What does it mean to have a holier-than-thou attitude?

Pride. There are several words so translated in the Greek Testament. The one used here (hyperephania) conveys the sense of a spirit of self-exaltation in a man coupled with the disparagement of others. The Pharisees who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others (Luke 18:9) are flagrant examples, but the Gentiles are not free from guilt in this respect any more than the Jews (Rom. 1:30). This arrogance displays itself in boastful words and vain-glorious deeds, but its origin is within the heart, as is shown by that sentence from the Magnificat: "He scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart" (Luke 1:51). This particular form of haughtiness is obnoxious to God and amenable to His summary judgment, for both James and Peter write that "God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).

But notice what is connected with ‘lowly-mindedness’. ‘In lowly-mindedness esteeming one another more excellent than themselves.’ If we have truly learned ourselves in the presence of our Saviour, then we will be the more ready to obey this injunction. Nor are such thoughts limited to the plural. ‘I am holier than thou’ (Isa. 65:5) is in the singular. Our tongues may not utter such words, but our thoughts may tell us, ‘I am more spiritual than that person.’ ‘I spend more time over the Word and in prayer than Brother Blank.’ And so it goes: for we each know the plague of our own hearts. I think it was Spurgeon who said: ‘There is pride of face, pride of place, and pride of race, but the worst pride of all, is pride of grace.’ But not only are we not to esteem ourselves as better than others: but we are to esteem others as better than ourselves: and we will, if close enough to Christ; and if we see ourselves, the person we know best, in the light of His holiness and love.

Nor are such thoughts limited to the plural. "I am holier than thou" is in the singular. Our tongues may not utter such words, but our thoughts may tell us, "I am more spiritual than that person." "I spend more time over the Word and in prayer than Brother Blank." And so it goes: for we each know the plague of our own hearts. I think it was Spurgeon who said: "There is pride of face, pride of place, and pride of race, but the worst pride of all, is pride of Grace." And, alas, this is the pride to which the saints are, perhaps, most prone. But not only are we not to esteem ourselves as better than others: but we are to esteem others as better than ourselves: and we will, if close enough to Christ: and if we see ourselves, the person we know best, in the light of His holiness and love.

The Pharisees, forsooth, were scandalised. The very essence of their religion consisted in external separation from sinners. That was the badge of their piety. Their motto was, “Stand by, for I am holier than thou” (Isa. 65:5); their self-complacent language, “God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men” (Luke 18:11). Subtract these two elements from their profession and you leave nothing but a broad phylactery. There was nothing either divine or rational in their religion.

If we love Him that begat, we shall also love them that are begotten of Him. Impossible to love the Father and hate the brethren. I do not say impossible to be saved; but he who loves not his brother gives no proof that he believes the Father, no proof to the world that he is a disciple of Christ. Where this true love of the brethren is not found, there is frequently Pharisaic pride, more hateful than the common pride of the world. Indulging the thought of one's own greater spirituality and faithfulness leads to the despising of others, and is of the same spirit that made some of old say, "Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou" (Isa. 65). It is but one step more to say — the temple of the Lord are we, and heathen all beside. These high-minded ones, miscalling their spiritual pride by the name of faithfulness, disown all but those who follow them, and, like Jehu of old whose heart was not right with God, say, "Come and see my zeal for Jehovah." Zeal without obedience is Jehu-like (2 Kings 10:31). Insubjection to the word soon takes the form of sneering at those who seek in scripture a reason for what they do; then of denying the all-sufficiency of the word, saying, that scripture does not provide for every case. Nothing can more show where men are fallen. Whatever their pretension, they are off the ground of true testimony, and fail in that test of discipleship which has peculiar reference to the world. They are a false witness as regards what the church of God ought to be.

First of all, before you go into such a company look after your own spiritual condition. Flee from the lusts to which the energy of youth is specially liable. For instance, you may be lifted up with pride even because you have purged yourself from vessels to dishonour. There is the danger of saying, “Stand away. I am holier than thou. Do not defile my garments.” It is the Pharisaic feeling of being superior to others because of being separated from external evil. Such pride is an abomination to the Lord, and a stumbling-block to others.

But Moab, is neither Babylon nor Egypt. We have what Moab suggests in Jeremiah 48:11; “Moab has been at case from his youth, and he has settled on his lees, and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither has he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed.” This is Moab. It is not the Christian turning back to this world’s husks, or joining affinity to a pleasure-loving and lifeless mass of profession, but “at ease” and “settled on his lees.” He is not profiting by the disciplinary dealings of God, so is not “emptied from vessel to vessel.” There is no purging of the branch, for it has, for the time being, become fruitless (John 15). His conscience has ceased to be exercised “his taste remained in him and his scent is not changed.” The old fleshly appetites are still strong within him from being indulged, and his scent, or discernment, has become dulled. It is just a Christian leading perhaps an outwardly respectable life, but out of communion with God. He may even maintain a position of separation, but it is that separation of a Pharisee who says, “Stand by thyself, for I am holier than thou.” Growth in grace has ceased, and for all the use he is, either in the Church or in the world, he might just as well die and go to heaven and be out of the way. I have met them, settled on their lees, like a waterlogged vessel stranded on a mud bank. If they go to meeting at all, it is only on rare occasions when the whim takes them, or their favourite preacher or teacher comes along. They are at ease, alas! in a world where Jesus, God’s untiring Servant said, “My Father works hitherto, and I work.” They will sometimes tell you how once they did work for God, visiting the sick on Sunday afternoons, distributing tracts or teaching in the Sunday-school, but they never saw any fruit, or somebody criticised their methods, or they had got to see things differently, and now suspected the efforts put forth by others as being “fleshly zeal.” They conceitedly compare themselves to Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet, and coldly look upon those who seek to really work for God and souls, as being Marthas who need reproving rather than encouragement. They are very fond of a text (which they little understand) reading, “Their strength is to sit still.”

