Does the Bible Inspire Feelings of Moral Superiority?

Comment: The bible inspires unwarranted feelings of moral superiority and may be used to excuse obnoxious and malicious behavior of its readers

Response: Sadly, some professing Christians have indeed been known to be obnoxious, but, I would argue, it is not because of the Bible. It is because pride is a natural trait of fallen humanity. Some professing Christians have neither understood nor experienced grace. Understood rightly, the Bible teaches that Christians were not saved because they were good or because they were better than others, but because, by the grace of God, they knew they were morally bankrupt, and in many cases worse than others, and in desperate need of help. They were saved by mercy alone and, not in any case, because they were morally superior.(Deut 9:4-6) In fact, any person who now professes to be a Christian and thinks they are more deserving of heaven than you, according to the Bible (Luke 18:9-14), have missed the gospel, and is, most likely, not a Christian to begin with. That is Christianity.101.

"It is sad but true—our refusal to give grace to others reveals how much we still need grace ourselves. Our failure to forgive shows how much we still need God’s moment-by-moment forgiveness. The weakness in our love demonstrates how much our hope still rests on a God who will love us even on our very worst day. Struggles to live the gospel in our relationships with others picture how much we need the rich gospel ourselves. And it all argues that we still don’t deserve the favor that we are given daily and are called to give to others who are as undeserving as we are." - Paul Tripp

Mon, 08/17/2015 - 16:08 -- john_hendryx

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