Pursuing Righteousness Without Self-Righteousness

How Do We Stand for Truth in Love?

Christians are called to pursue righteousness, but Scripture also warns us against self-righteousness (2 Timothy 2:22, Romans 10:3). We are commanded to stand for truth, yet we are also commanded to love our neighbor. How do we do both?

Pursuing Righteousness Begins with Christ

What does righteousness really mean? As a Christian it is something that we receive as a gift from our faith in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). We have no righteousness in ourselves but the righteousness of Jesus that God sees when He looks at us. This is justification. Although Christ's righteousness is credited to us when we believe, Scripture also calls us to pursue a life that reflects that righteousness through the work of the Holy Spirit.

But how can Christians pursue righteousness without becoming self-righteous? We do this by remembering where our righteousness comes from—God. We remember our own need to grow in righteousness, humbly accept correction from others, and only correct others out of true love and concern.

The Danger of Self-Righteousness

When we are self-righteous, we believe we have it all figured out. We are following all the rules, being nice, and saying all the right things but our hearts have not been changed. We think righteousness is something we can cultivate on our own by our actions. We forget that it is God's gift. Self-righteous people are often quick to point out the sins of others while failing to see their own.

When we pursue righteousness, we will see the Fruit of the Spirit grow in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). This is sanctification. Our patience, kindness, and faith will increase as we become more like Christ. It is an ongoing process until we go home to be with the Lord. We are learning to live according to who we already are in Christ. This should be our heart's deepest desire. Pursuing righteousness doesn't just mean being nicer or having some vague emotional experience of God.

Righteousness is being in a right relationship with God and seeing it increasingly reflected in the way we live. But is it the same as spirituality or piety? No. To be spiritual is to seek meaning and awareness of something greater than yourself. You don't have to be a Christian to be spiritual. Piety reflects our religious actions: prayer, Bible study, giving to the poor, and attending worship services for example. Growing in righteousness and sanctification should be our goal as Christians. It is the evidence of a transformed life in Christ. Scripture shows that boldness is sometimes necessary to live that out.

Righteousness Requires Truth and Love

In Ephesians 6:19-20 Paul says to pray that he can boldly proclaim the Word of God. But boldness is never a license for arrogance, insults, or personal attacks. The goal is always repentance, restoration, and faithfulness to God—not winning an argument or humiliating another person.

In Ephesians 4, Paul speaks at length about growing in the "unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God" and that we are to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:11-16). Because the truth of Christ often confronts our failures it is essential that we speak to others only in love. Will that truth always be accepted? No, but we will have done our duty.

Why Being Nice Is Not Enough

And what about being nice? Isn't that what Christians are called to do? Actually nowhere in the Bible are people told to be nice. Niceness is what you do in society to get along with others. It is nice to be nice. However, sometimes love requires difficult conversations that mere politeness avoids. When we are nice to people we rarely challenge them. We are accepting of anything because niceness requires it.

Biblical Examples of Courageous Truth

To be righteous is sometimes different from being socially "nice" or polite. Of course we are to be gentle and humble with people but in the face of great sin we are called to be courageous people. When Jesus confronted the Pharisees he called them "white washed tombs" and a "brood of vipers" (Matthew 23:27;33).

It is one thing to speak hard truths. It is another to speak harshly. Jesus' severe words were directed toward hardened religious hypocrisy that was leading people away from God. They were not careless insults spoken out of irritation, pride, or a desire to belittle others. Our goal should never be to wound people with our words, but to lead them toward repentance and truth. The difference is not simply the tone of the words, but the heart and purpose behind them. Biblical correction is meant to defend God's truth, expose deception, and call people toward repentance.

Look at Elijah before the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:27). What did he do? Strong words were required in this situation. He made fun of their god, insinuating that their god was spending too much time in the bathroom to listen to their requests. John the Baptist was beheaded for publicly condemning Herod's marriage to his sister-in-law (Mark 6:17-18).

The disciples even confronted one another when necessary. Paul confronted Peter in Antioch about his religious hypocrisy for withdrawing from fellowshipping with Gentiles because he feared criticism from the Jews (Galatians 2:11-14). Others were plainly called out for sinful behaviors or for interfering with God's work.

Peter confronted Ananias and Sapphira for secretly withholding a portion of the money they got from selling property while pretending to donate all of it to the church (Acts 5:1-11). Peter also confronted Elymas the Sorcerer and called him a "child of the devil" for trying to interfere with the Roman proconsul from believing the gospel (Acts 13:8-11).

Correcting Others with Humility

You might wonder though, how can we be humble and gentle and still call out sin? This takes great care. Have we prayed that God would guide us? Are we calling out sin because we think we are better than others? Our goal is never to attack a person's worth or dignity, but to address sinful behavior with humility, truth, and love. Always we should acknowledge our sinfulness and reliance on God's grace for forgiveness. We aren't telling others we are better than they are. But we cannot compromise with sin.

"Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted." Galatians 6:1

Let's look at one situation we might find ourselves in. We go to a party and notice that those around us, many who are Christians, are getting drunk. We prayerfully consider what to do. We leave, and then one on one, with only those Christians we have a relationship with, gently talk to them about the responsibility we have to show Christ-like behavior.

Or what about at the workplace where bad language is common. Perhaps this is a sin we find ourselves tempted by. Again remove yourself politely from the conversation. If you are asked why you did, be honest, not confrontational. Don't expect non-Christians to view things like you do. But if a Christian is using bad language and is feeling judged by you just explain that you feel it is a sin and one that tempts you, so you try to stay away from it.

Pastors have a different role (2 Timothy 4:2). They may see members of their congregation behaving in blatantly un-Christian behavior. They might then address the sin generally to their church in a sermon while depending on the Holy Spirit to bring conviction on that person. Are they living with someone they are not married to? Perhaps a sermon on the sins of unmarried sex would be in order. Or if they felt led they might have a private conversation with the person.

Will people still think we are nice? Probably not. Will they accuse us of being judgmental? Probably so. And yet the Bible repeatedly tells us to be truthful. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit will lead us to truth. When we confront sin we may have our old sins thrown in our face. "Well, you used to do "X"", they will say. Then we admit, "Yes, I committed that sin in my past but God has forgiven me and with the Holy Spirit's help I am trying to never do that again." Scripture also gives us clear instruction about who Christians are responsible to correct.

Who Should We Correct?

In 1 Corinthians 5:12 Paul makes an important distinction,

"For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?"

Judging, in Paul's sense of spiritual accountability, is not for those outside of the faith. God will do that. But for those of us in the faith we are constantly reminded to take correction, to listen to exhortation, which means to be admonished to live righteously, and to be submissive to those in authority over us (Hebrews 13:17). This underscores the importance of relationship, not only with God, but with each other as a community of believers.

We are never better than others, just forgiven. True righteousness never puts itself above others. It points people to Christ, whose righteousness alone makes any of us acceptable before God.

Growing in Righteousness Together

Have you ever prayed that God would help you grow in righteousness? If you pray that prayer, you must be willing to have a teachable spirit and receive correction as readily as it is given (Proverbs 9:8-9). This can be difficult to accept because none of us like criticism. But when we truly love one another in Christian community we don't just correct one another but we lift each other up and encourage each other. The more we grow in righteousness, the less room there is for self-righteousness.

Our goal is always the same: not to prove our own righteousness, but to reflect the righteousness of Christ to a watching world. As we grow in humility, accept correction, and lovingly encourage one another, we become more like the gentle Savior we follow.