It is a great sin to falsely accuse a believer of self-righteousness. This is but one example of a dishonest rhetorical technique of accusing the motives of a person to avoid addressing the substance of his remarks. It is all too common in today's society to ascribe an insulting motive so that we can dismiss what other people say.
The idea that it is self-righteous to publicly rebuke sin is unbiblical. Jesus' teaching on the mote and beam presupposes that it is a good thing to point out error in others, so long as we have examined ourselves, and so long as we are not hypocritical about it.
Jesus commanded that we confront and rebuke sin, but we must be ready to forgive repentant sinners immediately.
The Apostle Paul repeatedly commands the public rebuke of error and sin, in Titus, in Galatians, and in 1 and 2 Timothy.
A Christian is particularly vulnerable to the false accusation of self-righteousness when he rebukes a sin in others that he has publicly repented of himself.
Paul is the shining example: he rebuked Peter for hypocritical legalism and mistreating believers who didn't keep the Mosaic law. But Paul had committed the same sins previous to his conversion. He was a zealous legalist who countenanced the murder of Gospel believers.
Paul's sin was far worse than Peter's, yet Paul didn't hesitate to publicly rebuke Peter for his sin. Indeed, Paul was completely open, and readily confessed the sin he had forsaken for Christ. Indeed, his personal experience best suited him to now preach strongly against legalism and persecution of believers. Indeed, Paul urged us to follow his example in turning away from the sin he had formerly embraced!
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John Pittman Hey was born in 1961 in Jackson, Mississippi, to Godly parents who from the beginning raised him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. With child-like faith he came to Christ on his fourth birthday at his mother's knee. He received his education at church...
