And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
He spoke this parable to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others, setting the Pharisee against the publican to show how heaven regards the two classes. It is a warning and rebuke against trusting in one's own goodness and looking down on others, calling for humility and willingness to learn. God rejects the proud, self-sufficient boaster, and prayer offered in that spirit has no value and is not heard. He justifies instead the one who knows himself a sinner, counts self as nothing, and comes in true need longing for mercy and nearness to God. That sense of spiritual poverty and dependence is the first condition of acceptance, for righteousness comes not from outward deeds, comparison with others, or personal merit, but entirely through the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour received by faith.
Parable Setting and Purpose
This verse introduces the parable of the Pharisee and the publican and names its audience as certain people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. The Pharisee represents self-righteous worship, coming to the temple not as a sinner seeking pardon but believing his worship and deeds make him worthy of God's favor and human praise, driven by self-interest and self-praise, with contempt for others revealing his pride. That same spirit leads professed believers to pray and talk in a boastful manner, exalting themselves and recounting good deeds and virtually thanking God they are not as other men, while their words and acts are wrong, crafty and overreaching in business dealings whose fruits disgust unbelievers instead of convicting the world that God is with them when works correspond with faith. It is offensive to God and endangers hope of heaven, producing spiritual pride and self-deception, blindness to the seriousness of sin and to a destitute, wretched condition, and boasting in the virtues of fallen humanity while believing one is right and doing a great work in religion when one is wrong, which is the greatest deception that can affect the human mind. For the law of God will be satisfied with nothing short of perfection, perfect and entire obedience to all its claims, so to come halfway and not render thorough obedience avails nothing, and God sees the heart's purposes, disobedience and defects of character. The verse therefore warns against self-righteousness and contempt and calls disciples to ask humbly how to be saved, for Jesus loves and blesses people not because of wealth, knowledge or social position but because they believe in Him as personal Saviour, and such self-exaltation excludes from the grace that could truly exalt and mistakes one's own character for true morality.
The verse functions as a warning and rebuke against trusting in one's own righteousness and looking down on others, calling hearers to humility and willingness to learn. Such self-righteousness measures character by comparison with other people rather than by God's character, relies on outward deeds, and leads to accusing and condemning others, leaving a person without communion with God or His blessing. The Pharisee stands in haughty self-sufficiency, lists his good deeds, and offers a prayer directed no higher than himself, showing lack of humility and reverence before God, and his proud, self-satisfied prayer shows that outward devotion does not make a person humble before God. By contrast the publican recognizes his own need and has no claim to God's mercy or approval, with an honest sense of sin and dependence on God's mercy, and recognizing spiritual poverty and need of mercy is the first condition of acceptance with God. Self-confident claims of holiness are like the Pharisee's, while the person who recognizes unworthiness and asks God for mercy is represented by the publican, who goes home justified rather than the self-righteous Pharisee. Those who humble themselves will be exalted, and the lesson is to humble oneself and be willing to learn from the great Teacher and Scripture.
The verse was given to lift up the fallen by revealing how heaven regards the two classes, rebuking the pride of those who trust in themselves. God rejects the proud, pretentious boaster who trusts in himself that he is righteous and important and despises others, while He looks with favor on the soul who feels true need, knows himself a sinner, counts self as nothing, and longs for greater nearness to God, and that humble one has more discernment of heavenly things. Heaven does not estimate men as the world does by temporal wealth, for he who abides in Christ is found of value with God. The Pharisee is self-congratulating, thinking little of his sins and much of his virtues, lifting himself as high as possible in his own eyes instead of seeing himself as God sees him, and spreading his virtues before God whose eye reads the intents and purposes of the soul, approaching God with little reverence and with human superiority while praising and adoring himself in pride and self-sufficiency and demeriting those he regards as sinners. The same spirit is anger when spoken against, refusal to investigate whether unfavorable impressions are deserved, turning away from reproof of sin as from a disagreeable picture while not ceasing to sin, and cherishing cruel pride, which is a fatal spell that makes deaf and blind to compassion, mercy and truth. It rests on human praise and flattery and on the thought that much good work will recommend to God's favor, while God's judgment is totally different from human judgment, and prayer offered in that spirit is not heard by the Lord. Self-trust increases as men separate from God and disobey His commandments, producing selfish thoughts and actions, pride in business judgment with ignorance of future well-being, infatuation with the things of this world, casting aside imperishable things, esteeming riches as greatness, honor, ease, selfish gratification and display, desiring positions of power and the flattery and reverence of the world, freely indulging sin until moral power is palsied, and making wealth an idol. The cure is learning meekness and lowliness of heart in Christ's school, wearing His yoke, beholding Christ in order to think little of self, accepting the close critical work of soul cleansing and bruising of self on which health of the soul depends, and not slumbering in imperfection until the second death, while those who expect God to answer prayer must come with reverence, humility of mind, careful self-examination, righting wrongs done by speech, and a life in harmony with their prayers.
