Different but Not Better

Being in the Church doesn’t make you better than those outside the Church. You are different, but not better.

Recently, I remembered a recurring thought I had when I was a teenager. 

I thought I was better than those outside the Church. I thought I was more righteous than other young people.

However, I now realize it was (and still is) a major mistake to have that thought.

Fellow young people, we should be wary of these kinds of thoughts. In this blog post, I want to encourage us to view ourselves in a way that aligns more closely with Scripture—to see ourselves as different, but not better.

Esteem others better than ourselves

In the first place, thinking of ourselves as better than others contradicts God’s command to esteem others better than ourselves. Philippians 2:3 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” 

Consider this scripture in the Amplified Version: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves.” 

This scripture applies both to how we view our brethren in the Church and to how we view those outside the Church.

We have to be wary of our human tendency to think or feel that we are better than others. Thinking you are morally better than others is a form of self-righteousness, which the Bible condemns.  

The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14) is a warning for us not to trust in ourselves that we are righteous, and despise others. In the parable, the Pharisee believed that his actions had earned him God’s approval, while the tax collector humbly realized that there was nothing about him that would make God approve of him. 

Like the tax collector, we should humble ourselves and not think highly of ourselves.

Why are we not better?

Let’s consider three biblical reasons why we shouldn’t think of ourselves as better than others. 

First, we have 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 to answer this question. “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.” 

These verses show us that God did not call certain people because He considered them better or superior to others. It’s actually the opposite. We can see here that we are actually foolish, weak, base and despised by the world’s standards. This isn’t said to demean God’s people but to remind us not to think too highly of ourselves. We are deceived if we think of ourselves as superior to others just because we’re called now. 

Second, we shouldn’t think highly of ourselves because the Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Having an understanding of God’s laws and obeying them doesn’t make you better than those outside the Church. We still regularly sin and need to seek God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9). 

The third reason we should never think of ourselves as better or trust in our own righteousness is because the Bible actually compares our human attempts at righteousness to filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). 

No purely human effort to do good works will ever be acceptable to God. 

Comparing ourselves to one another is much easier than acknowledging that we fall short of God’s standards. On our own, we’ll never measure up to God’s standards. 

God’s righteousness

An antidote to self-righteousness is God’s righteousness. Keeping His laws through our human efforts will never produce the kind of righteousness that is acceptable to God.

Only God can give this kind of righteousness. It’s a gift from Him. Only when we have this kind of righteousness are we acceptable to God. 

Ephesians 2 says God loves us and is working with us so that “in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (verses 4, 7-9). 

Grace is the unmerited, freely given favor and love of God. When we repent and commit our lives to Him, God gives us His righteousness through His grace. We don’t deserve His forgiveness and help to live righteously, but He still gives these gifts. 

How can we receive this kind of righteousness? Acts 2:38 answers this. Jesus Christ has already paid the death penalty for anyone who believes in His name and His sacrifice and repents and commits to changing his or her life. 

However, even though no amount of human effort will make us righteous, God still commands us to obey His commandments and vigorously and humbly pursue righteousness (Romans 6:1-3; 1 Timothy 6:11). 

For more insight into pursuing righteousness, read “How to Be Righteous.” 

How are you different and blessed?

Let’s consider a few ways we are blessed to be different.

First, being part of God’s Church makes us different. The Church stands out from all other groups because it bases its beliefs on the Bible and strives to live by those teachings. The Church is composed of the few whom God has called and who remain committed to obeying His Word.  

The Church of God is often compared to a mother, who nurtures and protects her children. Similarly, God, through His Church, nurtures and protects us. We are spiritually nourished within the Church through the messages we hear and the materials we study. As Christ said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

Second, we are blessed and set apart because we have been freed from spiritual blindness. While many remain in a state of spiritual darkness, God has given us spiritual sight to understand His Word (2 Corinthians 4:4). This understanding is a blessing to cherish, not a reason to feel prideful or superior. As Christ said in Luke 11:28, we are blessed when we both understand and keep His Word.

Third, we are blessed and different because God’s Holy Spirit is with us. It is important to note the distinction between the Spirit being “with” us and the Spirit being “in” us (John 14:17). The Holy Spirit dwells “in” people only after they repent, are baptized and have hands laid on them. However, for those of us who are young people in the Church, the Holy Spirit is “with” us even before baptism, and it can have a huge impact on our lives.

What should we do then? 

Being in the Church and being able to understand God’s words and obey His commandments are privileges we didn’t earn. They are gifts from God. They should lead us to be thankful to God and shouldn’t make us feel we’re superior to others. 

They should humble us. 

As young people, we can know God is calling us when we understand what we are reading in the Bible and are motivated to act on it. 

As you reach maturity, it becomes time to follow what Acts 2:38 says: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

As young people in the Church, it’s essential that we stay humble. This is true for all people of all ages in the Church. To think we are better or more righteous than others is something we should avoid. 

We are different, but not better.

Mark Gideon Agayo attends the Baguio City, Philippines, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.

Photo credit: iStock.com/PonyWang