Martin Luther King told us that “morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Mr. King said that judicial decree may not change the heart but can restrain the heartless.” Since Mr. King’s death, America has been under attack by deviant and perverted behavior, which, unfortunately, is protected by the First Amendment. The evil in our country uses our own laws against the moral fiber it was initially created to protect. The liberal left will never admit that our freedom depends upon reasonable and responsible decisions being enforced. These people, intent on destroying polite society, feel no commitment to control their actions. Still, they will fight to deny others’ rights. These people ignore God’s righteousness when they try to create their own righteousness, as described in Romans 10:3.
Being “holier than Thou” is first described in Isaiah 65:5. Isaiah directs people to stay away and let them stand alone because they are not as important as the elite or “holier than thou. The Britannica Dictionary defines “holier than thou” as an attitude or behavior that shows annoyance at people who do not meet the moral superiority of those speaking. This attitude and behavior are sometimes described as being sanctimonious. You are being sanctimonious if you try to appear or act morally superior to others. This “holier than thou” sanctimonious behavior always leads to being self-righteous. This self-righteous person thinks their ideas, beliefs, morals, and status are superior to those of everyone else. Again, Romans 10:3 addresses this attitude. Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us that all righteousness is a gift from God and has nothing to do with anything we as humans have accomplished. Proverbs 30:12 gives a good description of the “holier than thou as seeing themselves as being clean, but in truth, they are not washed of their own filth.
“The irony of self-righteousness is that it trusts in itself, its feelings, its emotions, its desires, its logic, and its understanding. So, it never sees the error in its own way. In short, as deemed by many theistic writers, self-righteous individuals have a bad attitude: They’re intolerant, smug, and sanctimonious, and—overly confident about their righteousness or moral superiority—they attempt to “lord” it over others, unjustifiably putting them down as weak, dependent, and indiscriminately placing collective faith over individualized, non-religious experience.” (Seltzer, 21) This becomes confusing when we think that the righteous are supposed to honor God, be humble in their attitudes, and be faithful. The self-righteous mistakenly think of themselves as being the better of the group or “holier than thou.”
“What if one of the most dangerous attitudes for believers is self-righteousness? What if it’s possible to be “right” and toxic at the same time? We catch somebody doing or saying one thing wrong, and then use that as a license to destroy them and everything they are.” (Thomas, 19) During the 1600s, a Puritan Preacher, Thomas Brooks, began writing about how Satan had created methods or devices to ruin the Church. Brooks was very concerned about Galatians 5:15, where Paul warned the Christians in the Roman province of Galatia that their behavior would allow the Roman occupation to destroy them from within. Paul knew that if the Romans could divide the people of Galatia, they would be fighting among themselves and would be easy to control. Brooks said Satin was determined to destroy the Church by sowing conflict among its members. According to Brooks, Satin’s favorite tool was the saint’s own self-righteousness. Brooks warned five hundred years ago that the Devil would win if Satan could divide the Church by using the “saints'” own self-righteousness.
“What if, in the name of doing God’s work, we find ourselves furthering the cause of Satan? What if one of the most dangerous attitudes for believers is self-righteousness? What if it’s possible to be “right” and toxic at the same time? We catch somebody doing or saying one thing wrong, and then use that as a license to destroy them and everything they are.” (Thomas, 19) The “holier than thou” attitude, the sanctimonious, the truly self-righteous can destroy a family, a business, and the Church. Mark 7:8-9 tells us that Jesus warned the Pharisees not to honor God with their tongues and then to teach doctrines created by man. The Pharisees considered themselves superior to everyone and that they should make up their own rules to suit their needs. The misguided “holier than thou” attitude was a problem in the time of Jesus. It remains a problem in today’s Church as well. “Self-righteousness is a huge problem within the Church. To be self-righteous means to believe in one’s own righteousness: that one is morally superior to others through one’s own merits. To be seen as righteous by one’s acts seems to be the main aim of many Christians. The Church today is no different, with many Christians brushing aside God’s most important commandments. Self-righteousness is embraced, with people believing that obeying commandments invented by man is the way to obtain righteousness, and the outward appearance is considered more important than the heart.” (Pike, 2014)
In First Corinthians 8:1, Paul warns that having knowledge makes us feel good. He also said that this same knowledge would make us arrogant. Paul knew that the Church should be founded on love and not self-righteousness. “As we grow in the Christian life, we face the increasing danger of spiritual pride. We know the correct doctrines, the right methods, and the proper dos and don’ts. But with that spiritual knowledge comes the need to remember the poverty of our own spiritual character. The goal is to become holy without becoming “holier than thou.” We do that by actually becoming holy. Of all the goals we have for our lives, the most important is to pursue holiness, because it is God’s goal for our lives. As believers, we are to be holy not because we want to be loved by God but because we are already loved in Christ. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). And the best way to show that we love God is by seeking to become holy because He is holy.” (Martin, 20)
Martin, M. (20, 4 2). Northstar Church. Retrieved from Holier Than Thou: https://northstar.church/holier-than-thou/
Pike, C. (2014, 12 25). Dry Dead Fish. Retrieved from Self-righteousness in the Church: https://www.drydeadfish.co.uk/self-righteousness-in-the-church/
Seltzer, L. (21, 1 13). Psychology Today. Retrieved from Righteous vs. Self-righteousness: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolution-the-self/202101/righteous-vs-self-righteous
Thomas, G. (19, 3 13). Gary Thomas. Retrieved from The Demonic Dangers of Self-righteousness: https://garythomas.com/2019/03/13/the-demonic-danger-of-self-righteousness/