Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the heart.

Proverbs 21:2 ESV

As this verse states, self-justification comes all too easy. For example, I immediately condemn the driver who cuts me off, but whenever I cut someone off, then it is justified as being either an accident or necessary. We all do similar things to greater or lesser degrees, excusing in ourselves what we decry in others. We are ever eager to judge our ways as being right.

With the takeover of secularism, such statement has largely been institutionalized. Yet the prevailing orthodoxy goes even further. Not merely is self-justification encouraged, but the very concept of what is right has been individualized. We are encouraged to create our own microcosmic morality, to be our own standard of truth, to follow our heart above all else.

But it is God who ultimately weighs the heart. Right, good, and true are not subjective, individual constructs; rather, they flow from the One who is Himself righteousness, goodness, and truth. Whether or not we want to admit it, we will each one day stand before Him as the Judge of all the earth. On that day, all of our attempts at self-justification will melt like wax under the warmth of His glory. With all of our sins exposed and our excuses unraveled, we will only stand if we have received the justification of another, if have been granted the righteous of Christ through faith.