It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we’ve arrived — that we’ve become righteous. I’ve seen it in others, and I’ve seen it in myself. Sometimes, when we start noticing the fruits of righteousness in our lives, it’s tempting to get a little pretentious, a little prideful. Before we know it, we’re living in the flesh, not in the Spirit.
The Subtle Danger of Self-Validation
John Calvin nailed it when he said:
“For (such is our innate pride) we always seem to ourselves just, and upright, and wise, and holy, until we are convinced, by clear evidence, of our injustice, vileness, folly, and impurity… [This] conviction can be produced only by looking to the Lord — He being the only standard.”
That hits close to home. Because I know I’ve fallen into this mindset more than once — that quiet thought in my head saying, “Hey, I’m actually doing pretty well.” But says who? Says me. The lawyer in my mind is always ready to defend me, to validate me, to prove I’m “not guilty.”
The truth? No matter what we do, our best efforts are still like filthy rags. They don’t measure up. That’s why we need to continually look to the Lord, letting Him show us where we fall short.
What Happens When We Compare Ourselves to God
Calvin put it another way:
“So long as we do not look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness… But once we raise our thoughts to God… what delighted us before will seem polluted; what looked like wisdom will feel like folly; what seemed virtuous will be condemned as weakness.”
When we compare ourselves to other people, we might feel like we’re doing great. But when we compare ourselves to God’s perfect holiness? Whole different story.
Focus on Jesus, Not Just Your Flaws
This doesn’t mean we should obsess over our shortcomings. Instead, we focus on Jesus — on His worthiness, not ours. It’s a strange but beautiful mindset: knowing we’re completely righteous in God’s eyes because of Jesus… and completely unrighteous without Him, no matter what we do.
Romans 2: The Reminder We All Need
You see this clearly in Romans 2:17–24. The Jews Paul was addressing thought they had it all together, looking down on others. They didn’t realize that what they had was only a glimpse of God’s standard — and even they had failed miserably.
At the end of the day, it all points to Jesus. We can’t achieve righteousness on our own. We can’t earn it, buy it, or fake it. The only way to have it is to receive it — trusting fully in the righteousness God gives us through His Son.
References
Institutes of the Christian religion, John Calvin.
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