Marks of Self-Righteousness
Self-righteousness measures character by comparison with other people rather than by God's character, compares one's own work unfavorably with a brother's, and fails to esteem others above self. Trusting in one's own righteousness and despising others go together, and criticizing and belittling fellow workers shows the Spirit of God is not with the critic. Such comparison leaves a person without communion with God or His blessing, while recognizing spiritual poverty and need of mercy is the first condition of acceptance.
It relies on outward deeds and religious performance, listing good deeds, fasting, prayers, ceremonies, outward humility and imposed sacrifices. It comes not as a sinner seeking pardon but believing worship and deeds make one worthy of God's favor and human praise, driven by self-interest and self-praise. A cold, legal religion of this kind becomes self-justifying and loveless, displaying a deceptive belief that the doer deserves heaven, when religious works cannot buy entrance into heaven.
It is proud, self-satisfied, self-congratulating and self-sufficient, standing in haughty self-sufficiency with little reverence before God. It thinks little of sins and much of virtues, lifts self as high as possible, praises and adores self, spreads virtues before God, and offers prayer directed no higher than self. Outward devotion in that spirit does not make a person humble, and prayer offered with human superiority is not heard.
It produces contempt, accusation, condemnation, criticism, depreciation of fellow workers, envy, jealousy, suspicion, fault-finding, false witness and harsh judgment. It exalts self, mistakes its own character for true morality, wants to be first, cherishes self-esteem, criticizes others because self was not first, and resents it when self is not first. Humble prayer and reliance on God banish criticism and judgment, while striving for superiority strengthens pride and hardness of heart.
It brings spiritual pride and self-deception, blindness to the seriousness of sin and to one's destitute, wretched condition, and boasting in the virtues of fallen humanity. It claims holiness and goodness one does not possess on the strength of feelings and assertions, while conduct and influence are unlike Christ the true pattern. The soul encased in self-righteous armor feels no conviction of sin and cannot be worked with, believing it is right when it is wrong and doing a great work in religion, which is the greatest deception that can affect the human mind.
It is shown when people are exalted in their own eyes and wise in their own opinion, claim sufficient light and knowledge to instruct the whole body, are forward to instruct but will not be taught. They despise instruction and cast behind them teaching through God's servants, trust in holding to good old theories and having no part in the message sent, and think that leaves them in a good and safe position. They refuse or disbelieve reproof of their own defects while pointing to their own righteousness, devotion, prayerful life and past religious experience and enumerating good deeds like the Pharisee, and speak of spiritual poverty and point out others' faults while inwardly trusting in self. Ministerial duties and acts of devotion do not make them accepted, their prayer is not regarded, and those who become just in their own eyes are left to be deceived about themselves.
Self-trust increases as people separate from God and disobey His commandments, producing selfish thoughts and actions, pride in business judgment with ignorance of future well-being, and infatuation with the things of this world. It casts aside imperishable things, esteems riches as greatness, honor, ease, selfish gratification and display, desires positions of power and the flattery and reverence of the world, freely indulges sin until moral power is palsied, and makes wealth an idol.
The same spirit appears in wrong, crafty and overreaching business dealings whose fruits are not good and disgust unbelievers instead of convicting the world by works corresponding with faith. It appears in anger when spoken against and refusal to investigate whether unfavorable impressions are deserved, in turning away from reproof of sin as from a disagreeable picture while not ceasing to sin, and in cherishing cruel pride. It turns everything said or done, even what is under the special direction of God, into a wrong way, viewing things in a perverted light, making a man an offender for a word where there is often no actual sin, breaking unity and sweet fellowship, creating disaffection and disunion, and planting seeds of jealousy while claiming to be firm believers in the truth.
God's Verdict and Mercy
God rejects the proud, pretentious boaster who trusts in himself that he is righteous and important and despises others, while He looks with favor on the soul who feels true need, knows himself a sinner, counts self as nothing but shame, and longs for greater nearness to God. The Pharisee's prayer had no value because it expressed self-sufficiency rather than dependence on God's power, and prayer offered in that haughty spirit with little reverence and human superiority is not heard or regarded by the Lord. Those who seek God must count self-reliance as shameful, count self as nothing, approach Him in humility and reverence, and reach for His infinite love through faith and prayer working together, with faith recognizing the good of being at peace and making peace with God. Expecting answer requires careful self-examination, righting wrongs done by speech, and a life in harmony with prayer.
