I’m Better than you Syndrome

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at the following passage of scripture.

James 2:10-13

¹⁰ For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

¹¹ For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

¹² So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

¹³ For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

Before we start today, I want to make sure that you understand why the Old Testament law was set forth by God. It was there so that the whole world would become guilty before Him.

Rom 3:19 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

John 7:19 “Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?”

The law was there for a season to convict people of their sinfulness. It was there to show each of us that we can’t get to heaven without God’s help. We all need forgiveness with him.

You know, many people today have the ” I’m better than you syndrome.” That’s what I like to refer to it as.

In the eyes of God, we’re all equal. We are all equally sinful. Each of us are in desperate need of his forgiveness and mercy.

The problem with this syndrome is that people will justify or minimize their own sinfulness while looking at others and embellishing and inflating the problems of others in order to make them feel like they are not so bad of a person.

The Apostle Paul refered to himself as a wretched man. The people involved with this syndrome will not accept this truth but will quickly point the finger at other people to get the monkey of sin off of their back.

You may have stole the lunch money at school when you were a kid and then did nothing else the rest of your life, but if you don’t come to Christ and get forgiven for that sin you will end up in hell with everybody else who is impenitent. There will be people who are cast off into hell someday who we’re very important people in this world.

The life that we spend here on the earth is not about being better than others, it’s about helping others. It doesn’t matter if you’ve sinned one time, or 1000 times, we’re all equal in the eyes of God, because it only takes one sin, to keep you out of heaven. The disciples were trying to help the people of the church out of their sinful condition which is God’s calling for each of us.

The “I’m better than you syndrome”produces an elevation in your own heart and mind. It happens because perhaps you haven’t sinned as many times as others.

Christianity has nothing to do with being better than others. It has to do with being forgiven with God for your sins. If you are incapable of forgiving others you’re going to end up being unforgiven by God.

Each of us make mistakes along the way but we have Grace available through Christ and God wants us to be forgiving with each other. Remember, if you have committed just one sin, you’re guilty of all. Just take a look at one sin committed in the Garden of Eden. Because of just one sin they were cast out of paradise.

I’m better than you syndrome produces an elevation in your own heart and mind that just because you haven’t sinned so many times, you are better than others. It causes your heart to rise up with pride.

It only takes one sin to be guilty of everything. If you’ve committed one sin, you’re just as guilty as everybody else. This is a hard concept for some people to accept but it’s true. Because the punishment is equal for one or a thousand sins that makes everybody who sins equal in the eyes of God. That really makes you think, doesn’t it? It’s the great leveling. We truly are all equal, equally sinners in God’s sight.

One equality that we share in this world is that we are all sinners, there is nobody that is better than anybody else. You may have judgmental feelings towards somebody else, because they committed some wrong to you, but remember, we have all wronged God. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This is why each of us need to show mercy to others otherwise God will show none to you.

It’s easy to sit in judgment over other people for the purpose of looking down on them. Judgment in the church is not meant to look down on other people, but rather it is meant to help the offending party. You can have numerous gifts and abilities in the church, but if you lack love and compassion for others, you’re missing the whole point.

Many years ago, I heard a saying that when you sit and point your finger at somebody else, there’s three fingers pointing right back at you. Judge not lest ye be judged.

Matt 7:1-5

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

² For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

³ And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

⁴ Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

⁵ Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Many people like to stand in judgment over others not to help them to become a better person but because they want to be in control or an authority over them. If you are in a place of authority and incapable of helping your neighbor out of the dirt to become a better person where’s the love of God in your heart? If you’re incapable of helping a neighbor who is suffering where’s the love of God in your heart?

I’m better than you syndrome focuses on the misdeeds of others rather than yourself. What you do is point the finger at everybody else rather than taking a look at your own sinfulness in your own heart. The law was there to show us that each of us are sinners and because nobody kept the law we want to be forgiving with each other. Whether somebody is a judge or a king, a prince or president, nobody is immune to the fact that each of us are sinners who need forgiveness with Christ in order to inherit eternal life. As God forgives us daily, we want to be forgiving with each other.

Christianity is about taking a look inside of your own heart instead of just standing in judgment over other people. The Old Testament law was there to teach us that we are all sinners. If you have sinned one time you’re equal to those who have sinned a thousand times.

Regardless of what people think, the church is a place that is filled with sinners. Each of us have certain weaknesses there we are trying to overcome. One person may have committed bank fraud while another person committed adultery. One person is a habitual liar while another may have committed fornication. Whatever the sin may be ,each of us are equal in the eyes of God.

When we become a Christian, each of us can get forgiven for our sins, through the blood of Christ. The Lord Jesus gives us an opportunity to change and turn from our sinful condition.

In the church we cannot look at another person and point the finger at them and say I’m better than the person across the aisle. We can never point the finger at others to say I’m better than them because I never commit fornication or adultery or I never stole from anybody else. The reason why is because we’re all forgiven sinners.

Matt 9:10-13

¹⁰ And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

¹² But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

¹³ But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Think about our perfect Lord Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven above. He came down from the most perfect wonderful place, to be to this sinful world and walked amongst us. Jesus didn’t condemn this world to death.

If we truly have the mind of Christ, we want to save other people from their sinful condition. We want to help other people to get past their problems. We don’t want to be a stumbling block to others, but lift them up when they fall. Many people suffer from the I’m better than you syndrome today. They really feel like they are better than others, while the truth is, they’re not.

In this age of God’s mercy and grace, God extends His forgiveness freely to the entire world, as an opportunity for people to be in heaven with him, but we have to call upon his name.

The New Testament law is the law of liberty. True freedom is freedom and forgiveness from your sins. That’s why instead of having the I’m better than you syndrome, we have to realize that we’re no better than anybody else. We need to show each other mercy. We need to show each other compassion because He will have judgment without mercy that have showed no mercy.

We’re supposed to have judgments in the church. But these

judgments are meant to help people become better. They’re meant to help the people to grow. God offers us forgiveness and grace. If you can’t offer that to others, God is going to show you no forgiveness. That is too scary for me to contemplate.

Mercy is one of the greatest things that you could ever have from God. It covers a multitude of sins and washes and cleanses our minds of our faults and our mistakes.

Jesus forgives us of our sins, and he expects us to be forgiving with each other. We’re all the same in the eyes of God, a wretched world of loss, sinners who all are in need of God’s help. Each of us need to take a look into our hearts.

Christianity is to confess our faults to Him and come boldly to the throne of grace of His grace in time of need. He forgives us freely and forgets our past. When you get forgiven what does it cause you to do? It causes you to rejoice and call upon his name.

I’ve always thought that forgiveness can change our hearts. Without forgiveness, it’s just judgment. So let us not judge one another anymore, but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block in his neighbor’s way.

Help one another to become better. Lift a brother up when they fall down. Restore others in the spirit of meekness because the truth is we’re all the same, a bunch of sinners who are on the need Gods forgiveness.

So think about those things for today and Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye Bye, everybody.♥️

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