EXPOSING The False Religion of the "Church of Christ"!

Trusting in Self-Righteousness Versus Humble Faith

The idea that someone who believes that water baptism is necessary for justification means that someone who submits to water baptism under those terms is trusting upon themselves that they are righteous is something that is totally foreign to what I preach.

That he also told this parable to some here in verse 9 who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

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. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.

But the tax collector standing far off would not even lift his eyes to heaven but beat his breasts and said God be merciful to me a sinner. Jesus says I tell you this man the tax collector he went down to his house justified just as if I never sinned rather than the Pharisee.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Now this parable is not just about two different men. This is telling us about salvation and condemnation.

Look back with me at verse 9. He told this parable to some, right? So earlier in the context he is directly talking to a group of Pharisees and Jesus sees the heart of man and exposes their true intentions.

Namely that they are trusting in their own obedience to the Mosaic law. They are trusting in their righteous works of obedience. Here's the key principle. If you believe that your obedient works are necessary for salvation then you are trusting in your righteousness.

You cannot have a divided trust. You can't have a little bit of faith in God and a little bit of faith in your own obedience. That is impossible. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount no one can serve two masters for he will either hate the one and love the other.

He says you cannot serve God and money. Money represents all of what the world has to offer. All the things that perish including your righteousness. He says for where your treasure is there your heart, your faith will be also.

And no doubt the Pharisees could say well we're not trusting in our own righteousness but you must obey. You must obey the righteous requirement of the law. You know what Jesus would say to the Pharisees?

He would say yeah this this is a people that honors me with their lips. They know what to say but I know the heart and your heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me. And notice how trusting in your own obedience.

Trusting in your own righteousness. How this will affect how you treat other people. Look at verse 9 again. He also told this parable to some who trusted themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt.

Other good translations say they despised others. They look down on everyone else. Why? Because legalism produces pride and arrogance. When you're trusting in your own accomplishments whether you admit it or not you're gonna look at other people and say man if they could just obey like me.

This kind of thinking produces a cold deadness towards others. No love. No grace. Only heavy-handed legalism that says do better. Try your best. Obey this five-step formula. Bring your muscle and a shovel for some really hard work.

We learn more about the attitude of the Pharisees in the next verses. The Pharisee prayed thus God I thank you that I am not like other men. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get. This is not a prayer.

This is someone boasting in their own accomplishments. And he says fasting and he talks about giving tithes. Surely these are synoptic keys that represent the entirety of God's law. Ceremony after ceremony after ceremony.

Understand the Pharisees of the Second Temple Jews they were the most obedient that anyone in the whole world could ever do. They are way more obedient than anyone today and yet they were lost. Verse 13 Jesus says but the tax collector standing far off would not even lift his eyes to heaven but beat his breasts and said God be merciful to me a sinner.

This man knew that his obedience could never make himself right before God. This man knew that his righteousness were like filthy rags. This man knew that he was not a good person but a wretched man in need of saving grace.

How did he respond? Not with pride not with arrogance but with the heart of faith and humility. He said God be merciful to me. That word merciful is only mentioned two times in the New Testament. It means to make propitiation.

He's saying God you have to be the one to accomplish the work of salvation. You have to do it on my behalf. I can't add any sin-tainted works of obedience on my hands. That's why Jesus says in verse 14 I tell you this man the tax collector he went down to his house justified rather than the Pharisee.

The tax collector was justified before God not trusting in his own works of obedience not trusting in his own righteousness but putting his faith alone for God to make atonement. This is a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ when he would one day say to tell us time it is finished paid for in full.

Now the Pharisee was justified just not before God. Jesus earlier in Luke's account says you are those the Pharisees that justify yourself before men but God.

Knows your hearts. What does the word works mean? I mean it's something done.

Something done? Okay sure. Let's roll with that. A person hears the gospel they believe it they repent they confess and that there's something done that they do. They obey the command of baptism. Does this person receive anything in exchange for something done like their participation in baptism?

Well yes they've.

Met a condition they haven't merited. That they haven't merited the blessing but but there is a condition that they've met. That's the thing in dispute.

Because you have to say that right. Even the Pharisees said we were not trusting in our own righteousness but Jesus says you honor me with your lips so that's the thing in question. I appreciate you having to say that but you agree that you receive something in exchange based on your interpretation of Acts 2 38.

Right. Because your baptism you would say you get in exchange forgiveness of sin. The Pharisee said I am not like other men I fast twice a week I give tithes of all that I give. My question is can you explain to me how you were saved without.

Using the words I or obey? Well you couldn't fully either because you believe you obey the gospel. I could. Can you define that? Actually you want me to show.

You how I can? Do you really want to double down on that? Well I've... Do you want do you want to is the question? Do you want me to demonstrate? I'm responding. I'm responding to your point. I'm not trying to make a point out of that.

Can you explain how you were saved without using the word I obey? Trust me I can. I want to see if you can.

No I don't believe so. But God will not save a rebel. God will not save us and I.

Was saved in baptism. Notice he said I was saved in baptism. I give tithes of all that I get. I have obeyed the law. I have done ceremony after ceremony after ceremony. What did Jesus say? This is a people that trust in their own righteousness.

Now you heard what he says. It's not a work of merit. It's not by the things that I do. You have to say that. But you know what gives away his position? He believes that his participation in a ceremony is necessary for his right standing before God.

That's what the Pharisees of old did. They were trusting in their own works. They didn't say they were meriting it but Jesus exposed their hearts. He said something else that struck me. He said God does not save rebels.

Going back to one of the verses that we disputed and talked about is Romans 4 verse 5. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly. His faith is counted as righteousness.

God does save rebel sinners. How does he do it? Through the new covenant promise. Where God says I... Now this is where the I is proper. God says I will take out that heart of stone. I will give you a heart of flesh.

God says I will cause you to walk in my statues. He asked me how would I answer the question? How was I saved without using the word I obey? I would say this wretched man was saved by God's amazing sovereign grace who saves to the uttermost.

I would say it's not because I obeyed in my works. Did I obey the gospel? In faith. Not by my works. You know what faith is called in the New Testament? A gracious gift from above. So my question for everyone listening is which individual are you?

Are you the Pharisee that is trusting in your own righteousness? Your own obedience to a ceremony? Believing that that is the thing that is necessary to declare you right before God? Are you the person that looks down on other people?

Thinking man if they could just trust and obey like me. Maybe you're in a church context where you know the leadership looks down on you because you're not obeying like them. Or are you the one who knows you are a wretched sinner resting in the truth that justification is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ's finished work alone.