Spiritual attitude

“And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that

they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt” (Luke 18:9).

               “The kind of person you are is far more important than the kind of work you do.”  When we realize that our existence is more important than our actions, as believers, we must develop appropriate spiritual attitudes within our hearts—one of which is humility.

In today's passage Luke 18:9, we see a Pharisee who believed himself to be righteous and looked down on others.  He enjoyed being esteemed among people (16:15).  His spiritual posture was pride.  He considered himself better than even tax collectors and other sinners. Look at the Pharisee's prayer in the parable of Jesus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get' (18:11-12).  When considering why the Pharisee was so ensnared in spiritual pride to offer such a prayer, I think it's because he focused on what he did for God rather than what God had done for him.  Charles Swindoll refers to this as one of the worst heresies in his book 'Grace Awakening'.  It's easy for us to fall into this heresy.  We can easily become trapped in spiritual pride and superiority because we focus on what we do for God rather than on what God has done for our salvation in Jesus Christ.  If we don't guard against this, bit by bit, without us realizing, our hearts will be filled with spiritual pride and superiority.

Unlike the Pharisee, the tax collector stood at a distance in the temple.  He didn't even dare to look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner' (v. 13).  At least he approached God in prayer acknowledging and admitting he was a sinner.  So, he cried out, 'God, have mercy on me.'  This is a blessing.  Realizing one's own sin before the holy God is a blessing.  And being able to confess and plead for mercy from God in the midst of this precious realization is truly an undeniable blessing.  Being able to humble oneself before God is a blessing.  We must humble ourselves before God, just as the tax collector did.  We should yearn for the blessing of our sins being exposed by the holy presence of God.  We must acknowledge our sins and confess them to God because His holy word pierces our conscience.  In the midst of all this, as stated in Philippians 2:3, we should consider others better than ourselves.

               God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (Jam. 4:6).  We must humble ourselves before the holy God.  We should never believe ourselves to be righteous, like the Pharisees.  To do so, we must live our faith not before people, like the Pharisees, but before God.  Continually, with hearts and motives laid bare, we should turn to God in repentance through His holy Word, even confessing hidden sins.  In the midst of this, we must look to what God has done for us in Jesus Christ and trust in His work for our salvation.  Relying on the precious blood shed on the cross by Jesus, we must repent of our sins.  We must humbly bow down before God in repentance, trusting solely in the righteousness of Jesus.  By relying on the merit of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we approach the throne of God's grace, seeking His help in humility.

While guarding against spiritual pride and superiority,

James Kim

[Celebrating the 9th birthday of beloved son Dillon (meaning: faithful and truthful)]"