We shall now proceed to examine the ground of this separation. There is a great difference between being separate on the ground of what we are, and of what God is. The former makes a man a Pharisee; the latter makes him a saint. If I say to a poor fellow sinner, "Stand by thyself, I am holier than thou," I am a detestable Pharisee and a hypocrite; but if God, in His infinite condescension and perfect grace, says to me, "I have brought you into relationship with Myself in the person of My Son Jesus Christ, therefore be holy and separate from all evil; come out from among them and be separate;" I am bound to obey, and my obedience is the practical manifestation of my character as a saint — a character which I have, not because of anything in myself, but simply because God has brought me near to Himself through the precious blood of Christ.

It is well to be clear as to this. Pharisaism and divine sanctification are two very different things: and yet they are often confounded. Those who contend for the maintenance of that place of separation which belongs to the people of God, are constantly accused of setting themselves up above their fellow-men, and of laying claim to a higher degree of personal sanctity than is ordinarily possessed. This accusation arises from not attending to the distinction just referred to. When God calls upon men to be separate, it is on the ground of what He has done for them upon the cross, and where He has set them, in eternal association with Himself, in the person of Christ. But if I separate myself on the ground of what I am in myself, it is the most senseless and vapid assumption, which will sooner or later be made manifest. God commands His people to be holy on the ground of what He is: "Be ye holy, for I am holy." This is evidently a very different thing from "stand by thyself, I am holier than thou." If God brings people into association with himself, He has a right to prescribe what their moral character ought to be, and they are responsible to answer thereto. Thus we see that the most profound humility lies at the bottom of a saint's separation. There is nothing so calculated to put one in the dust as the understanding of the real nature of divine holiness. It is an utterly false humility which springs from looking at ourselves — yea, it is, in reality, based upon pride, which has never yet seen to the bottom of its own perfect worthlessness. Some imagine that they can reach the truest and deepest humility by looking at self, whereas it can only be reached by looking at Christ. "The more thy glories strike mine eye, the humbler I shall be." This is a just sentiment, founded upon divine principle. The soul that loses itself in the blaze of Christ's moral glory, is truly humble, and none other. No doubt, we have a right to be humble when we think of what poor creatures we are; but it only needs a moment's just reflection to see the fallacy of seeking to produce any practical result by looking at self. It is only when we find ourselves in the presence of infinite excellency, that we are really humble.

It is well to see that the personal holiness of God's people — their entire separation from all manner of uncleanness, flows out of their relationship to Him. It is not upon the principle of "stand by thyself, I am holier than thou;" but simply this, "God is holy," and therefore all who are brought into association with Him must be holy, likewise. It is, in every way, worthy of God that His people should be holy. "Thy testimonies are very sure; holiness becomes thy house, O Lord, for ever." What else save holiness could become the house of such an One as Jehovah?" If any one had asked an Israelite, of old, "Why do you shrink so from that reptile which crawls along the path?" He would have replied, "Jehovah is holy; and I belong to Him. He has said "Touch not." So, also, now, if a Christian be asked why he walks apart from the ten thousand things in which the men of this world participate, his answer is simply to be, "My Father is holy." This is the true foundation of personal holiness. The more we contemplate the divine character, and enter into the power of our relationship to God, in Christ, by the energy of the Holy Ghost, the holier we must, of necessity, be. There can be no progress in the condition of holiness into which the believer is introduced; but there is, and ought to be, progress in the apprehension, experience, and practical exhibition of that holiness. These things should never be confounded. All believers are in the same condition of holiness or sanctification; but their practical measure may vary to any conceivable degree. This is easily understood. The condition arises out of our being brought nigh to God, by the blood of the cross; the practical measure will depend upon our keeping nigh, by the power of the Spirit. It is not a man setting up for something superior in himself — for a greater degree of personal sanctity than is ordinarily possessed — for being, in any wise, better than his neighbours. All such pretensions are utterly contemptible, in the judgement of every right-thinking person. But then, if God, in His exceeding grace, stoop down to our low estate, and lift us into the holy elevation of His blessed presence, in association with Christ, has He not a right to prescribe what our character is to be, as thus brought nigh? Who could think of calling in question a truth so obvious. And, further, are we not bound to aim at the maintenance of that character which He prescribes? Are we to be accused of presumption for so doing? Was it presumption in an Israelite to refuse to touch "a creeping?" Nay, it would have been presumption of the most daring and dangerous character to have done so. True, he might not have been able to make an uncircumcised stranger understand or appreciate the reason of his conduct; but this was not his province. Jehovah had said, "Touch not," not because an Israelite was holier in himself than a stranger; but because Jehovah was holy, and Israel belonged to Him. It needed the eye and the heart of a circumcised disciple of the law of God, in order to discern what was clean and what was not. An alien knew no difference. Thus it must ever be. It is only Wisdom's children that can justify her and approve her heavenly ways.

We are not however to expect complete isolation because we cut our links with evil for we are to find happy association with those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart, or, "a purged heart," for it is the same word used again only without the prefix signifying "out." In so doing we are to "flee youthful lusts," that is, be very careful as to purity and holiness of a personal sort, for without that all this care as to purity in one's associations would degenerate into mere hypocrisy. We are also to make the pursuit of "righteousness, faith, love, peace" our great concern. This will preserve us from becoming mere separatists in the spirit of, "stand by, for I am holier than thou!" We shall rather be actively and happily occupied with what is good and of eternal worth.