The deceit of self-flattery⤒🔗

The historic occasion of Psalm 36 is unknown to us. This simple, beautiful psalm extols the Lord, and contrasts the righteous and the wicked: obedience to the Lord is to be pursued; rebellion against Him is to be condemned.

In the opening verse of this precious psalm David defines wickedness as the fruit of practical atheism. The wicked dare to persevere in wickedness because there is no fear of God before their eyes. "Unholiness" is always the fruit of "un-god-liness." Where a child­like fear of God is absent, saving grace is lacking.

In the second verse, David explains why the wicked have no proper idea of God nor respect for Him. Whereas the God-fearing see and grieve over sin, the wicked are blind to and excuse their sins.

The wicked man, David asserts, escapes reality especially by means of self-flattery: "For he flattereth himself in his own eyes." The wicked gives himself the respect that is due to God. He sees all of life in his own eyes rather than through God's eyes – that is, God's Word and will.

The wicked man commends himself to himself. Since God is in none of his thoughts, he assumes to himself a god­like role; he thinks high thoughts of himself. He seeks to live out Satan's promise in Paradise, "Ye shall be as gods."

He who makes little of God will make much of himself. He who refuses to bow in adoration before God will bow in adulation of himself.

The wicked man forgets that God sees the heart. He pretends that God will wink at sin. He has no awareness of the holy and majestic character of God.

The wicked man "flattereth himself in his own eyes" (Ps. 36:2a). The word translated flattereth is derived from a Hebrew word which means "to smooth." It is used both as an adjective and a verb in Scripture. As an adjective, it is used of Jacob's smooth skin (Gen. 27:11) and of David's smooth stones with which he killed Goliath (1 Sam. 17:40). As a verb, it usually refers to smooth speech (Ps. 55:21), a smooth, seductive woman (Prov. 2:16; 7:5), or the process of smoothing metal (Is. 41:7).

Thus, the picture painted by David is powerful: The wicked man glosses over his wickedness. He paves a smooth way to self-destruction. He walks a smooth road straight into hell. He deceives himself. He is destitute of a sense of his own sins. He overrates himself. He polishes himself with a smooth gloss.

Calvin rightly states of the wicked: "They lull their conscience into a state of insensibility, lest it should pain them and urge them to repentance." Another forebear writes: "The descent to eternal ruin is easy enough, without making a glissade of it, as self-flatterers do." To glissade means "to slide in a stand­ing or squatting position down a snow-covered slope without the aid of skis."

Does not this describe all of us by nature? As reckless youth may dangerously slide rapidly down a steep hill of hard-packed snow without the aid of sleds or skis, so we by nature dangerously slide straight down toward hell of our own accord without opposing our own destruction.

By nature we think to escape the sure judgments of God through a diversity of means. We put far away the evil day. We are described plainly in Deu­teronomy 29:19, "And it come to pass, when he (that is, the one who turns his heart away from God, verse 18) heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart." We are prone to say "peace, peace" to ourselves when we are not at peace with God.

If we were not deceiving ourselves by self-flattery, few of us would live so contentedly unconverted as we do. Self-flattery enables us to live on carelessly. Through one means or another, we flatter ourselves that we will not ultimately end in hell, notwithstanding our dangerous unconverted state and condition.

The variety of self-flattery←⤒🔗

All roads to hell are really one in es­sence. They are all part of that broad road of numerous lanes which leads to destruction (Mt. 7:13). Thus, as self-flatterers there are many glissades or lanes which we can use to slide or travel straight into hell. In these articles I will limit myself to mentioning only five or six of these glissades which are common among us. As we enumerate these, please remember that Satan is content if we hide behind only one of the following methods of self-flattery, for each of these will lead us like a glissade unto condemnation.

Outward morality←↰⤒🔗

The first method of self-flattery is to make a glissade of outward morality. This self-flatterer speaks like this: "I lead a decent life. I go to church whenever there are services. I read the Scriptures daily with my family. We pray together. I read our church periodicals. I listen to sermon tapes. I follow and agree with all the church's teachings. I indulge in no known sinful vice. I don't smoke or drink. I don't use bad language or work on Sunday. I'm content to just be with my family and to walk out­wardly in the ways of the Lord. I pray daily for conversion and that I won't deceive myself like so many who can believe so easily. So I just hope for the best for eternity. What more can a person do?"

My dear friend, though your outwardly moral life is commendable as far as it goes, there is nothing saving in it. To rely on outward morality for eternity is to lean on a righteousness that does not exceed the righteous­ness of the Pharisees, of whom Jesus said, "They trusted in themselves that they were righteous … Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Lk. 18:9; Mt. 5:20). No case means no case. Leaning upon outward morality for eternity is to build on a slippery glissade which will only prove to be a smooth road to hell in the end.

Religious self-righteousness←↰⤒🔗

Secondly, some self-flatterers lean upon the righteousness of their spiritual impressions, convictions, and fears for eternity. They speak like this: "Though I can't say with freedom that I am con­verted, I have had and continue to have many impressions. I live with an open conscience; often I have had solemn fears of death and hell. Sermons sometimes move me to tears. On occasion, the Lord in His providence has answered my prayer. From time to time, certain texts are fastened upon my conscience with profound conviction. I am busy with the means of grace. I try hard to fear God and to walk in His ways. I am concerned about my soul and its state for eternity. I feel that I desire to be converted, and hence I hope for the best."

