The family disease!

(J.C. Ryle)

"He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves, that they were righteous." Luke 18:9

The sin which our Lord here denounces, is "self-righteousness."

We are all naturally self-righteous. It is the family disease of all the children of Adam. From the highest to the lowest-we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. We secretly flatter ourselves that we are not as bad as some, and that we have something to merit the favor of God.

We forget the plain testimony of Scripture:
  "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins."
  "What is man, that he could be pure; or one born of woman, that he could be righteous?"
  "There is no one righteous, not even one!"

The true cure for self-righteousness, is self-knowledge. Once let the eyes of our understanding be opened by the Spirit-and we shall talk no more of our own goodness. Once let us see what sin there is in our own hearts, and what the holy law of God requires-and self-conceit will die. We shall lay our hand on our mouths, and cry with the leper, "Unclean, unclean!" Leviticus  13:45

"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:32

"Christ died for the ungodly!" Romans 5:6