God sees the heart's purposes, disobedience, intents, and defects of character, and His judgment is totally different from human judgment. The self-congratulating spirit thinks little of sins and much of virtues, lifts self as high as possible instead of seeing self as God sees, spreads virtues before God, rests on human praise and flattery and on the thought that much good work will recommend to favor, yet it is offensive to God, endangers hope of heaven, and leads to spiritual pride, self-deception, and blindness to the seriousness of sin with boasting in the virtues of fallen humanity. The same spirit shows itself in anger when spoken against, refusal to investigate whether unfavorable impressions are deserved, turning away from reproof of sin as from a disagreeable picture while not ceasing to sin, and cherishing cruel pride, which is a fatal spell making deaf and blind to compassion, mercy, and truth. God also sees dishonesty and wrongdoing in proud, self-sufficient people who resist confessing sin, and their self-righteousness bars their way to heaven.
Self-exaltation and claim to goodness one does not possess exclude a person from the grace that could truly exalt, for true righteousness does not produce pride or contempt for others while false righteousness does. Everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and those who become just in their own eyes are left to be deceived in regard to themselves, with prayer not regarded. Self-righteousness that resists confessing sin bars the way to heaven, while an honest view of self would bring humiliation and sorrow, turn from evil, and show need of Christ's grace, pardon, and righteousness. That self-righteous class standing apart in self-esteem and looking down on others is the one class Christ would never countenance, while He called and welcomed the outcasts, the publicans and sinners, the despised, and by loving-kindness compelled them to come to Him.
God justifies those represented by the humble publican rather than those represented by the self-praising Pharisee. The parable was spoken to those who trusted in their own righteousness and looked down on others to show their need for true humility, contrasting the Pharisee's self-confident claim to piety and holiness, which has no sound basis, with the publican who recognizes unworthiness, asks God for mercy, regards self as nothing but shame, expresses dependence on God's power, and goes home justified rather than the Pharisee. The publican's humble plea and sense of unworthiness place him nearer to God, and God looks with favor on the soul who feels true need and longs for greater nearness, giving that humble one more discernment of heavenly things. Only those who are meek and lowly of heart receive Christ's manifestation of Himself and the great blessings He has to bestow, including the peace of God and comprehending the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of Christ and being filled with all the fullness of God.
Recognizing spiritual poverty and need of mercy with an honest sense of sin and dependence on God's mercy is the first condition of acceptance with God, without which there is no communion with God or His blessing. Humility is heaven-born, shines unconsciously in the church and in the world and will shine in the courts of heaven, and without it none can enter the pearly gates. Knowledge of self that results in contrition is necessary before pardon and peace can be found, for only he who knows himself to be a sinner can be saved by Christ. The Pharisee felt no conviction of sin, and the Holy Spirit could not work with him because his soul was encased in self-righteous armor that God's arrows could not penetrate. Without knowing the real condition there is no felt need of Christ's help, without understanding danger there is no fleeing to the refuge, and without feeling the pain of wounds there is no desire for healing, while an honest view brings humiliation, sorrow, turning from evil, and need of grace, pardon, and righteousness.
Righteousness Through Christ Alone
Pharisaical righteousness springs not from Christ but from the person alone, trusting in one's own good works and personal merit to earn salvation and treating heaven as something to be bought by meritorious acts. That spirit shows itself in rigorous fasting with which God has nothing to do, and in a cold, legal religion of fasting, prayers, ceremonies, outward humility and imposed sacrifices that becomes self-justifying and loveless while displaying a deceptive confidence that the doer deserves heaven. The self-confident and self-esteeming fail to recognize that their own wisdom is foolishness, and they must earnestly and perseveringly overcome evil or they cannot be saved, for God's blessing does not come through outward display. The promise is sure only when self-righteousness is set aside and the sinner comes humble and contrite.
Religious works cannot buy entrance into heaven, for the law will be satisfied with nothing short of perfection, perfect and entire obedience to all its claims, and to come halfway without thorough obedience avails nothing. Christ's one offering is sufficient for all who believe. Righteousness does not come from wealth, knowledge or social position, nor from doing better than others or from past religious experience. Work for others and the fruit of a Christian life do not earn salvation but follow from receiving Christ's undeserved gift and being joined to Him.
Doing better than those who do wrong is no reason for self-congratulation or flattery as righteous; the right response is to consider whether one has lived up to the light and instruction received, and to yield the heart to God, love to follow Jesus, and be guided by the Holy Spirit. Every sinner must rely entirely on the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour, on mercy through His atoning blood, believing in Him as personal Saviour. The only plea is divine grace, and the deciding question is whether a person exalts self or God's grace and seeks salvation through Christ alone.
