“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (NIV)

Today I heard the phrase “moral high ground.” This isn’t a radical phrase or anything, but it was the first time I heard it used in talking about a certain person. This particular person had been treating someone else cruelly, all because they had come to believe that this someone else had done something so terrible that they weren’t even worth being shown basic dignity. In all honesty, this type of behavior is what happens to all of us when we think we have the moral high ground. We begin to think of ourselves as better than others and quickly begin to treat others with less respect. Scriptures refer to this problem as righteousness. Now, let me clarify, when I say “righteousness,” I am referring to our attempt to be good apart from Christ. True righteousness, or Christ-likeness, only comes when we live a surrendered life to Christ and allow His Righteousness to cover our sinfulness and transform us into someone more like Him. Righteousness apart from Christ is nothing more than narcissism and pride.

Narcissism can be described as: selfishness that involves a sense of entitlement; an absence of compassion; a need for admiration; and deep sense of superiority. These are all symptoms of the sin of righteousness. Juxtapose righteousness with humility and you will see a stark contrast. Humility can be described as: a recognition of self in relation to God; a complete submission to God; an admission of powerlessness; and a form of temperance that is neither prideful nor indulging in self-deception. Christ-likeness calls us to humility. The ultimate image of humility is that of Christ, leaving His moral high ground and becoming sin in our place upon the cross. Christ who is Godself, humbled himself to the lowest of places – why? So that He might raise you up from it. If we are claiming to have the moral high ground than we have drastically misunderstood the message of the gospel. At the foot of the cross we are all the very worst of people – none of us are better than the other. We are equal in our sin. Yes, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The very idea of moral high ground is a façade. It only serves to keep us from truly loving one another.

The only one among us who can lay any claim to the moral high ground is Jesus Christ. Yet, Christians, perhaps more than any other group, are prone to the sin of righteousness. We puff up. We have been saved. We are now better than the sinner who lives across the street. Do you recognize it in you? If not, then stop and pray about it, because you are guilty of it. How do you know you are guilty? When faced with someone else’s sin, would you rather turn your back on that person and claim the moral high ground, or lower yourself down into their yucky mess in order to help this fallen brother or sister up? To do so may cost you a great deal, but this is the cost of obedience unto Christ. The only way to love another is to live in surrendered humility and be willing to go with that person to places you never thought of going on your own. When you can do this hard act of love for another, then you are no longer acting in your righteousness, but in Christ’s righteousness. You must remember the cold hard truth: you are the worst of sinners. Then, when you receive the unmerited favor of God, it will be all the sweeter and you will be able to give such grace to others.