Dear reader, common convictions, historical and temporary faith, slavish fears, and providential occurrences cannot save you. You can experience all this and more, and end in hell. All that rests short of Jesus Christ and Him crucified as the only Savior, rests short of God's only foundation for salvation (Acts 4:12). If you have never become a lost sinner before the holy God, you have never stood in dire need of Christ. And if Christ, the Rock of ages, has never become precious to you, how dare you build your hopes for eternity on the sands of your fluctuating feelings (Mt. 7:24-27)?

Moreover, if you have never been stripped of all your self-righteousness – also your religious self-righteousness – you have no experience of leading a beggar's life in the way of sanctification. You are a stranger of that spiritual poverty, mourning, meekness, and hungering after righteousness which Jesus sets forth as indispensable marks of spiritual life. You are blind to the reality of Revelation 3:17b, "thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."

We can neither build our conversion out of a lack of conversion on the one hand nor out of our striving for it on the other hand. Some poor souls flatter themselves that when they have nothing, they have something. My friend, if we have nothing, we have nothing. Others flatter themselves that if they do much, they have something. Oh, how hard it is to learn that all that we produce must come to nothing as far as our eternal state is concerned – yes, less than nothing, for we must learn experientially that all that is of us is stained with iniquity! The best of our best righteousness is as filthy, stenching rags before God (Is. 64:6).

We must learn that we are enemies of free grace. The Holy Spirit alone can make us sufficiently poor so that we can no longer flatter ourselves; He alone can draw us to Golgotha as empty-handed beggars.

If we lack an experiential knowledge of misery, deliverance, and gratitude, we may claim little or much, but we will end, if God prevent not, as the foolish virgins who lacked the oil of the Spirit and His saving work in their vessels. All our religious self-righteousness will only serve as a glissade whereby we flatter ourselves into hell.

Providential circumstances←↰⤒🔗

Thirdly, numerous self-flatterers rely on a great variety of providential circumstances. Some build upon being members of a conservative-experiential-Reformed church and look down upon their neighbor who can believe so lightly and easily, forgetting that both he and his neighbor will end in the same place unless regenerated by the Spirit of God.

Others rely on God-fearing parents who have often wrestled for their souls, acting as the Pharisees who confessed, "We be Abraham's seed; Abraham is our father" (Jn. 8:39). These forget that Jacob could not live out of his father Isaac's conversion nor out of his grandfather Abraham's remarkable experiences, but had to wrestle with God for himself: "I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me" (Gen. 32:26).

Others build their hopes on God's goodness to them in their business. Still others think that it is a good sign that they have not been prosperous or that the Lord has sent many afflictions their way. One man on family visitation once said to me, "I don't know what it is, but I just have a feeling the Lord will convert me before I die. Why else would He have afflicted me so much?"

All of these forms of reasoning and feelings are most dangerous for our souls. Concerning prosperity, Jesus said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (Mt. 20:24). And of adversity we must confess that if God does not sanctify it, we are not saved but only hardened beneath it.

Providence may subject us to many afflictions or it may grant many advantageous opportunities. In either case, however, if we are not brought to repentance, we will go lost (Rom 2:4).

All leaning upon providence rather than on Christ's atoning blood will flatter us into hell.

Dear friend, do you realize how dangerous self-flattery is for our souls? Is it possible that you too may be flattering yourself in your own eyes? 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9).

Good intentions←↰⤒🔗

Fourthly, many rely on good intentions. They rest their hopes for eternity, like Felix, on a future "convenient season" (Acts 24:25). They say with Augustine, "Convert me, Lord, but not yet." Some day they hope to reform their lives, to ear­nestly seek after God, and to join the church. They aim for fu­ture faith and repentance.

"The road to hell," Martin Luther wrote, "is paved with good intentions." And Jonathan Edwards added: "Hell is full of good intenders." Future faith is simply today's unbelief. Future faith is a self-flattering glissade that slopes straight into hell.

Excuses←↰⤒🔗

Finally, self-flattering excuses are endless in their variety:

1. Some hide behind their inability contrary to Ezekiel 33:10-11, acting as if their inability is someone else's fault and guilt.
2. Some hide behind God's sovereignty and secret will, contrary to Deuteronomy 29:29. They abuse the precious doctrines of grace.
3. Some simply minimize their sins. They compare themselves to others, and tragically conclude that a holy sin-avenging God will take scant notice of their iniquities. They confess with the wicked, "The Lord shall not see: neither shall the God of Jacob regard it" (Ps. 94:7).
4. Others deny reality. They flatter themselves by acting as if there were no God, no judgment, no eternity.
5. Still others simply deny plain reasoning. They know that they are in a Christ-less condition. They know too that Scripture says, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36). Nevertheless, they persevere in sin, flattering themselves that somehow they will arrive in heaven – but how they know not.
6. Finally, there are those who turn a blind eye to life's brevity. They lean on false conceptions of human longevity. They place death a long way off, and persuade themselves that they will be converted in the intervening years. "Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names" (Ps. 49:11). They forget that they have no assurance of living until old age, as well as that few are converted in their senior years.

