Urban Reformation

In our culture often of times people advise us to compare ourselves with others. We also do this by our own sin nature. “You should be more like your brother,” “You can win; the others aren’t as good as you in this activity,” etc. The sole purpose of our comparing ourselves to others is for the purpose of placing blame or taking credit (boasting), and often we do both at the same time.

Even as believers often times we might look at our own lives and are easily satisfied with our walk with the Lord. We may say we’re not content with our walk but by our inaction we often tell another story. However there is a thing called healthy spiritual discontentment.

We are the most spiritually content in our justification, that is Christ’s finished the work on the cross, but have a healthy discontentment in our personal holiness and sanctification. If we are content with our practical living out of our Christianity what does this tell us about our walk? Perhaps not outwardly but inwardly we believe we’ve arrived to a place or spiritual plateau.

We look or compare ourselves with others around us, and if we are steady in the word, or if we’re not, if we’re sporadic and unfocused, others around us don’t seem to be faithful in those areas either and often times we can settle for a very low bar, we remain unstirred, though it’s not ideal it would often require too much effort otherwise.

I need to make one clarification, I don’t mean effort in working on whatever sin or problem or circumstance, but what I mean is it would require too much effort, it would require too much self-death at the moment to seek God in the situation. Our flesh always believing there is something more that the sufficiency of the Gospel.

We also use these comparisons to place blame. I have been taught many times from great teachers this principle, that many use this ‘comparing to others’, to justify our own behavior and blame others’ for our lack of “right” living, or our own lack of practical holiness etc.

For example, everyone else is going into debt, and buying everything they think they need, I don’t see why I shouldn’t. Another example would be, “My spouse never serves me or is considerate of me, so I’m under no obligation to serve him or her or be considerate, much less love her or respect him in our marriage.”

We are a people of the perpetual conditional idolatrous self love, who in every daily instance and circumstance are in grave need of the Gospel. And we must seek it with our whole hearts.

The other side of the coin is when we compare ourselves to others for the purpose of showing ourselves to be good. We in our fleshly desires are eager to love ourselves, to point to our works and to take credit for the things God has done. We do this in our comparing our accomplishments with those of who have fewer.

It might manifest itself in the same scenario above but from an angle of looking down, “At least I’m doing something in church being used somehow. I mean I know I’ve got a little more time that some people but I need my own time and the things I really enjoy doing. I mean following Christ doesn’t mean I have to give up any of my hobbies or the things I like to spend the majority of my time on. I mean I do some ministry once a month, thank goodness I’m not like some of those people who don’t even serve once a month.”

Christians are often eager to point out that we must be careful when we make these comparisons because if we truly understand the Gospel we haven’t a single thing to boast about. These comparisons steal away from the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are in themselves manifestations of pride which steal the rightful glory of God.

Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. -2 Corinthians 10:12

Luke 18:9-14 is a great example of this comparison which steals Glory from God and exposes self and self sufficiency, self love, and self glorification.

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed [1] thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 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.”

This Pharisee has epitomized what it means to take credit for what God has done, and has begun to boast. I would imagine without thinking too much about it because his life looks pretty holy from the outside, but it is gospel-less attitude toward the tax collector and an elevation of self which has thieved the Glory of our father.

Now let me bring this thought perhaps to your attention. I listened to a sermon a few months ago in which the speaker was speaking about comparisons. He was talking about the state of the church how healthy or unhealthy ‘Church’ was in general and he said and I am paraphrasing the thought, “What we have done in comparison is to compare our church to other churches verses compare our church to the scriptures.” This is the bar that is raised for all men and all churches to attain toward.

I cannot tell you how often I need God to grant me the ability to see more grace in the life of church at the same time, I cannot tell you the innumerable times I have heard from others in various places, “At least our church isn’t like this …..” fill in the blank. The Pharisee didn’t know he was deceived about his faith, and he in his own mind was being grateful to God, “I thank God I’m not like ….” But we must be careful in our comparisons.

In understanding that the Gospel must come to bare on all aspects of my thinking God has shown me that I must seek to repent for my own comparisons, the comparisons in my life with other believers, and the comparisons of our church with other churches.

The only comparison that we should be making at any point in time is our comparison between our own lives and God’s word, and the only comparison we need make between our church, is that comparison between our church and God’s word.

If we do this we will come to realize that we are so far away from God’s standard and the only way to go is up because we live in our own sinful failures, and need our mediator both in our lives and in our churches as we grow up together in Christ, and as God transforms the bride to the fullness of faith. Ephesians 4

The Gospel bar is HIGH HIGH HIGH, Holy Holy Holy, it is the bar that God has set for our sanctification. We should be passionately seeking God humbling ourselves, and when we make comparisons make our comparisons next to the cross, where no man, or church can stand without Jesus Christ. This demonstrates our need for the Gospel daily and our need for Jesus Christ. We remove self-sufficiency but keep the bar High because He is worthy. We are motivated daily by the Gospel to reach that bar which God has set forth in his word, a Holy People a Royal Priesthood, as we strive toward being conformed to Christ in sanctification!

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