Self-righteousness keeps a person from surrendering to God, receiving His help and experiencing conversion, and the remedy is to seek God, grasp His promises and rely on Christ rather than making self the center. True standing is not in self-trust, not in holding to good old theories and having no part in the message God sends, but in Christ, whose character is infinitely perfect and who must be lifted up and brought prominently into view, for He is the power, the might, the sanctification and righteousness of all who believe in Him. True righteousness does not produce pride or contempt for others, while false righteousness does, leading its possessors to exalt themselves, condemn others and mistake their own character for true morality. That Pharisaic spirit excludes Christ from the thoughts and leaves the heart not bound up with His heart, holding to a high estimate of self instead of humbling the heart before God and casting wholly on the mercy of Christ, which places a barrier between the person and the Saviour, excludes from the grace that could truly exalt, and can be removed only by a power out of and above self.
Humility in Prayer and Conduct
Those who humble themselves will be exalted, while everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and the parable is given as a warning to those who trust in their own righteousness and despise others to humble themselves and be willing to learn from the great Teacher and Scripture. Those so described are exalted in their own eyes and wise in their own opinion, think they understand it all, become lifted up by light received in the past, think they have sufficient light and knowledge to instruct the whole body, are forward to instruct but will not be taught, despise instruction and cast behind them teaching through God's servants, and point to their own righteousness, devotion and prayerful life while enumerating their good deeds like the Pharisee. Their prayer is not regarded, those who become just in their own eyes are left to be deceived in regard to themselves, and only he who humbles himself as a sinner moves the pity of the Lord and is accepted and exalted.
Those who seek God must count self-reliance as shameful, regard self as nothing and nothing but shame, approach Him in humility, and depend on Him rather than trust in themselves, for the Pharisee's prayer had no value while the publican's prayer was heard because it expressed dependence on God's power. Faith and prayer work together as means of reaching for God's infinite love, and faith recognizes the good of being at peace with God and making peace with God.
Prayer offered in pride and self-sufficiency, in Pharisaism that trusts in one's own righteousness and looks down on others, is not heard by the Lord, for the Pharisee praised and adored himself in pride and self-sufficiency and demerited those he regarded as sinners, approaching God with little reverence and with human superiority. Teachers especially must not approach God with irreverence, pomposity, or confidence in their own strength, but should depend on God and worship Him humbly. Those who expect God to answer prayer must come with reverence, humility of mind, careful self-examination, righting wrongs done by speech, and a life in harmony with their prayers.
Humble prayer and reliance on God banish criticism and judgment, while trusting in one's own righteousness and looking down on others is the Pharisee's sin and striving for superiority strengthens pride and hardness of heart. Zeal marked by Pharisaism is not of Christ, and decisions should be guided by kindness, mercy, and love rather than severity. Those who claim to believe in Christ must not feel self-righteous or judge and condemn others, since their own faults may be greater, and they need the Holy Spirit and God's grace to reveal their defects and lead them to humility and confession.
Doing better than others who do wrong and act wrongly is no reason for self-congratulation or to flatter oneself as righteous, for trusting in one's own righteousness and looking down on others who do wrong and condemning others is pharisaical. The right response is to consider whether one has lived up to the light and instruction received, and to yield the heart to God, love to follow Jesus, follow Jesus and be guided by the Holy Spirit and His Spirit. The Holy Spirit and God's grace reveal defects and lead to humility and confession, since one's own faults may be greater.
Trusting in one's own righteousness leads to pride and contempt for others, and those who rely on their own merits, prayerfulness, or past religious experience for salvation may reject further instruction and become deceived about themselves, so the need is for humility rather than self-righteousness. Trusting in one's own righteousness and looking down on others and considering themselves better than others is the Pharisaic spirit and spiritual self-deception, and such self-righteousness keeps a person from surrendering to God, receiving His help, and experiencing conversion. The remedy is to seek God, grasp His promises, and rely on Christ rather than making self the center, and to seek God as sinners in need of grace, or such Pharisaism must be broken or they will fail to develop Christian character and be lost. Those given greater light and greater knowledge of the truth are under increased accountability to advance that light by practicing the truth and following Jesus as the light of the world, and unless they are constantly elevating and becoming more and more spiritually minded and constantly more spiritually minded, surrendering to God and experiencing conversion, they become like the Pharisees in the parable — self-righteous — while not doing the will of God.
The verse exposes the false humility of people who speak of their spiritual poverty and point out others' faults while inwardly trusting in their own righteousness. Ministerial duties and acts of devotion do not make them accepted by God, and their pride is shown when they refuse or disbelieve reproof of their own defects. The self-confident and self-esteeming fail to recognize that their own wisdom is foolishness and must earnestly and perseveringly overcome evil or they cannot be saved. God's blessing does not come through outward display, and the promise is sure when people set aside self-righteousness and come to God humble and contrite.
