Jesus gave this parable to us.  Luke 18:9-14 “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’” While much can be learned from this parable, I wish to point out why the Pharisee felt that he was righteous.  First, he said that he was not evil like other men: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or tax collectors. Next, he fasted twice a week.  And finally, he gave tithes of all that he possessed.  Because of these things, he felt that he was righteous before God.  But Jesus said that he was not justified before God.  The tax collector did not pretend that he was righteous but humbled himself and begged God to be merciful to him as a sinner.

The Pharisee in this parable displays the attitude of most Jews.  They felt that they were righteous when they did a good job of keeping the Law. The following was written by the Apostle Paul about the Jews.  Romans 10:2-3 “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”  Many Jews had a zeal for God which was demonstrated in attempting to keep the law.  But they were ignorant of God’s righteousness. Many people today think similarly.  They believe that if they do certain actions, God will accept them as being righteous. There are those who pray five times a day and appear righteous.  Some take pilgrimages to certain cities.  Some repeat certain prayers over and over as a sign of righteousness.  Others take a vow of poverty to prove their righteousness.  Some walk up stairs on their knees.  And others are even crucified like Jesus.  Some go on two year missions or seek to be married in a temple to show their righteousness.  And still others think they are righteous if they attend church three times a week.  The list can go on and on. 

But none of these acts make us righteous before God.  Isaiah 64:6a “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.”  Anything we do to try to make ourselves righteous before God is insufficient – we can never make ourselves righteous before God by our own deeds.  Whether it is the law of Moses or some law we devise, attempting to keep a law will not make us righteous before God.

Speaking of Abraham, we are told in Romans 4:20-25 “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.  And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness.’  Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us.  It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”  Jesus Christ was sinless; He was righteous.  When we have faith in God and in Jesus Christ and obey the gospel, we are called righteous; we are imputed or credited with righteousness and declared to be just before God just like Abraham was declared righteous.  The righteousness we have is not our own, but that of Jesus Christ; it is not based upon observing law.

We are saved by grace for good works.  Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  We are saved and declared righteous before God by His grace based upon our faith – it is a gift of God.  However, we are created for good works or righteous acts.  Therefore, we should seek to be as righteous as we can be – not because it saves us, but because we love our God and seek to please him in every way.  We should be grateful for all the many physical and spiritual blessings He has given us.  Mark 12:29-30 “Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: Hear, o Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.’”  Doing righteous works is what we were created for; it is also how we demonstrate our love for our God.

Even though we are not saved by our own acts of righteousness, we are not free to be unrighteous.   In Corinth, the brethren were going to law against each other.  Here is what the apostle Paul wrote to them.  1 Corinthians 6:7-11  “Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” Paul told the Corinthians that they had an utter failure in doing what was right.  They did wrong and were cheating one another.  Then he says “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” We cannot be unrighteous and expect to inherit the kingdom of God.

Even though we are not saved by our own righteousness, I encourage you to yield your members as instruments of righteousness.  Romans 6:12-13 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”