The Good Ship of Self-righteousness

(Various authors. You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)

1 Timothy 1:15, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!"

By nature, people cling to their morality and religiousness for acceptance with God. Multitudes are sailing in the Good Ship of Self-righteousness, and they are expecting that they shall get to Heaven in her. But this ship never did carry a soul safely into the Fair Haven yet—and she never will.

Self-righteousness is as surely a road to Hell, as scandalous sin itself.

We may as certainly destroy ourselves by opposing the righteousness of Christ—as by transgressing the law of God. Self-righteousness is as much an insult to God, as blasphemy. God will never accept it, neither shall any soul enter Heaven by it.

There are many of these self-righteous Pharisees, who delight in themselves in thinking . . .
  that they are good people,
  that they are not great sinners,
  that they are fine religious people,
  that they partake of the sacraments,
  that they say their prayers,
  and that they read their Bibles.

Poor deluded souls! It is your badness, not your goodness—that draws Christ to you as a Savior.

You good, religious, self-righteous ones—your righteousness will be your eternal ruin!

But if the gospel comes to you in power, then you will realize that you are spiritually wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked—and that all of your righteous acts are nothing but filthy menstruous rags before the thrice holy God! Your first genuine prayer will be, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner!"

"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance!" Luke 5:31-32

Heinous sins kill their thousands of souls, but self-righteousness kills its tens of thousands!

"Christ died for the ungodly.
 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 When we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son"
Romans 5:6, 8, 10