Feeling Superior

We would never say it but we certainly show it: We value ourselves more than others.

Western culture is individualistic, and I've seen the injustices wrought from this mentality in colleagues that are willing to trample the good reputation of another as long as it means getting a promotion for themselves.

Let's face it though, our culture bids us to demand our rights. Our culture bids us to consume recklessly and achieve the American dream even if it is at the cost of someone else.

We would never call ourselves superior but we certainly live as if we are. I believe this is why the commandment "Love your neighbor as you love yourself" is indicative of how in tune Jesus was with the culture of His time. No one ever really had a problem loving themselves then, and no one really has a problem loving themselves now.

The cure to superiority is to find our identity in the gospel. The gospel says "Christ came into the world to save sinners, Christ lived the life you should have lived and died the death you should have died and then rose from the dead"

This immediately rids the soul of superiority because our rightful standing before God is free not earned. Only when our rightful standing before God is earned can we feel superior and look at others as inferior. But when it is free and an act of grace on the part of God it is absurd to feel superior because we didn't earn it.

Believing in the gospel also rids us of any superiority complex because God came to save sinners. God is not just on the side of a nation or on the side of a particular ethnic group, but He came to save sinners.

Revelations 7:9-10 "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”"

Religions and rule of non-contradiction

There is a rule of logic that says no two contradictory statements can be true at the same time. I am not a philosopher but this principle is not hard to swallow and yet when it comes to religion we are quick to dismiss it.

I know there are some sincere people that want to believe all religions are equal, and I'll look at that in another blog post. But for now I will quote Charles Spurgeon: "If you sincerely drink poison, it will kill you. You must not only be sincere, but you must be right. - "

Now, the law of non-Contradiction says: No two contradictory statements can be true at the same time. If I say that I am a bird and you say that I am a not a bird, we both cannot be right. We are both saying two different things.

When it comes to religion as author Tim Keller said "Anyone who would make a claim that "all religions are equally right" is not listening very well to what each teaches." Christianity for example does not teach that salvation is something to be earned through rituals, church attendance, prayers etc. Christianity teaches that salvation is to be received through the merit of another, Jesus Christ.

I have often run into some well meaning folks in this city who say that I am arrogant for ever thinking that my religion is right and all the other ones are wrong. But if you think about it these folks have a double standard. They are quick to say to me that I am arrogant for thinking I am right but all the while they think they are right. And yet they wouldn't accuse themselves of being arrogant.

Don't you see? It is impossible to not believe in absolute truth. We all have a belief about God that we think to be true. Even if we say all religions are equal, that is a belief about God that we think to be true.

Now, I certainly do see the point of many who would say that the minute you believe that your belief about God is true and all the other ones are wrong, that is going to cause you to harm others. I do not completely dismiss this, history has shown this with many beliefs about God including atheism eg: Stalin in Russia. We also see in the bible how Jesus rebuked the pharisees for using their beliefs of moral superiority to oppress others.

However, the person that is really concerned for the welfare and good of other people ought to be really asking: Which belief about God will really transform our communities and cause us to look outward rather than inward? Which belief about God will humble us and crush our feelings of superiority?

Christianity teaches that salvation is received not earned, this means I can never look down on anyone including non-believers and think my self superior, because I didn't earn my right standing before God.

The God of Christianity is a God that left His heavenly throne and took on human flesh (Cf: Phillipians 2:8) to save "enemies"(Cf: Romans 5:10). What a great example of sacrificial love to get out of our luxurious condos and suburban homes and out into those areas where we can serve the needs of others.

So you see not all religions can be equal because they aren't all saying the same thing and there is a double standard when we tell people they are arrogant for believing their belief about God is true. If we are really concerned for the welfare of others let us not wage war against absolute truth but instead ask which belief will transform us in such a way to love our neighbor and meet the needs of the marginalized without feeling superior?

Additional resource

http://sermons.redeemer.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=29

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Exclusivity: How can there be just one true religion?