Subject Ninety-three

THE CONDEMNATION
OF THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS AND
THE JUSTIFICATION OF THE SELF-ABASED—
The Third Contrast in Luke

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

1. Two men praying
   1. In terms of action, this passage of the Scripture is not talking about two different people doing two things, such as a good person committing a sin or a bad person not committing a sin. No, the two were praying and were drawing close to God.
   2. Their actions were the same, but the persons were different, and their positions were also different. One was a Pharisee, and the other a publican, a tax collector. The Pharisee represented a high-ranking person, and the tax collector, a despised person.
2. A self-righteous man
   1. The self-righteous man was the Pharisee. He was self-righteous not before his audience, but before God. He prayed, “God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I get.” In essence, in his prayer he was asking God to thank him. Because of self-righteousness, he was saying, “I am not like other people. I am not like my colleague who is sitting in front of me. I am not like my classmate who is sitting beside me. I am not like the professor living next door.”
   2. Nearly all the religious people are self-righteous; so are moral people. The Pharisee represents both of these two groups of people, the religious people and the moral people. He fasted twice a week, and gave tithes. These are religious matters. He was neither an adulterer nor an extortioner. These are moral matters.
   3. The Pharisees are false religionists and false moralists.
3. A humble man
   1. Describe the way the tax collector prayed. He stood afar off and dared not lift up his eyes toward heaven but smote his chest saying, “God, be Thou merciful to me a sinner.”
   2. Nearly all the immoral, sinful people have a humble feeling.
4. The results of self-righteousness and self-abasing
   1. The one who humbled himself was justified. Humbling oneself is not a virtue but a confession which affords God a chance to grant His mercy.
   2. The self-righteous one was condemned, because self-righteousness shuts off God’s mercy.
   3. Christ has accomplished redemption. A man who humbles himself and believes in Christ shall be justified. A man who is self-righteous and unbelieving shall be condemned.