The punishment of self-flattery←⤒🔗

The self-flatterer thinks that God will not discover, hate, and punish his iniquity. Nor does he himself hate sin. He does not see guilt in what he is doing nor in who and what he is. He is blind to the real nature of sin. He suppresses all fear of God so that he may indulge in his lusts with minimal pangs of conscience.

But the day is coming, says our text, when his iniquity will "be found to be hateful." This can have three meanings: others can find it out and consider it hateful; he himself can experience that its consequences are hateful; God can manifest His hatred to it in this life and/or in life to come. In any case, the self-flatterer shall experience that his sin shall "at last bite like a serpent, and sting like an adder" (Prov. 23:32).

"Until his iniquity be found to be hateful." What a blessing if this "until" is experienced penitently in this life! Oh, when God convicts a sinner savingly, he shall discover that iniquity is "found out" not only by his own conscience, but especially by the thrice-holy Jehovah. Then he confesses with Judah, "What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants" (Gen. 44:16).

When God discovers both our actual and original iniquity, we experience that sin is exceedingly sinful and hateful. Like Joseph and Daniel, we are brought to a point where we would rather die than sin. And yet we find nothing but sin within. The best of our best becomes as filthy rags (Is. 64:6). The need for a justice-satisfying Mediator and Savior becomes both an urgent necessity and a holy impossibility. How real these words of Jonathan Edwards then become:

There are but two states in that other world – a state of eternal happiness, and a state of eternal misery, and there is but one way of escaping the misery and obtaining the blessedness of eternity – which is by obtaining an interest in Christ, through faith in Him; and this life is the only opportunity of obtaining an interest in Christ.

Yet how tragically few are brought experientially to this confession! How few are truly cut off before the bar of God's holy justice and learn to sign their own death-sentence that God is righteous and just to cast them away forever! How few learn to cry, "Give me Jesus, else I die."

A recent survey taken in America about future punishment revealed that less than four per cent of Americans feel there is a possibility that they might end in hell. Must we not then fear that the vast majority of the masses are flattering themselves straight into hell? Few conclude they are hell-bound, yet Scripture says that few shall escape it and enter into heaven. "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Mat. 7:13-14).

The day of judgment will be the greatest day of excommunication the church has ever witnessed. In that day, millions shall first discover their iniquity to be hateful. Shall you and I be among them?

Oh, dear friends, we cannot ask God too often to make us honest with ourselves that we may not by self-flattery fall into the condemnation of the wicked. If the righteous shall scarcely be saved (1 Pet. 4:18), ought we not cry continually with David, "Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit" (Psa. 28:1)?

Iniquity will definitely be found out in the life to come. On the day of judgment, four "books" will be publicly opened for the self-flatterer: the book of remembrance, containing all God's providential invitations and admonitions (Mal. 3:16); the book of the law, "As many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law" (Rom. 2:12); the book of the gospel, "In that day God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel" (Rom. 2:16); and the book of conscience, which will not provide one answer upon a thousand questions (Job 9:3) – yes, which will be more poignant than a thousand witnesses.

Oh, in that day sin will be found to be hateful indeed – but then it will be forever too late for the self-flatterer! Heaven shall resound, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Mat. 25:41). Every word of that judgment shall pierce the soul of the self-flatterer, but the day of repentance will have passed him by. The market of free grace will have been shut down.

This solemn judgment will be final. There will be no bail.

No reduction of sentence. No parole. No escape. No intermission. No end.

In that day, the self-flatterer will be undeceived. Then conscience will be convinced. Sin will appear in its true colors. The ungodly will become a terror to themselves. Then the cup of trembling will be put into their hands and they will be made to drink the dregs of it. Then iniquity will be found to be hateful. Self-flattery will prove to be our unspeakable folly. It will be an aggravation of our condemnation. It will be hell within hell.

Hell means to be without God forever, to be forever under His unmitigated wrath. Hell is a continual dying, yet never being fully dead. In hell, there is no more common grace. Hell is unceasing pain, agony, torture. In hell, all of our sins will torment us all the time. Hell knows no relief. The damned will be unable to comfort one another, due to the internal pain felt in each conscience. Hell is the place of absolute loneliness. Hell will feel like eternal solitary confinement.

The wages of self-flattery are hell. Oh, dear reader, do not allow Satan to allure you down the slippery slope of self-flattery into hell! Redeem the time God has given you. Do not delay like Felix. Pray for grace to crucify self-flattery and self-deceit. Rest assured that if the damned in hell could speak with you, they would tell you that the same self-flatteries you possess brought them to eternal condemnation as well. Before it is forever too late, seek grace to flee to God's only refuge, Jesus Christ, in whom God's blessed people are safe in the "book of the Lamb" and the "book of life." Let nothing encourage you to go on in sin.

Rather, pray for grace to seek and love God in Christ with heart, soul, mind, and strength. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). Make haste for your life's sake.