1) Trusting Self or God (Doy Moyer)
2) Examine Yourselves (Jesse A. Flowers)
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Trusting Self or God<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Doy Moyer -2-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesse A. Flowers 1) Hear\u00a0<\/strong>the gospel — for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30-31). Tebeau Street “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).——————– Contents: 1) Trusting Self or God (Doy Moyer)2) Examine Yourselves (Jesse A. Flowers) ——————– -1- Trusting Self or God Doy Moyer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3364"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3369,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3364\/revisions\/3369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Jesus told a parable \u201cto some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt\u201d (Luke 18:9). What a statement! Jesus targeted head-on an attitude that was common enough that He wanted this parable to be known by future generations.
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\u201cTwo men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: \u2018God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.\u2019 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, \u2018God, be merciful to me, a sinner!\u2019 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted\u201d (vv. 10-14).
Jesus turns expectations on its head. Between the Pharisee and tax collector, everyone would know that the Pharisee was righteous and the tax collector was a sinner. Tax collectors were often grouped with other sinners. For example, Matthew, a tax collector, recorded this: \u201cAnd as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, \u2018Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?\u2019\u201d (Matt 9:10-11). His response was, \u201cThose who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: \u2018I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.\u2019 For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners\u2019\u201d (vv. 12-13). Jesus was mocked for associating with them: \u201cThe Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, \u2018Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!\u2019 Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds\u201d (Matt 11:19).
To contrast the Pharisee with the tax collector would have seemed foolish to those who were self-righteous. The problem, however, is that those who have such self-trust likely don\u2019t realize it. Of course they trust in God! Of course they are doing what\u2019s right. Just ask them! They are happy to tell you.
\u201cThe Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus.\u201d Some indicate that he prayed \u201cto himself\u201d or \u201cabout himself.\u201d Likely, he was standing \u201cby himself\u201d as he prayed, and certainly he was praying about himself as he compared himself with others and boasted about what he did. \u201cGod, I thank you that I am not like other men\u2026\u201d should send up a red flag. This shows how easy it is to downplay sin. \u201cI\u2019m not that bad, like those people over there who do these terrible things.\u201d We might be tempted at times to think, \u201cI may not be perfect, but at least I\u2019m not like them.\u201d Comparing one\u2019s life and accomplishments to the sins of others is one of the most dangerous paths to take. We feel self-justified on the basis that our sins just aren\u2019t as bad as theirs. We may be thankful to God, but even thankfulness can be wrong-headed when the object is our proud, self-righteous trust.
The tax collector, on the other hand, standing far off, \u201cwould not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, \u2018God, be merciful to me, a sinner!\u2019\u201d He sees himself before God as \u201cthe sinner\u201d (NASB). He is not comparing himself with others. He is not calling out how bad others are. He isn\u2019t showcasing his works as if he should be praised. He offers only a confession and a plea for mercy. Here is revealed where our trust abides.
A worldly consideration of these two might see the Pharisee as strong and the tax collector weak. The Pharisee is confident in himself; the tax collector appeals only to God. The Pharisee boasts in his works; the tax collector grieves over his actions. If the tax collector is the sinner, surely the Pharisee is righteous.
Not so, for righteousness is never self-defined. It is not for the proud. Jesus\u2019 words would have hit like a ton of bricks: \u201cI tell you, this man [the tax collector] went down to his house justified, rather than the other [the Pharisee].\u201d Why? That hardly seems fair. The tax collector admittedly is not righteous in himself. He is a sinner. How can he be justified? Here is the Lord\u2019s answer: \u201cFor everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.\u201d
Self-exaltation never sits well with God. The problem of sin cannot be met with, \u201cBut I\u2019m not as bad as they are and look at the good I\u2019ve done.\u201d Justification can only come when we realize the depth of our sin and trust God for mercy. That takes humility, and humility runs contrary to trusting in self-righteousness.
Only when we abandon the pride of, \u201cI\u2019m thankful I\u2019m not like other men,\u201d and embrace the humility of, \u201cGod, be merciful to me, the sinner,\u201d will we know justification. This exaltation only comes from the God who opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble (1 Pet 5:5).
— Via the Bulletin Articles <\/em>of the Vestavia church of Christ, January 18, 2026
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\u201cExamine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you fail to meet the test!\u201d (2 Cor. 13:5, ESV).
Probably one of the most challenging things we are instructed to do in God\u2019s Word is to examine ourselves. And one of the easiest things to do is examine (i.e., scrutinize) others. But we must strive to humbly and honestly examine ourselves. Why? To see whether we are in the faith.
Of course, there is only \u201cone faith\u201d (Eph. 4:5). These same brethren were exhorted to \u201cstand fast in the faith\u201d (1 Cor. 16:13). We are to \u201ccontinue in the faith\u201d (Col. 1:23). We are to be \u201cestablished in the faith\u201d (Col. 2:7). We are to keep the faith (2 Tim. 4:7). We are to be \u201csound in the faith\u201d (Titus 1:13). And we are to \u201ccontend earnestly for the faith\u201d (Jude 1:3).
The problem at Corinth was that the conduct of some of these saints indicated that they were not presently in the faith of Christ. So, Paul urges them to examine themselves and to test themselves so that they will recognize their failings and sins and make correction.
A few verses prior, Paul wrote: \u201cFor I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced\u201d (2 Corinthians 12:20-21).
So, what about us – are we in the faith? Are we walking in the commands of the Lord Jesus? Are we living a life that is faithful to Christ? Are we practicing righteousness or unrighteousness? Are we living a godly or ungodly life? When we examine and test ourselves, do we pass or fail the test? Are there sins in our life that we need to confess and repent of (1 John 1:9; 2 Cor. 7:10). If so, let us do so today!
As James wrote: \u201cTherefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves\u201d (James 1:21-22).
— Via Articles <\/em>from the Knollwood church or Christ, December 2025
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2) Believe<\/strong>\u00a0in the deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent<\/strong>\u00a0of sins.\u00a0 For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).\u00a0 For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).
4) Confess faith<\/strong>\u00a0in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized<\/strong>\u00a0in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21).\u00a0 This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).\u00a0 For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so \u201cthrough faith in the working of God\u201d (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to\u2026
6) Continue in the faith<\/strong> by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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CHURCH OF CHRIST
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https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go\/all.htm<\/a> (This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"