Proud self-justification

People don't like to think of themselves as bad people. We don't want to think of our hearts as evil. So we don't take responsibility for our sin. We may admit we need change, but we don't want to admit that we are the problem. And so we have a number of avoidance strategies. Self-reliance says: "I'll do OK by myself". Self-justification says:"I'm doing OK by myself." Making that claim involves excusing, minimizing or hiding sin.
Tim Chester