Luke 18:9, 11, 13 (ESV)
[9] He also told this parable to
some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others
with contempt:
[11] The Pharisee, standing by
himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
[13] But the tax collector,
standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his
breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
Jesus said that he came not for
the righteous but for sinners, yet how often do we as believers easily slip
into this mentality of being better than. . . Lord, I thank you that I am not
like those church goers down the street who are hypocrites, or who don’t know
their Bibles. I thank you that I am not like those begging on street corners.
They are probably all drug addicts, drunks, or lazy. Lord, thank you that I am
not like. . . God forgive me for how often that way of thinking slips into my
thoughts.
The ones who considered
themselves righteous are the very ones Jesus told his parable to. He wanted
them to understand that our standing with God is not determined by how committed
we are or how “righteous” we act. Our standing before God is based solely on
his grace. We are invited to come near precisely because we know that we do not
deserve to approach him apart from the grace of Christ. May we never lose that sense.
That is at the heart of the gospel.
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