Self-Righteousness

Mark and I were at Perkins yesterday afternoon, sitting down to have a bite to eat and continue our staff meeting after a hard-fought game of basketball.  We sat down when the waitress, who was wearing a head-band with reindeer antlers came and asked us what we'd like to drink.  Mark made a silly comment about wanting a head-band and without batting an eyelash she came back, "Don't play those reindeer games with me!"  The comment started off about 45 minutes of sharp (but good-natured) comments among the three of us--as well as the people in nearby booths.

Mark is new as a staff member of Waite Park, so in between verbal jabs, we spent the time getting to know each other, talking about ministry in Minneapolis, and comparing our theologies.  When we were finished, we took the check and went up to the counter to pay.  When I paid with the church card, she noticed and asked, "What, are you guys some kind of ministers of something?"  I said, "Actually, we're exactly ministers."

She said, "Oh great.  I'm in trouble now," and continued to tell us that whenever she went into a church with her mom, she'd always fan herself and ask, "Is it hot in here?" 

I could be wrong, but I suspect in her remarks that she's only half-kidding.  There are a few assumptions behind her comments.

First, she assumes the church is a place of judgment.  In fact, even though she may not mean it, she's actually associating the church with hell itself.  As she walks into the church, she feels the flames of hell.  I'm not sure if that says more about her or about the church.  When "sinners" came into contact with Jesus, did they feel the flames of hell?

Second, she assumes that she doesn't measure up.  I don't know the waitress at all.  I know she's witty and fun, but I don't really know what she's like in her relationships and everyday life.  But I'm also sure that she doesn't measure up to God's ideal.  Of course, this isn't much of a stretch and it's not meant to say anything specific about her, but about everyone.  We don't need the Bible to tell us that we're all sinners--actually now that I think about it, that's not entirely true.

I know a lot of Christians who think they aren't sinners.  Oh, sure, if you asked them if they were a sinner, they would say they were, but if you observe them in real life and listen to the comments they make or the looks they give people at Target, you get the idea that they don't really believe it.  They believe all the right things and have "accepted Jesus as their savior," and yet there's something about the way they carry themselves that doesn't draw "sinners," but instead repels them.

I just had a friend, who is a Christian say to me, "You know, I've realized that I can't stand to be around Christians."  This friend had just had their spouse leave them, but instead of feeling love and support from the church, they felt abandonment and judgment. 

So it leaves me with this question, Does God prefer the self-righteous Christian who acts as though he's never sinned or the waitress who seldom graces a church, but knows she doesn't measure up?  I think if we look at the life of Jesus honestly, it's pretty easy to see that Jesus went straight for the "sinners" who know they're sinners.  Luke 18:

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
   ¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
   ¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Self-righteousness is the scourge of the earth.  Instead of humility, there's only pride.  Self-righteous people don't need the Gospel, because they're apparently good enough without it.  Only the self-righteous can look down their nose and judge others, because they easily forget that the reason they're good enough is because of God's riches.  It's like the heir to a fortune feeling superior to the poor people he drives by in his Lexus. 

But when we have a great sense of our own sin and the need for a savior, it rids us of the ability to look down on others or keep our distance from sinners.  Although neither the self-righteous Christian or the self-deprecating sinner is what God intends, if He had his choice, He would choose the latter.  That's someone God can work with.