What's More Dangerous: Sin or Self-Righteousness?

Matthew 11:23-24
23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to
hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in So
dom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in
the day of judgment, than for thee.
For many years, the church has made a big deal over sin. At least in the churche
s that I grew up in, there was a strong emphasis on the dangers of sin, specific
ally, what was thought of as the notable sins. The message was clear: "don't dan
ce, drink, smoke, or chew or run with those who do." I heard countless messages
on the dangers of sin, the disease of sin, and the death that sin brings.
Now don't get me wrong, sin is dangerous. The wages of sin is death. But we shou
ld have made a bigger deal of the One who paid those wages on the Cross----Jesus
! Why should we make a big deal of sin and minimize the work of Christ? It shoul
d be the other way around---we emphasize that Jesus paid the price for sin on th
e Cross and watch sin fade into the background. It's not making light of sin, it
's simply making a big deal of Jesus!
Sin is not too big for Jesus to handle. Romans 5:20 tells us that where sin abou
nds, grace does much more abound. The Greek wording indicates that grace "super-
abounds.....and then even more grace on top of that"! No, sin will never be a wo
rthy opponent to grace. But there is something that is more dangerous than sin a
nd a greater threat to the grace of God. It's called self-righteousness.
In Matthew 11:23-24, Jesus makes a remarkable statement. He says that if the mir
acles that he did in Capernaum had been done in Sodom and Gommarah, Sodom and Go
mmorah would have repented and remained. Remember, they were the cites that were
"nuked" by the wrath of God. Modern-day archeologists have a difficult time eve
n finding remnants that such cities existed. They were literally burnt to the gr
ound because of their gross immorality, and most notably, their homosexuality. A
nd yet, Jesus said that if he had been there and done his miracles in those citi
es that he did in Capernaum, those cities of gross immorality would have had a r
evival and received Jesus with open arms.
Capernaum, on the other hand, experienced the earthly ministry of Jesus but did
not repent. Jesus lived in the region of Capernaum, spent most of his time there
, taught there, and did most of his miracles in their midst. But as a whole, Cap
ernaum refused the ministry of Christ. Unlike Sodom, they were a much more polis
hed and civilized people. Set along the sea, Capernaum was a region of religion
and a safe city. It was the kind of place you would want to raise your children.
But it was a region mired in self-righteousness. They didn't need Christ, they
had their religion. But Jesus could not stand their religious arrogance.
Matthew 11:23-24 (The Message Paraphrase)
23 And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in th
e abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be ar
ound.
24 At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you."
This makes us ask the question: what is more dangerous, sin or self-righteousnes
s?
In light of Jesus' jarring statement, I say self-righteousness if more dangerous
. Please understand, I'm not making light of sin. But when people recognize thei
r need and humble themselves before the grace of the Lord, no sin can stop the s
alvation of Christ. In contrast, self-righteousness hinders Christ's ability to
save. Religion renders grace powerless to move.
Our current world may resemble Sodom and Gomorrah with our unbridled passions, g
reed and love of money, social injustice, and our twisted, confused natures. But
we are in a better position than ancient Sodom because Jesus is here. Jesus has
come. And Jesus forgives. We, too, can repent, be revived, and remain. As long
as we don't resemble self-righteous Capernaum, His grace cannot be stopped.
Thought for the day
Self-righteousness is dangerous because it impedes the grace of God