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The way of self-righteousness!
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,
"The Old Way of the Wicked" Job 22:15-17.
The unsaved talk of their merits, prayers, and
tears. They will, if they can, find something of
their own in which to trust. They wrap their
miserable rags about them, and claim that
they are well clad. Being fascinated by self
deceit, they imagine that they are rich and
increased in goods when they are naked,
and poor, and miserable. They will not lie
at the feet of Jesus, and receive salvation
as a gift of mercy, pure mercy!
The way of self-righteousness is trodden
by tens of thousands of men. Ah, your church
goings and your chapel goings, your goings to
the sacrament, your baptism, your confirmation,
your ceremonies of all sorts and kinds, your gifts
to the poor, your contributions to charities, your
amiable speeches, your repetitions of your
liturgies, and your prayers; these are rested
on as the rock of your salvation.
Beware, I entreat you, for this is the way of
the Pharisee when he thanked God that he
was not as other men. It is the way of sinful
human nature which always goes about to
establish its own righteousness, and will not
submit itself to the righteousness of Christ.
As surely as the Pharisees were condemned
as a generation of vipers, and could not escape
the damnation of hell, so surely every one of us,
if we set up our righteousness in the place of
Christ's righteousness, will meet with condemnation,
and will be overthrown by God's sudden wrath!
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