On the heels of self-deception and self-justification often comes self-righteousness. This occurs when we set our own standards rather than God's.

Self-righteousness is defined as being smugly proud of one's own opinion and intolerant of others. What Job repented of was his misunderstanding of God.

Self-righteousness lies at the root of many other sins. Because we are self-centered, self-righteousness will follow as surely as water runs downhill.

The story of Job reveals a man whom God forced to see himself as he really was, and his true self-image paved the way to a leap forward in spiritual growth.

We face the same kind of pressures and stress that Timothy faced, with perilous times ahead of us, threatening the existence of the nation and the church.

Job had not achieved spiritual maturity, but had assumed the arrogant stance of attempting to debate the Creator on his own level.

The two men who go to the Temple to pray contrast in character, belief, and self-examination. The contrast shows how to be justified before God.

Forgiveness from God is directly tied to our forgiving those who have sinned against us! We must reciprocate God's forgiveness by forgiving others.

We need to exercise humility and forbearance when we deal with the weaknesses of our brethren, restoring them in love as we would expect them to do for us.

One of the deadliest afflictions we can develop is a self-righteous, vindictive 'Phineas' complex, seizing the sword of the Lord to correct a fellow member.

The Pharisees were in the office or seat of Moses. Jesus taught His followers to follow their words (pertaining to the Law of God), but not their personal examples.

God's people may fall into the trap of forgetting the sinful past from which God rescued them and come to look disdainfully on those not yet called.

Those wise in their own eyes, including philosophers, politicians, educators, and religious leaders, have failed in their quest to make the world better.

God demands that we love, do justice, and walk humbly, assuming the role of a servant rather than a tyrant, after the manner of the Gentiles.

The Good Samaritan parable teaches that unless one practices doing good rather than just knowing good, his faith will be severely compromised.

Jesus warned of three varieties of leaven that we must guard against, staying aware of the pitfalls that will pull us down and corrupt us.

Many 'church of God' organizations claim to be part of—or even the only—church of God. The Bible reveals specific characteristics of God's church.

Ecclesiastes 7 contains a paradox: wickedness appears to be rewarded and righteousness seems to bring trouble. We must be careful in how we respond to this.

The three illustrations in Luke 15 justify Christ's conduct in receiving sinners, and show that to rejoice over their return is good and proper.

God is less impressed in our rote compliance to a set of rules than thoughtful application of godly principles extending justice, mercy, and faith.

Self-righteous people tend to trust in their own heart, be wise in their own eyes, justify themselves, despise or disregard others, and judge or condemn others.

Pride destroys relationships, rendering righteous judgment next to impossible. Self-righteousness (a product of pride) makes an idol out of self.

We must establish an iron clad trust in God for spiritual matters, including healing, rather than having a misguided trust in self or other human beings.

The harsh religion of the Pharisees was unfeeling, placing more attention on rituals and man-made laws, and had turned their super-righteousness into sin.

Our human nature is pure vanity with a heart that is desperately deceitful and wicked, motivated by self-centeredness, a deadly combination for producing sin.

People react to God's calling differently. The Parable of the Two Sons explains that one's ultimate obedience to God is what really matters!

Two tests to reveal the presence of pride are the way we treat others (especially our own family) and the way we receive instruction or correction.

The hallmark of Christian character is humility, which comes about only when one sees himself in comparison to God. Pride makes distorted comparisons.

Fasting puts us in a proper humble and contrite frame of mind, allowing God to respond to us, freeing us from our burdens and guiding us into His Kingdom.

Pride is the basis of resisting God, while humility is the key to a relationship with Him. We recognize it in others but we seldom see it in ourselves.

Although the Pharisees imposed harsh regulations, they found loopholes for themselves while proudly and hypocritically displaying their piety for show.

Paul warns the Philippians that nothing blemishes their witness more than complaining, because like the Israelites, they were calling God into account.

If God's people do not believe they are lovable, they may deprive others of a blessing by refusing to accept charitable help from a spiritual sibling.

It is necessary to begin with a conviction of sin in order to experience a need for Jesus Christ and to receive the joy in the forgiveness of sin.