He spoke this parable to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others, setting the Pharisee against the publican to show how heaven regards the two classes. It is a warning and rebuke against trusting in one's own goodness and looking down on others, calling for humility and willingness to learn. God rejects the proud, self-sufficient boaster, and prayer offered in that spirit has no value and is not heard. He justifies instead the one who knows himself a sinner, counts self as nothing, and comes in true need longing for mercy and nearness to God. That sense of spiritual poverty and dependence is the first condition of acceptance, for righteousness comes not from outward deeds, comparison with others, or personal merit, but entirely through the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour received by faith.
Parable Setting and Purpose
This verse introduces the parable of the Pharisee and the publican and names its audience as certain people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. The Pharisee represents self-righteous worship, coming to the temple not as a sinner seeking pardon but believing his worship and deeds make him worthy of God's favor and human praise, driven by self-interest and self-praise, with contempt for others revealing his pride. That same spirit leads professed believers to pray and talk in a boastful manner, exalting themselves and recounting good deeds and virtually thanking God they are not as other men, while their words and acts are wrong, crafty and overreaching in business dealings whose fruits disgust unbelievers instead of convicting the world that God is with them when works correspond with faith. It is offensive to God and endangers hope of heaven, producing spiritual pride and self-deception, blindness to the seriousness of sin and to a destitute, wretched condition, and boasting in the virtues of fallen humanity while believing one is right and doing a great work in religion when one is wrong, which is the greatest deception that can affect the human mind. For the law of God will be satisfied with nothing short of perfection, perfect and entire obedience to all its claims, so to come halfway and not render thorough obedience avails nothing, and God sees the heart's purposes, disobedience and defects of character. The verse therefore warns against self-righteousness and contempt and calls disciples to ask humbly how to be saved, for Jesus loves and blesses people not because of wealth, knowledge or social position but because they believe in Him as personal Saviour, and such self-exaltation excludes from the grace that could truly exalt and mistakes one's own character for true morality.
The verse functions as a warning and rebuke against trusting in one's own righteousness and looking down on others, calling hearers to humility and willingness to learn. Such self-righteousness measures character by comparison with other people rather than by God's character, relies on outward deeds, and leads to accusing and condemning others, leaving a person without communion with God or His blessing. The Pharisee stands in haughty self-sufficiency, lists his good deeds, and offers a prayer directed no higher than himself, showing lack of humility and reverence before God, and his proud, self-satisfied prayer shows that outward devotion does not make a person humble before God. By contrast the publican recognizes his own need and has no claim to God's mercy or approval, with an honest sense of sin and dependence on God's mercy, and recognizing spiritual poverty and need of mercy is the first condition of acceptance with God. Self-confident claims of holiness are like the Pharisee's, while the person who recognizes unworthiness and asks God for mercy is represented by the publican, who goes home justified rather than the self-righteous Pharisee. Those who humble themselves will be exalted, and the lesson is to humble oneself and be willing to learn from the great Teacher and Scripture.
The verse was given to lift up the fallen by revealing how heaven regards the two classes, rebuking the pride of those who trust in themselves. God rejects the proud, pretentious boaster who trusts in himself that he is righteous and important and despises others, while He looks with favor on the soul who feels true need, knows himself a sinner, counts self as nothing, and longs for greater nearness to God, and that humble one has more discernment of heavenly things. Heaven does not estimate men as the world does by temporal wealth, for he who abides in Christ is found of value with God. The Pharisee is self-congratulating, thinking little of his sins and much of his virtues, lifting himself as high as possible in his own eyes instead of seeing himself as God sees him, and spreading his virtues before God whose eye reads the intents and purposes of the soul, approaching God with little reverence and with human superiority while praising and adoring himself in pride and self-sufficiency and demeriting those he regards as sinners. The same spirit is anger when spoken against, refusal to investigate whether unfavorable impressions are deserved, turning away from reproof of sin as from a disagreeable picture while not ceasing to sin, and cherishing cruel pride, which is a fatal spell that makes deaf and blind to compassion, mercy and truth. It rests on human praise and flattery and on the thought that much good work will recommend to God's favor, while God's judgment is totally different from human judgment, and prayer offered in that spirit is not heard by the Lord. Self-trust increases as men separate from God and disobey His commandments, producing selfish thoughts and actions, pride in business judgment with ignorance of future well-being, infatuation with the things of this world, casting aside imperishable things, esteeming riches as greatness, honor, ease, selfish gratification and display, desiring positions of power and the flattery and reverence of the world, freely indulging sin until moral power is palsied, and making wealth an idol. The cure is learning meekness and lowliness of heart in Christ's school, wearing His yoke, beholding Christ in order to think little of self, accepting the close critical work of soul cleansing and bruising of self on which health of the soul depends, and not slumbering in imperfection until the second death, while those who expect God to answer prayer must come with reverence, humility of mind, careful self-examination, righting wrongs done by speech, and a life in harmony with their prayers.
