Self-righteousness, defined and discussed?

[LovebirdsFlying]

"I do that because it's the right thing to do."
"I don't do that, because it isn't right."

At what point does that become self-righteousness?

I ask because on occasion I hear accusations, either to their faces, or behind their backs. Somebody is observed refraining from alcohol, tobacco, other substances, sex before marriage, or whatever. Or they're seen on their way to church, or they make mention of something they learned in this morning's Bible study. They're not telling anybody else how to live. They're just doing what they do, and and not doing what they won't do, but the grumbling is that they are being self-righteous. "Sanctimonious" and "holier than thou" also come up in similar situations.

Sometimes it's humorous. I once read an article written by a smoker, who stated that he can tolerate non-smokers as long as they don't act morally superior to smokers--which they can do, he says, simply by standing there not smoking.

Where is the line drawn?

 

[Soyeong]

"I do that because it's the right thing to do."
"I don't do that, because it isn't right."

At what point does that become self-righteousness?

I ask because on occasion I hear accusations. Somebody is observed refraining from alcohol, tobacco, other substances, sex before marriage, or whatever. Or they're seen on their way to church, or they make mention of something they learned in this morning's Bible study. They're not telling anybody else how to live. They're just doing what they do, and and not doing what they won't do, but the grumbling is that they are being self-righteous. "Sanctimonious" and "holier than thou" also come up in similar situations.

Sometimes it's humorous. I once read an article written by a smoker, who stated that he can tolerate non-smokers as long as they don't act morally superior to smokers--which they can do, he says, simply by standing there not smoking.

Where is the line drawn?

The difference between true righteousness and self-righteousness is who gets the glory.

 

[SkyWriting]

"I do that because it's the right thing to do."
"I don't do that, because it isn't right."
At what point does that become self-righteousness?

Immediately.


Proverbs 21:23 Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

Psalm 141:3 O LORD, set a guard at my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Proverbs 18:13 If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame

 

[Shempster]

Everybody is either worried alot that they might be doing something wrong OR they do whatever they feel like with no concern and look for excuses to feed those who disagree with their "freedoms".

The best approach is to let the spirit lead YOU and don't even talk about it with others. And you should try to be a moral swat team, acosting anyone who breaks your rules.

There are things that society calls sin that I do that is totally neutral morally and there are things that religious people do every day that I think is evil. But thats my suffs cuz. I don't flaunt anything or make others feel guilty because for instance they drink water with chlorine and sodium flouride in it. Whoops...I slipped with one. Forgive me.

 

[Te're'sa]

You're forgiven as you ask, Shempster, but I feel compelled to share that I'm assuming the ones who tampered with the aforementioned drinking water are the ones at fault, not really the drinkers. I mean, we can move or buy an expensive filter pitcher, but other than that, we as first-world humans are stuck with what Industry gives us. And industry can give us some real.... excrement.

My apologies for the direction of my reply, since it seems we're both against Big Business / Industry for reasons along the same vein.

Everyone can easily point out where they believe others are being self-righteous, but it's much more difficult to see where we, ourselves, are being that way. For example, I'm no longer sure about this post? ... Maybe silence is the best route to avoid accusations in this department, if we even need to avoid them.

 

[Goodbook]

I think the devil likes to accuse the brethren.

If someone is not smoking or not drinking and just say sorry I dont smoke or drink the smokers or drinkers often dont respect that choice. It makes them feel convicted I guess of their own sin and lack of self control. And often they dont like it, so they project.

When it becomes self-righteous ...i dont think you can say thats and example of being self righteous. Self righteousness is like when you trust in your own self that your are always right and have never sinned I suppose...like the pharisees saying im not like that taxcollector there. I tithe my herbs. Im religious. And pray loudly so everyone can hear me. Its spiritual pride.

Job is an example of someone who was dangerously close to being self righteous. Morally upright in everyway but he didnt have a true relationship with God he just did all the right things and assumed nothing bad would ever happen to him cos he was so good. I suppose its the feeling of smugness. But he got his audience with God and repented with sack cloth and ashes.

If you just going about your own busness and not flaunting your christianity as thats who you are anyway then you dont need to proclaim what you are doing. But i suppose if you have the misfortune of discussing it in earshot of somone else who is jealous of what you have your peace perhaps, or riches in the case of Job...they can accuse you.

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

But i suppose if you have the misfortune of discussing it in earshot of somone else who is jealous of what you have your peace perhaps, or riches in the case of Job...they can accuse you.

That was beautiful counsel. Wise and well thought-out, and very helpful. Much appreciated. Thanks for all of the input so far in this thread.

