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.    ^Berean

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