Marks of Self-Righteousness
Self-righteousness measures character by comparison with other people rather than by God's character, compares one's own work unfavorably with a brother's, and fails to esteem others above self. Trusting in one's own righteousness and despising others go together, and criticizing and belittling fellow workers shows the Spirit of God is not with the critic. Such comparison leaves a person without communion with God or His blessing, while recognizing spiritual poverty and need of mercy is the first condition of acceptance.
It relies on outward deeds and religious performance, listing good deeds, fasting, prayers, ceremonies, outward humility and imposed sacrifices. It comes not as a sinner seeking pardon but believing worship and deeds make one worthy of God's favor and human praise, driven by self-interest and self-praise. A cold, legal religion of this kind becomes self-justifying and loveless, displaying a deceptive belief that the doer deserves heaven, when religious works cannot buy entrance into heaven.
It is proud, self-satisfied, self-congratulating and self-sufficient, standing in haughty self-sufficiency with little reverence before God. It thinks little of sins and much of virtues, lifts self as high as possible, praises and adores self, spreads virtues before God, and offers prayer directed no higher than self. Outward devotion in that spirit does not make a person humble, and prayer offered with human superiority is not heard.
It produces contempt, accusation, condemnation, criticism, depreciation of fellow workers, envy, jealousy, suspicion, fault-finding, false witness and harsh judgment. It exalts self, mistakes its own character for true morality, wants to be first, cherishes self-esteem, criticizes others because self was not first, and resents it when self is not first. Humble prayer and reliance on God banish criticism and judgment, while striving for superiority strengthens pride and hardness of heart.
It brings spiritual pride and self-deception, blindness to the seriousness of sin and to one's destitute, wretched condition, and boasting in the virtues of fallen humanity. It claims holiness and goodness one does not possess on the strength of feelings and assertions, while conduct and influence are unlike Christ the true pattern. The soul encased in self-righteous armor feels no conviction of sin and cannot be worked with, believing it is right when it is wrong and doing a great work in religion, which is the greatest deception that can affect the human mind.
It is shown when people are exalted in their own eyes and wise in their own opinion, claim sufficient light and knowledge to instruct the whole body, are forward to instruct but will not be taught. They despise instruction and cast behind them teaching through God's servants, trust in holding to good old theories and having no part in the message sent, and think that leaves them in a good and safe position. They refuse or disbelieve reproof of their own defects while pointing to their own righteousness, devotion, prayerful life and past religious experience and enumerating good deeds like the Pharisee, and speak of spiritual poverty and point out others' faults while inwardly trusting in self. Ministerial duties and acts of devotion do not make them accepted, their prayer is not regarded, and those who become just in their own eyes are left to be deceived about themselves.
Self-trust increases as people separate from God and disobey His commandments, producing selfish thoughts and actions, pride in business judgment with ignorance of future well-being, and infatuation with the things of this world. It casts aside imperishable things, esteems riches as greatness, honor, ease, selfish gratification and display, desires positions of power and the flattery and reverence of the world, freely indulges sin until moral power is palsied, and makes wealth an idol.
The same spirit appears in wrong, crafty and overreaching business dealings whose fruits are not good and disgust unbelievers instead of convicting the world by works corresponding with faith. It appears in anger when spoken against and refusal to investigate whether unfavorable impressions are deserved, in turning away from reproof of sin as from a disagreeable picture while not ceasing to sin, and in cherishing cruel pride. It turns everything said or done, even what is under the special direction of God, into a wrong way, viewing things in a perverted light, making a man an offender for a word where there is often no actual sin, breaking unity and sweet fellowship, creating disaffection and disunion, and planting seeds of jealousy while claiming to be firm believers in the truth.
God's Verdict and Mercy
God rejects the proud, pretentious boaster who trusts in himself that he is righteous and important and despises others, while He looks with favor on the soul who feels true need, knows himself a sinner, counts self as nothing but shame, and longs for greater nearness to God. The Pharisee's prayer had no value because it expressed self-sufficiency rather than dependence on God's power, and prayer offered in that haughty spirit with little reverence and human superiority is not heard or regarded by the Lord. Those who seek God must count self-reliance as shameful, count self as nothing, approach Him in humility and reverence, and reach for His infinite love through faith and prayer working together, with faith recognizing the good of being at peace and making peace with God. Expecting answer requires careful self-examination, righting wrongs done by speech, and a life in harmony with prayer.
