glory thief

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

John 5:44

Jesus spoke these words to His opposition, the Jewish religious leaders who by this point in John’s gospel had clearly heard Jesus claim to be God. Jesus challenged their pious attempts at self-saving religion. He pointed out their selfish motivations. He told them that seeking approval from one another led them away from true faith and drove them far from God. They were glory thieves… stealing the worship and adoration that was God’s alone and partying in it among themselves.

And Jesus went on to say that their trust in the Law of Moses was self-condemning. Moses, on whom they had set their hope (John 5:45) would himself accuse them before the Father. They missed how the Law pointed to the Messiah, who stood right before them calling them to repent and believe.

Self righteousness makes glory thieves of all those who smugly fall for the lie that we can be good enough by our own efforts. I know I have struggled with it. In a way, it is easy to be a judgmental rule-keeper. Evangelical Christianity marries it with cultural responses to create systems where we get in our religious elitist groups, and even do battle with one another showing how sinful other groups of Christians are… while we are the only ones right! Yes it is easy to be deceived as a rule-keeper. 

It has happened to me. I’ve done it before. I’ve struggled with being proud, boastful, and tended to look down on others who weren’t climbing the same theological and Christian rule-keeping ladder as I was. I enjoyed getting attention. I patted myself on the back for my achievements and for being right. And all the while those things and actions became my false god. Such glory thievery is ultimately unfulfilling and unsuccessful. My ladder led up the wrong way. My proud heart had been deceived. Selfish piety had broken me and let me down. Only by repenting and acknowledging that Jesus alone is my only hope and glory can I truly seek God’s welcome into His Kingdom. If it isn’t Jesus alone doing all for me and in me, then I am just a wrong-headed glory thief.