Post by tlsitd on Aug 7, 2018 14:25:39 GMT -5
What exactly does it mean to be "holier-than-thou"?
As this expression is used, it means to think that one is better than other people and to look down on others that one feels are inferior to one in terms of righteousness---like that Pharisee in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14).
This is the Scripture from which that expression is taken:
I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
(Isaiah 65:1-5)
Now as I understand this Scripture, the "thou" (or "you") to which "holier than thou" refers is God Himself, the One who is addressing and reproving the people described in this chapter. These were self-righteous people, who like the Pharisees after them, prided themselves on being holy, and yet were doing all kinds of abominable things that God hated and had forbade them to do, and who didn't have any need for God, in truth, because they had made righteousness for themselves, and thought very highly of themselves, even though in truth they weren't any better than the nations around them. They were religious hypocrites---self-righteous people, who pushed God away from them because they had a form of righteousness and godliness that they preferred to His own. And their descendants had a similar attitude (and many still do to this day).
True, people who think like this also look down on other people who they think to be beneath them, like the Pharisee in Jesus' parable looked down on the tax collector, but in this particular Scripture the one who the people God is rebuking are telling to keep away because they are "holier than thou" is their own God. (Shocking, isn't it?)
And yet, what did their descendants do to Jesus---God in the flesh---who tried to show them the same thing that the prophets had tried to show their forefathers? What did they do to Stephen? And to this very day, they are still saying to God, "Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou" by rejecting the gospel in favor of their self-righteousness. They do not believe that they need God's righteousness imputed to them through faith in Jesus Christ, or that they need a Savior; they are already righteous and holy in their own minds, by "keeping" the law of Moses and the teachings and traditions of their rabbis---or simply because they are natural descendants of Abraham.
As Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32)
Related to the above passage from Isaiah is this one from Romans:
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,
"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame."
Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Romans 9:30-33; 10:1-4)
And
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
"None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they
have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one."
"Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive."
"The venom of asps is under their lips."
"Their mouth is full of curses and
bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not
known."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:9-20)
(And you can continue reading through Romans chapters 3, 4, 7, 9, 10 and 11 on this subject.)
Just something to think about the next time you hear that expression.
And obviously, Christians aren't immune to falling into the snare of self-righteousness either---holding onto man-made rules and traditions that set them apart from and make them think that they are superior to other Christians (which is what man-made rules do), and telling Jesus Christ to "Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou". In other words: "I'll keep my religion over, or in addition to, Your commandments and teachings! I'm more holy and righteous by doing these other things---and I get more praise and admiration from people for the same---than I am by obeying only what You gave me. I'll do Christianity my own way, in my own power; I don't need You." (How did that attitude and behavior work out for the people of Israel? Did it produce anything beneficial to them, or pleasing to God, that we should do likewise?)
The only way any Christian can be holy (practically speaking) is by being obedient to the commandments of Jesus Christ that are given us in the New Testament, primarily, and whatever other teachings in the Scriptures apply to us (which the Holy Spirit teaches us, that we may use the word of God correctly and apply whatever is applicable to us to our lives). Anything beyond this that we might add is self-righteousness, and is as filthy rags in God's sight---of no benefit to us spiritually (if not detrimental to us), and not pleasing or of any value to God---regardless of what it may look like to other people. There is no grace to live according to human teachings and laws that do not apply to us as Christians, only what is actually given to us by God and applicable to us in His word. (Deviating from that doctrine produces the bad fruit of the sinful nature, not the good fruit of the Spirit.)
"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." (John 17:17)
Pursue true holiness earnestly, and do not let anyone discourage you from doing so, but avoid self-righteousness, and the counsel of anyone who tries to persuade you to adopt any form of it.
As this expression is used, it means to think that one is better than other people and to look down on others that one feels are inferior to one in terms of righteousness---like that Pharisee in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14).
This is the Scripture from which that expression is taken:
I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
(Isaiah 65:1-5)
Now as I understand this Scripture, the "thou" (or "you") to which "holier than thou" refers is God Himself, the One who is addressing and reproving the people described in this chapter. These were self-righteous people, who like the Pharisees after them, prided themselves on being holy, and yet were doing all kinds of abominable things that God hated and had forbade them to do, and who didn't have any need for God, in truth, because they had made righteousness for themselves, and thought very highly of themselves, even though in truth they weren't any better than the nations around them. They were religious hypocrites---self-righteous people, who pushed God away from them because they had a form of righteousness and godliness that they preferred to His own. And their descendants had a similar attitude (and many still do to this day).
True, people who think like this also look down on other people who they think to be beneath them, like the Pharisee in Jesus' parable looked down on the tax collector, but in this particular Scripture the one who the people God is rebuking are telling to keep away because they are "holier than thou" is their own God. (Shocking, isn't it?)
And yet, what did their descendants do to Jesus---God in the flesh---who tried to show them the same thing that the prophets had tried to show their forefathers? What did they do to Stephen? And to this very day, they are still saying to God, "Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou" by rejecting the gospel in favor of their self-righteousness. They do not believe that they need God's righteousness imputed to them through faith in Jesus Christ, or that they need a Savior; they are already righteous and holy in their own minds, by "keeping" the law of Moses and the teachings and traditions of their rabbis---or simply because they are natural descendants of Abraham.
As Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32)
Related to the above passage from Isaiah is this one from Romans:
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,
"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame."
Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Romans 9:30-33; 10:1-4)
And
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
"None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they
have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one."
"Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive."
"The venom of asps is under their lips."
"Their mouth is full of curses and
bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not
known."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:9-20)
(And you can continue reading through Romans chapters 3, 4, 7, 9, 10 and 11 on this subject.)
Just something to think about the next time you hear that expression.
And obviously, Christians aren't immune to falling into the snare of self-righteousness either---holding onto man-made rules and traditions that set them apart from and make them think that they are superior to other Christians (which is what man-made rules do), and telling Jesus Christ to "Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou". In other words: "I'll keep my religion over, or in addition to, Your commandments and teachings! I'm more holy and righteous by doing these other things---and I get more praise and admiration from people for the same---than I am by obeying only what You gave me. I'll do Christianity my own way, in my own power; I don't need You." (How did that attitude and behavior work out for the people of Israel? Did it produce anything beneficial to them, or pleasing to God, that we should do likewise?)
The only way any Christian can be holy (practically speaking) is by being obedient to the commandments of Jesus Christ that are given us in the New Testament, primarily, and whatever other teachings in the Scriptures apply to us (which the Holy Spirit teaches us, that we may use the word of God correctly and apply whatever is applicable to us to our lives). Anything beyond this that we might add is self-righteousness, and is as filthy rags in God's sight---of no benefit to us spiritually (if not detrimental to us), and not pleasing or of any value to God---regardless of what it may look like to other people. There is no grace to live according to human teachings and laws that do not apply to us as Christians, only what is actually given to us by God and applicable to us in His word. (Deviating from that doctrine produces the bad fruit of the sinful nature, not the good fruit of the Spirit.)
"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." (John 17:17)
Pursue true holiness earnestly, and do not let anyone discourage you from doing so, but avoid self-righteousness, and the counsel of anyone who tries to persuade you to adopt any form of it.