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Quote of the Day from My Great-Grandfather’s Sermon Notes: Beware Any Self-Righteous Doctrine

Saint Augustine
@SaintAugustine
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This is a snapshot from my great-grandfather's sermon notes.

Pastor Boone is talking about Jesus when he says "Beware of the Leaven (Doctrines) of Pharisees and Sadducees."

Beware any doctrine of self-righteousness, he explains. In his own words--and remember these are sermon notes, not prose paragraphs: "Beware any Doctrine--Self-Righteous [new line] Mixed with a lot of error."

There follow some observations on how power is in G-d alone--without whom our hearts are hardened as was Pharaoh's, we are given up to a reprobate mind, and our eyes and ears are closed.

I'm not certain if these are even notes from the same sermon, but it would make sense if they were: We can't be righteous on our own; beware of any doctrine that teaches we can, and recognize G-d alone as having the power to make us righteous.

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Discussion (2)

  • Comfortably Superannuated@OldDanRhody
    Saint Augustine (View Post):
    We can’t be righteous on our own; beware of any doctrine that teaches we can, and recognize G-d alone as having the power to make us righteous.

    Consider Daniel's prayer of confession in Daniel Chapter 9: In no sense does he separate himself from the sins of his people; their sin is his sin, and the judgement visited upon them is just. I'm seeing a paradox in comparing this with Psalm 44, one of the Psalms of the Sons of Korah, which I have tentatively titled, "A Lament Without Confession." It speaks from a similar situation of having been overrun by enemies, and like Daniel prays for restoration, but I don't see any confession of fault on their part. Yet it is from this Psalm that Paul quotes in Romans Chapter 8. As I say, it seems paradoxical to me, but it is part of Holy Writ, and sometimes I can be patient with such things.