Luke 18:11

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

Before we escape judgment over the issue of this passage let us look at this Pharisee’s list. It is interesting that he has a list of sins that “he” is not. Is this list all inclusive of every sin that exists or only the ones he considers himself free from?

The funny thing about lists is that the creator of any list has a measuring stick of some sort to justify the order and importance of the list. The fact that he is a Pharisee is interesting in that they only appear in the bible in the New Testament. Their roots begin some time after the return to Jerusalem at the end of the Babylonian exile. What we know about them comes from comments made by Jesus about them.

• Matthew 15:3
  He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
• Matthew 15:6
  he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.

Tradition is a man created measuring tool unlike the commandments of God. It allows us to ignore our sin while pointing the finger of accusation at others. This takes us back to the rich man who did everything right but his heart was corrupted by the love of money.

Sadly the issue of claiming righteousness on the basis of good deeds is a fallacy that ignores the truth. None are righteous but God.

John 16:8-11 English Standard Version

8 And when he (holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Listen closely here, the Holy Spirit convicts us of righteousness because our righteousness ascended to the Father and we no longer have a righteous example to follow in earthly form.

1 Corinthians 1:30 / 2 Corinthians 10:17

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

That is not a matter of judgment so much as it is understanding.

Picking up where we left off yesterday I cannot let this comment go without explanation.

Luke 18:11

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

This is as plain as it gets in saying people are judgmental. Ask any of those sinners about the Pharisee and it is likely they will label him self-righteous and they wouldn’t be wrong. There are little hints as to his attitude in this verse and some other translations indicate more.

In the ESV standing by himself indicates an attitude of setting himself apart, pride makes him unapproachable, standoffish, a pariah of his own making.

Other translations said he prayed about himself and with himself leaving God out of it. That is a form of self-talk and not the intentions behind prayer at all.

Let us be real here and admit there are people we come across in this world that make us uncomfortable. For whatever reason it is just how we feel. I have my own private list but I will not share them. We should keep our own counsel there.

The problem is that by holding ourselves aside we cannot share the gospel with those who might need it the most. We can tell ourselves not to cast our pearls before swine but we then judge someone as swine.

Love the sinner not the sin sounds fine but how do you love someone (share the gospel) if you are standoffish?

We need to be approachable without giving off airs of judgment nor approval. That is not an easy thing to do if we harbor deep seeded disgust. While I am a sinner saved by grace, I should not show my sin just to prove my point. That is like having a drink with an alcoholic while preaching abstinence. It is hypocritical.

So how can we judge a righteous judgment and serve our God?

Begin by avoiding the Pharisee’s mistake and involve God in our prayer life and listen to what God has to say before we act.