Romans Ch 2 | The Self-righteous
The Apostle Paul says that the things that the "self-righteous" people judge others about are the things that they themselves do.
Romans 2 verse 1 says, "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things."
Romans 1 mentions the obvious wickedness of mankind, however its important to realize that it is also the so-called religionists and moralists who are also guilty before God. Romans chapter 2 teaches us that we all need salvation, this includes the very religious (like the apostle Paul had been) and the moralists (who believe that they are "good" because of their humanitarian efforts etc).
These people, if they have never actually believed the Gospel of their salvation without works, merely have "a fair shew in the flesh," (Gal 6:12). The reality is that they also sin in their thoughts and words and (often secretly) in their actions too. You cannot hide anything from God! It's also important to understand that anything that is done that is not based upon faith is sin (Ro 14:23). That literally means that even a person's so-called good works, if it's not done out of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is a sin. Therefore, all that an unbeliever can do is sin!
The Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry talked about the hypocrisy of the religious people (who were actually unbelievers making a fair shew in the flesh).
Matthew 23 : 25 in the KJB says, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
By the way, the Pharisees were also, I believe, religious narcissists. They wanted to appear godly so that they could have more power and control over others. They did not care or have empathy for others (like Cain in the Bible, he was another narcissist who didn't even care that he had killed his own brother!). Only a few of the Pharisees seemed sincere in their interest in Jesus, such as Nicodemus, but I believe that the vast majority of them were a type of religious narcissists which is still a very common thing in the world today among the world's religions.
"A religious narcissist uses their religious beliefs to manipulate, control and dominate people through fear. They place themselves above God."
Jesus threatened their power, so they wanted him crucified.
But anyone who believes that their particular religious practice (works) will make them right with God, needs to understand his desperate situation when he's in unbelief, when he's still "in Adam". No man can keep the law in the energy of his flesh. No flesh will ever glory in God's presence! We need the righteousness of faith. Religionists, meaning those who are trusting in their own righteousness instead of in what Christ did for us, might appear godly but the Lord says they are hypocrites. This includes not just the religiously minded but also any person that believes that they can get into heaven by their own works or if they believe that they are naturally born holy and good (newagers fit this category and many people who call themselves just "spiritual" are usually trusting in themselves and not in Christ).
The same is true when people who call themselves moralists, humanists, naturalists, or anything similar, they often believe that they are "good people" by doing good works in the energy of their flesh. They might not even believe in heaven or hell, but they base their moralism upon their own ideas and oftentimes refuse to really see their own faults. They think that humanity is evolving or that through political movements and education that man can better himself, but man will only become more depraved and reprobate without God as is taught to us in the Old Testament (days of Noah, tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, etc). They don't realize that man needs a whole new nature in order to truly bring forth fruit unto God. In fact, man needs the very righteousness OF God in order to stand before God, and through Christ's finished work on the cross man can have God's righteousness imputed to Him from the moment He believes the gospel. Christ took our sins upon Himself on the cross and the moment we believe that, then we are completely forgiven of all past, present and future sin and God's very own righteousness is then also imputed to us.
So many people believe that they are good enough to get into heaven without Christ and without believing the gospel. But they don't realize that they are actually children of wrath with Satan's spirit working in and through them. This is quite shocking! It hurts our egos.
Ephesians 2:2-4
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
This is called self-righteousness. They (religionists and moralists) make themselves the standard and anything below them won't get into heaven. They elevate themselves in their own minds, but are just as guilty before God and just as sinful as the most reprobate people on earth. Before God they will have NO EXCUSE. They may appear godly but are anything but!
We see this kind of self-righteousness today even in politics, and other areas where the group places themselves and their man-made ideas and beliefs above others and oftentimes above God. This is one reason why they get so worked up about things, they are always trying to prove who is the more moral group or party and none of it brings any glory to God.
Self-righteous people can even be in churches and sadly they very often are!
2 Timothy 3:5 - Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2 Thessalonians 3:2
“And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.”
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