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Types of Self-Righteous People

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by J.D., Sep 21, 2006.

  1. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

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    2) Yes, I do see that but don't know how else to make my point. :smilewinkgrin: Keep reading!

    1) Maybe not logical but.....It seems that lists of the types of self-righteous people are always other people. It's not anything the lister has!

    Before I was a believer, I thought Christians were very self-righteous, but now Christians are calling non-Christians self-righteous (in some cases, see lists). So who can accurately call anyone self-righteous?

    It seems inherently self-righteous to call someone self-righteous because being self-righteous is a superior attitude, and when one calls someone else self-righteous, they are taking that superior attitude. It's a catch-22.

    The same goes for the opposite - humility. You can't say you are humble because right away, that makes you not humble. So you can't call others self-righteous because right away that seems self-righteous to do so.

    You can call others humble and yourself self-righteous, however.
     
  2. LeBuick

    LeBuick New Member

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    Was this english?

    What's in that pipe? :laugh:
     
  3. J.D.

    J.D. Active Member
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    Okay I'll play with the red herring and weigh in on this silly argument about who is self righteous etc.

    Here is my statement: I am very proud of my humble spirit.

    Now I shall go to my bed and pray for two hours before I get the whip out and committ self-flagellation so that I may be more humble. Then I'll join a monestary. After I win and baptize a million souls. Gonna be a long night gettin humble and all.
     
  4. Pipedude

    Pipedude Active Member

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    Offhand, I'd say Brother Bob's definition pretty well fits the common usage of the term.

    But upon further consideration, I think maybe Scarlett is on to something with hers. I suspect that the term was derived from the gospel statement that the Lord spoke a certain parable to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. By the time of the Lord's public ministry, the Pharisees had become just such people. They kept small laws such as tithing, they kept extra laws just to be safe, but they could plot murder on the Sabbath because the Lord had healed on the Sabbath. In his words, they neglected the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith.

    A person who is outwardly decent, but who is unkind and condemning in his attitude toward the indecent, is doing the same thing. If he thinks that he is pleasing to God, then he is only self-righteous and not actually so.
     
  5. bapmom

    bapmom New Member

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    Ive heard it put that it is when we are trying to do things ourselves.....we are trying to make ourselves righteous on our own. We invariably fail though, so we wind up doing the very things we preach against.

    Self-righteousness is when we try to be good using our own power. It's not the Holy Spirit's fruit coming out as we grow and let the Holy Spirit shine through us.
     
  6. Mishelly

    Mishelly New Member

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    self-righteous


    : convinced of one's own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic

    pompous

    : having or exhibiting self-importance

    arrogant

    : exaggerating or disposed to exaggerate one's own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner

    For some reason these go hand in hand in my mind - To me self-righteous is a person who is narrow minded and does not consider any other possibilities to be possible, arrogant for thinking they are better then anyone else and pompous in that they feel they are worth more to the world then another......I guess pompous and arrogant is have a simular meaning to me.....Many people feel ALL Christians show all these characteristics, sad we do the same to one another :praying:
     
  7. Andy T.

    Andy T. Active Member

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    The key is to remember grace. We must not only put off our self-righteousness, we must put on humilty, which is to put on Christ and his righteousness. If we just do the former and not the latter, then we can fall into being "proud to be humble". We must remember it is all through His grace. Some good verses to remember: Rom. 12:3; Gal. 6:1-5; Phil. 2:12-13.
     
  8. J.D.

    J.D. Active Member
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    Misshelly said
    And Andy T. said

    Yes, this very helpful. I agree that it's more than thinking that "I am more righteous", but also "I am more worthy". Makes me think of the unintended damage done by the "gospel of self-esteem".

    And Andy points out that it's more than an attitude we have toward each other. It includes - and probably the root cause - is our attitude toward toward God. In other words, I think most people have an incomplete understanding of grace.

    And maybe the reason they don't understand grace is because they don't understand the law and judgement of God. For example, when people turn on there televisions and here Osteen and Schuler and others ad infinitem telling them over and over that God loves them, without any mention made of God's hatred of sin and His wrath toward sinners, isn't that the reason people are sort of "cocky" toward God? Why shouldn't people think that God is so anxious to save them that He will meet them on their own terms?

    And as for the "fundy" self-righteous, don't they also have a skewed view of grace and wrath? Don't we teach people that salvation is a transaction between God and man, rather than an action of God upon man? And if it is a transaction, man brings something to the deal. MY efforts, MY repentance, MY faith, MY consecration, MY works, MY prayers, MY sacrifices. If I do these things, why shouldn't I feel superior to those who don't do those things?
     
  9. I Am Blessed 24

    I Am Blessed 24 Active Member

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    P R I D E

    S I N

    I is often the center of many things we do wrong...
     
  10. whatever

    whatever New Member

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    B E L I E V E

    And some things that we do right.
     
  11. Mishelly

    Mishelly New Member

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    Only by the Grace of God are we fogiven

    For Jesus said that the master is no greater then the slave
     
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