Self-justification

To justify is “to show or prove to be just, right, or reasonable. . . . to defend or uphold as warranted or well-grounded. . . . to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit.”[1]  If we seek to defend ourselves against false accusations, this may be proper and right since we need to have a good reputation before others.  On the other hand, too often when someone is guilty of an offense, he seeks to “justify” himself or herself so that personal guilt is lessened and others will think well of him or her.

In one of Christ’s parables, the Pharisee trusted in himself that he was righteous and viewed others with contempt. Although he was guilty of lovelessness, he sought to justify himself before God and others by his pompous prayer in the temple (Luke 18:9-12).  We read that the Pharisees were “lovers of money” (16:14).

Jesus charged them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God” (v. 15).  Although guilty of violating the “weightier provisions of the Law (Matthew 23:23), these hypocrites were seeking to “justify” themselves before people so that others would think of them as being holy, righteous, devout, and God-honoring.  This was pure pretense, since they practiced their “righteousness before men to be noticed by them” (Matthew 6:1; cf. vv. 2-18).

When someone points out a failing in your life, do you readily admit it, repent of it, and seek to make amends for the misdeed?  In other words, do you immediately acknowledge the wrong—without excuse—as David did when Nathan pointed out his sin (2 Samuel 12:13)?

On the other hand, do you your wrongdoing and try to “justify yourself” of the evil deed?  Do you try to defend what you did or what you failed to do, even when you were wrong in attitude and behavior?  This is what Saul did when Samuel confronted him for his disobedience (or partial obedience).  Saul began to make excuses and justify what he had failed to do in obeying the Lord (1 Samuel 15:12-21).  Too often we are like Saul in this and not David.

God desires “truth in the innermost being” (Psalm 51:6), so are you anxious to remove your guilt by open confession of wrong through genuine repentance and restitution?  It is time that we renounce all self-justification and openly confess our sins to God (1 John 1:9) and others (Luke 15:21; James 5:16).

[1] Random House Webster’s College Dictionary.