It Is Grace That Justifies

Jun 6 2025 - Eric Buresh

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) 

Two men went up to the temple to pray—but only one went home justified. 

The first was robed in religious garb, adorned with spiritual pride, and convinced of his own righteousness. He prayed—but not to God. He prayed to himself. Listen to his words: “God, I thank You that I am not like other men.” What a strange and subtle blasphemy—to cloak pride in the language of praise. He does not beg for mercy; he boasts of morality. He does not confess sin; he catalogs virtue. His prayer ascends no higher than the ceiling, for it is not the cry of the broken but the applause of the self-satisfied. 

Religion struts into God’s presence as if it belongs there. Beware of thoughts that rehearse your own goodness more than they plead for God’s grace. Pride blinds the soul and deadens the heart. The Pharisee spoke many words but received nothing—for God resists the proud. 

Then comes the tax collector—aware of his guilt, crushed by the weight of sin. He dares not lift his eyes. He beats his breast in grief. He utters no impressive phrases, no lengthy supplication—only seven trembling words: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” That is all. And heaven opens. The Judge declares him righteous. He goes down to his house justified. 

What made the difference? It was not the eloquence of the prayer, but the posture of the heart. The tax collector brought nothing but need—and that is all God requires. He knew his unworthiness. He knew he could not climb the ladder of law or earn the favor of heaven. So he cast himself wholly on the mercy of God. And grace met him there. 

Justification does not belong to the strong, the moral, or the religious—it belongs to the humble. It is not achieved by doing more but received by believing rightly. It is not found in the one who exalts himself, but in the one who bows low. 

So, we must ask ourselves, do we come like the Pharisee, measuring ourselves by others, boasting in our service, impressed with our sacrifice? Or do we come like the tax collector, aware that apart from grace, we have no hope? 

Let us take our place with the penitent! Let us cry with broken hearts, “God, be merciful to me!”—and we shall find that grace and mercy has already been poured out at Calvary, where Christ bore our shame and purchased our justification.