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Today we read a proverb that warns against the sin of self-righteousness. God condemns this sin here by telling us that it cannot make one pure. In Romans 10 Paul wrote that self-righteousness is an outward sign that one has rejected God's righteousness. That is, they display their own legalistic self-pride and reject Christ who is full of grace & truth as John 1:14 tells us; the Greek for "full" in John 1:14 is: "pleres" and means "full, i.e. filled up (as opposed to empty), of hollow vessels of a surface, covered in every part, of the soul, thoroughly permeated with full, i.e. complete, lacking nothing, perfect"; likewise in Romans 10, we read:
"For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." (Romans 10:3,4).
I feel it's safe to say that most true children of God have at some time in their walk for Christ encountered self-righteous individuals and can testify to just how offensive they are. Likewise as believers we see that on the other hand, Christians are exhorted many places in the Bible to walk with humility. Humility brings blessings and unlocks more grace to a true servant of Christ. Self-righteousness is a characteristic of an unbeliever in Christ:
"Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day." (Isaiah 65:5).
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