God sees the heart's purposes, disobedience, intents, and defects of character, and His judgment is totally different from human judgment. The self-congratulating spirit thinks little of sins and much of virtues, lifts self as high as possible instead of seeing self as God sees, spreads virtues before God, rests on human praise and flattery and on the thought that much good work will recommend to favor, yet it is offensive to God, endangers hope of heaven, and leads to spiritual pride, self-deception, and blindness to the seriousness of sin with boasting in the virtues of fallen humanity. The same spirit shows itself in anger when spoken against, refusal to investigate whether unfavorable impressions are deserved, turning away from reproof of sin as from a disagreeable picture while not ceasing to sin, and cherishing cruel pride, which is a fatal spell making deaf and blind to compassion, mercy, and truth. God also sees dishonesty and wrongdoing in proud, self-sufficient people who resist confessing sin, and their self-righteousness bars their way to heaven.
Self-exaltation and claim to goodness one does not possess exclude a person from the grace that could truly exalt, for true righteousness does not produce pride or contempt for others while false righteousness does. Everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and those who become just in their own eyes are left to be deceived in regard to themselves, with prayer not regarded. Self-righteousness that resists confessing sin bars the way to heaven, while an honest view of self would bring humiliation and sorrow, turn from evil, and show need of Christ's grace, pardon, and righteousness. That self-righteous class standing apart in self-esteem and looking down on others is the one class Christ would never countenance, while He called and welcomed the outcasts, the publicans and sinners, the despised, and by loving-kindness compelled them to come to Him.
God justifies those represented by the humble publican rather than those represented by the self-praising Pharisee. The parable was spoken to those who trusted in their own righteousness and looked down on others to show their need for true humility, contrasting the Pharisee's self-confident claim to piety and holiness, which has no sound basis, with the publican who recognizes unworthiness, asks God for mercy, regards self as nothing but shame, expresses dependence on God's power, and goes home justified rather than the Pharisee. The publican's humble plea and sense of unworthiness place him nearer to God, and God looks with favor on the soul who feels true need and longs for greater nearness, giving that humble one more discernment of heavenly things. Only those who are meek and lowly of heart receive Christ's manifestation of Himself and the great blessings He has to bestow, including the peace of God and comprehending the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of Christ and being filled with all the fullness of God.
Recognizing spiritual poverty and need of mercy with an honest sense of sin and dependence on God's mercy is the first condition of acceptance with God, without which there is no communion with God or His blessing. Humility is heaven-born, shines unconsciously in the church and in the world and will shine in the courts of heaven, and without it none can enter the pearly gates. Knowledge of self that results in contrition is necessary before pardon and peace can be found, for only he who knows himself to be a sinner can be saved by Christ. The Pharisee felt no conviction of sin, and the Holy Spirit could not work with him because his soul was encased in self-righteous armor that God's arrows could not penetrate. Without knowing the real condition there is no felt need of Christ's help, without understanding danger there is no fleeing to the refuge, and without feeling the pain of wounds there is no desire for healing, while an honest view brings humiliation, sorrow, turning from evil, and need of grace, pardon, and righteousness.
Righteousness Through Christ Alone
Pharisaical righteousness springs not from Christ but from the person alone, trusting in one's own good works and personal merit to earn salvation and treating heaven as something to be bought by meritorious acts. That spirit shows itself in rigorous fasting with which God has nothing to do, and in a cold, legal religion of fasting, prayers, ceremonies, outward humility and imposed sacrifices that becomes self-justifying and loveless while displaying a deceptive confidence that the doer deserves heaven. The self-confident and self-esteeming fail to recognize that their own wisdom is foolishness, and they must earnestly and perseveringly overcome evil or they cannot be saved, for God's blessing does not come through outward display. The promise is sure only when self-righteousness is set aside and the sinner comes humble and contrite.
Religious works cannot buy entrance into heaven, for the law will be satisfied with nothing short of perfection, perfect and entire obedience to all its claims, and to come halfway without thorough obedience avails nothing. Christ's one offering is sufficient for all who believe. Righteousness does not come from wealth, knowledge or social position, nor from doing better than others or from past religious experience. Work for others and the fruit of a Christian life do not earn salvation but follow from receiving Christ's undeserved gift and being joined to Him.
Doing better than those who do wrong is no reason for self-congratulation or flattery as righteous; the right response is to consider whether one has lived up to the light and instruction received, and to yield the heart to God, love to follow Jesus, and be guided by the Holy Spirit. Every sinner must rely entirely on the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour, on mercy through His atoning blood, believing in Him as personal Saviour. The only plea is divine grace, and the deciding question is whether a person exalts self or God's grace and seeks salvation through Christ alone.
