Ecclesiastes 7:16

How is it possible to be too righteous?

PROBLEM: Jesus commanded His followers to be “perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). God said, “You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). But, Solomon instructs us not to be “overly righteous” (Ecclesiastes 7:16). How can someone be too righteous? Surely one cannot be too just or too loving?

SOLUTION: A person cannot be too righteous, but he can be overly righteous. The Pharisees were a good case in point. They were so righteous that they were self- righteous. For, “being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, [they] have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).