"A Righteousness that Does not Save"(Luke 18:9-14)

A Righteousness that Does not Save 

Luke 18:9-14 

Whenever a believer falls short of God's commands, we feel guilty and seek God. However, when we measure our spiritual life on my performance, we miss Jesus' love and mercy. Many Christians fall into the trap of gauging their spiritual life on their performance. Jesus warns of this righteousness that does not save.

In this parable from Luke 18, Jesus first tells the Pharisee's prayer. The Pharisee  gives account of all the good he does and even compares himself to the tax collector. The tax collector, on the other hand, confesses his shortcomings, but it is the tax collector who goes away justified. The Pharisee did not go away forgiven. 

At this time, a Jew was required to fast at least once a year and to tithe. The Pharisee fasted 104 times and tithed everything. Although the Pharisee was performing righteous acts, he relied on himself and his self righteousness rather than the mercy of God. Despite the fact that the tax collector was probably a cheat and collaborator with occupying Rome, he understands his place and the mercy God has shown him. Self righteousness can be destructive not only to the person performing the acts but also the community. 

1. 1. Performance Righteousness leads to division amongst believers. When we concentrate on what we have done, we become proud. This pride leads to contempt towards those who cannot perform as well. God will honour the commitments we keep, and we are expected to be obedient to God's word. Yet, we have to be careful that our blessings will not become obstacles to our relationship with God. We have to be careful not to look down on those whose spiritual growth is not as good as ours. Instead we need to thank God for being able to do what we can and that we have been chosen to do good works and fall under His grace. 
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3. 2. Performance Righteousness blinds one spiritual eyes. The Pharisee concentrated on what he did  and on his good accomplishments. Interestingly, he did not mention those things he had failed to do and what he could not do. Later in Luke, we see another similar example with the young ruler. Althpugh the rich young ruler was perfect in many ways, he was not when it came to wealth. It is easy to ignore what we are not perfect in. We have no reason to have pride. Instead of concentrating on our accomplishments, we need to focus on God's mercies. 
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5. 3. Performance Righteousness only makes one a bankrupt debtor spiritually. People who are bankrupt do not have freedom and are always tense because they lack. These people who center their relationship on God by their performance, will never feel satisfied or safe. Their performance will fall short of the grace and freedom which comes from God's mercy. 
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7. 4. Performance Righteousness eventually leads to self destruction. There are many cases of believers who have accomplished many things and then when they fall, they cannot rise up. The Pharisee did not humble himself and was not forgiven whereas the tax collector was forgiven. 

Performance Righteousness does not suddenly appear. It slowly builds up on top of one accomplishment after an other. All the more reason we need to remember the great mercies God shows us everyday and give thanks for the sacrifice Jesus performed on the cross.