Self-righteousness keeps a person from surrendering to God, receiving His help and experiencing conversion, and the remedy is to seek God, grasp His promises and rely on Christ rather than making self the center. True standing is not in self-trust, not in holding to good old theories and having no part in the message God sends, but in Christ, whose character is infinitely perfect and who must be lifted up and brought prominently into view, for He is the power, the might, the sanctification and righteousness of all who believe in Him. True righteousness does not produce pride or contempt for others, while false righteousness does, leading its possessors to exalt themselves, condemn others and mistake their own character for true morality. That Pharisaic spirit excludes Christ from the thoughts and leaves the heart not bound up with His heart, holding to a high estimate of self instead of humbling the heart before God and casting wholly on the mercy of Christ, which places a barrier between the person and the Saviour, excludes from the grace that could truly exalt, and can be removed only by a power out of and above self.
Humility in Prayer and Conduct
Those who humble themselves will be exalted, while everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and the parable is given as a warning to those who trust in their own righteousness and despise others to humble themselves and be willing to learn from the great Teacher and Scripture. Those so described are exalted in their own eyes and wise in their own opinion, think they understand it all, become lifted up by light received in the past, think they have sufficient light and knowledge to instruct the whole body, are forward to instruct but will not be taught, despise instruction and cast behind them teaching through God's servants, and point to their own righteousness, devotion and prayerful life while enumerating their good deeds like the Pharisee. Their prayer is not regarded, those who become just in their own eyes are left to be deceived in regard to themselves, and only he who humbles himself as a sinner moves the pity of the Lord and is accepted and exalted.
Those who seek God must count self-reliance as shameful, regard self as nothing and nothing but shame, approach Him in humility, and depend on Him rather than trust in themselves, for the Pharisee's prayer had no value while the publican's prayer was heard because it expressed dependence on God's power. Faith and prayer work together as means of reaching for God's infinite love, and faith recognizes the good of being at peace with God and making peace with God.
Prayer offered in pride and self-sufficiency, in Pharisaism that trusts in one's own righteousness and looks down on others, is not heard by the Lord, for the Pharisee praised and adored himself in pride and self-sufficiency and demerited those he regarded as sinners, approaching God with little reverence and with human superiority. Teachers especially must not approach God with irreverence, pomposity, or confidence in their own strength, but should depend on God and worship Him humbly. Those who expect God to answer prayer must come with reverence, humility of mind, careful self-examination, righting wrongs done by speech, and a life in harmony with their prayers.
Humble prayer and reliance on God banish criticism and judgment, while trusting in one's own righteousness and looking down on others is the Pharisee's sin and striving for superiority strengthens pride and hardness of heart. Zeal marked by Pharisaism is not of Christ, and decisions should be guided by kindness, mercy, and love rather than severity. Those who claim to believe in Christ must not feel self-righteous or judge and condemn others, since their own faults may be greater, and they need the Holy Spirit and God's grace to reveal their defects and lead them to humility and confession.
Doing better than others who do wrong and act wrongly is no reason for self-congratulation or to flatter oneself as righteous, for trusting in one's own righteousness and looking down on others who do wrong and condemning others is pharisaical. The right response is to consider whether one has lived up to the light and instruction received, and to yield the heart to God, love to follow Jesus, follow Jesus and be guided by the Holy Spirit and His Spirit. The Holy Spirit and God's grace reveal defects and lead to humility and confession, since one's own faults may be greater.
Trusting in one's own righteousness leads to pride and contempt for others, and those who rely on their own merits, prayerfulness, or past religious experience for salvation may reject further instruction and become deceived about themselves, so the need is for humility rather than self-righteousness. Trusting in one's own righteousness and looking down on others and considering themselves better than others is the Pharisaic spirit and spiritual self-deception, and such self-righteousness keeps a person from surrendering to God, receiving His help, and experiencing conversion. The remedy is to seek God, grasp His promises, and rely on Christ rather than making self the center, and to seek God as sinners in need of grace, or such Pharisaism must be broken or they will fail to develop Christian character and be lost. Those given greater light and greater knowledge of the truth are under increased accountability to advance that light by practicing the truth and following Jesus as the light of the world, and unless they are constantly elevating and becoming more and more spiritually minded and constantly more spiritually minded, surrendering to God and experiencing conversion, they become like the Pharisees in the parable — self-righteous — while not doing the will of God.
The verse exposes the false humility of people who speak of their spiritual poverty and point out others' faults while inwardly trusting in their own righteousness. Ministerial duties and acts of devotion do not make them accepted by God, and their pride is shown when they refuse or disbelieve reproof of their own defects. The self-confident and self-esteeming fail to recognize that their own wisdom is foolishness and must earnestly and perseveringly overcome evil or they cannot be saved. God's blessing does not come through outward display, and the promise is sure when people set aside self-righteousness and come to God humble and contrite.