The truth about self-justification

Don’t we need to defend or explain ourselves from time to time?

When I was in college, it felt as though some of my relationships could be improved. Also, conversations with close family members often didn’t feel as happy or productive as they could be. Thinking it would help, I tried to defend myself by explaining to them how I felt about some personal struggles I faced. In retrospect, I can see that this came across as blaming others. I wasn’t owning up to issues that I could have been praying about but was actually perpetuating the disturbance I felt and negatively affecting those around me. But at the time, I was unaware of this and wondered why I kept hitting a wall in my communications with family and friends. 

One day while I was reading Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the term self-justification hit me like a ton of bricks. The passage implied that this was a sin—an action or thought that would appear to pull us away from God.

I was shocked. Why is self-justification wrong? Don’t we need to defend or explain ourselves from time to time? 

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
My journey to “the promised land”
August 9, 2021
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit