In our own eyes

“For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.” Psalm 36:2
It’s a risky thing to flatter ourselves. Usually this happens when we look around us at other people, and say to ourselves, ‘Well, I’m not as bad as that person.’ It’s easy to slip into the world’s way of thinking: that if our good deeds outweigh our bad, God will smile upon the good things we have done, ignore the bad, and welcome us with open arms into heaven. But to have such an attitude, especially if a person dosen’t know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, is a dangerous thing that could see them ending up in hell.
Paul tells the Corinthians, “When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise” (2 Cor. 10:12). The standard that we have to measure up to is not to be in credit on the good vs. bad deeds count, or to be above average in comparison to other people. The standard God has set is absolute perfection. None of us can claim that. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
Jeremiah tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Deep down, we all think that we are good people. But the reality is that deep down, we are all sinners. We are self-deceived, if we think that we are inherently good and can get to heaven on our own merit. We need the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what is really going on in our heart, so that we can see our sin for what it is, then repent of it and be restored to a right relationship with God.