It happens all the time. The most recent occurrence happened when I was working with some folks to tutor at a local high school. In the midst of the altruistic discussion I thought, “I’m doing a really good thing here! Am I not a good person?” Pride. Paul was right when he wrote:

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.

(Romans 7:21)

In the book The Reason for God, pastor and author Tim Keller writes:

The devil, if anything, prefers Pharisees–men and women who try to save themselves.

Keller is known for his talk about self-salvation projects. He says there are two ways to be your own Savior and Lord:

The first is by saying, “I am going to live my life the way I want.” The second is… trusting your own goodness rather than Jesus for your standing with God.

The folks in the first group are easier to identify. They are ignoring Jesus. Folks in the second are more difficult to pick out. They are doing “good works” as if those good works will ultimately save them. It’s as if they are trying to be so good that God has no choice but to open heaven’s gates for them. Both groups are ultimately lost because neither is dependent on Jesus who is salvation. This is a critical difference.

What about me? I am a former card-carrying member of the first group. These days I have a tendency to end up in the second group, as evidenced by the example at the start of this post. I want to do things that come from a heart that is being transformed by Jesus Christ, but I have a tendency to look for ways I can build myself up in the process. Let me try to be clear: I don’t believe we ought to live in guilt or constantly beating ourselves up. But I do believe that, in recognition of our natural state and the incredible sacrifice Jesus made to get us out of that state, our service should come out of gratitude and joy for what has been done for us, not by us.