I zeroed in on the last part because it brought to mind an incident from some time ago. I was having a casual conversation at a bus stop with another Christian. He and I were the only ones involved in it, but because the general topic was religion, a third person angrily approached us and told us we needed to take that kind of discussion somewhere else. When we politely told him we were within our rights, he walked away in a huff and soon returned with a security guard. "I didn't want to see you get in trouble," he said, which contradicts the fact that he went and got a security guard, doesn't it? The security guard advised us to go on with what we were doing and just not talk to that guy, but of course we were never talking to him in the first place. He's the one who came up to us.

The guy had it in his head that any mere mention of God, the Bible, Jesus, or religion, in a place where someone else can hear you, was against the law. He was most likely mixing it up with such issues as prayer in school, or government-mandated religious practice. It seems obvious to me now, he probably had some kind of mental illness, or he was intoxicated.

Now, some people would say that any mere mention of God, the Bible, Jesus, or religion, in a place where someone else can hear you, is self-righteousness. They tend to read it as showing off. "Look what a good Christian I am. I'm just SOOO much better than you." I suppose this is why I've quoted Scripture on my Facebook page, just as part of my normal conversation, and had people comment, "Hey, this is Facebook, not church!" Similarly, I've had family members walk into the room, notice that spiritual music is playing, and wisecrack, "I didn't know today was Sunday." These people, like the guy at the bus stop, want to constrain all things religious to Sunday mornings, while inside a church building. Anything other than that, apparently, is self-righteousness. At the very least, it's "getting carried away" or "being a fanatic."

For my part, I don't see the point in believing something, unless you're going to act like you believe it. So is that also being self-righteous? Or is it, as Goodbook points out, merely Satan accusing the brethren?

Oh, and SkyWriting, would you please elaborate? I'm not quite sure I get what you're saying. Is it that we should live out our beliefs, but talking about it crosses into self-righteousness?

 

[FireDragon76]

In common usage, it just means somebody who is self-servingly moralistic.

It sounds like some people you know are just hostile to religion It's more of anti-religious bigotry on their part than you necessarily being self-righteous. They are used to seeing Christians as being self-serving and its just a stereotype they apply to everybody.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Self-righteousness is in thinking that we are, by our own efforts, abilities, actions, way of thinking, etc righteous. It is to claim that we are ourselves righteous, and almost always by comparison to others who are "unrighteous".

The Christian is to understand him or herself not as righteous, or as though we have a righteousness of our own; but to recognize that the only righteousness we can claim is the alien righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is Christ who justifies us. Our efforts, our actions, our thoughts, everything that we produce is not righteous because it is the fruit of a sinful, fallen self; which is why our efforts cannot make us righteous and we stand unrighteous before the righteous commands of God. We can therefore never boast except in the grace of God and what He has done. Our boast is in Christ, who alone is righteous; and we are the passive benefactors by the mercy of God, having offered nothing in contribution of our own.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[dms1972]

"I do that because it's the right thing to do."
"I don't do that, because it isn't right."

At what point does that become self-righteousness?

I ask because on occasion I hear accusations, either to their faces, or behind their backs. Somebody is observed refraining from alcohol, tobacco, other substances, sex before marriage, or whatever.

I am not sure. In some christian circles there is a kind of 'training code morality' in place, with lists of 'clean' and 'unclean' activities. Whereas in other christian circles its quite different.

For Instance, I grew up till my late teens never going to the cinema, my parents tended to disprove of it, I never really asked why but i was about 17 when i first went to the cinema. But on the other hand, i remember going each year to a Easter Monday christian convention with my dad in a seaside town each year, and after the service was over, I was allowed to go round the local amusements with my dad. I think I also knew people who didn't allow their kids to go to amusement arcades, mainly I think for safety reasons. But there are christians who would not approve off going on carnival rides and to amusement arcades as they deem them 'worldly entertainments'.

It has a lot to do with losing sight of what constitutes worldliness in the bible:

writes Richard Lovelace: 'Worldiness for the Puritan had meant 'excessive love for the wealth, affluence, and pride of the world.' For the late nineteenth century evangelical, however it increasing came to mean the presence of certain visible habits of behaviour which marked the nonevangelical off as nonkosher.'


'sex before marriage' I think is different. that could mean several things from having sex with someone you are engaged to be married to, to having casual sex, one night stands, sex with a prostitute.



I think the bible calls casual sex fornication, whereas i am not aware of it saying anything about smoking, but Paul says he will not be mastered by anything. Would this be the same as saying I will not become addicted to anything?

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Where is the line drawn?

What did Jesus do? What did Jesus say ?
Nothing of Himself.
He told His disciples to live the same way. (Jesus drew the line)
(of course, that means spending a lot of time in prayer, with the Father, every day)