The other main reason we strive to justify ourselves despite already being justified is that autonomy is easier to accept than contingency upon God. It’s not easier to live with, but it is easier to accept, because limits feel stifling. They require a denial of the self. Dependence is humbling and it’s just easier to affirm yourself. The problem is if you go down the road of affirming yourself, you don’t get to choose when to stop. You have to go on affirming yourself forever. It’s a hell of a burden. But it’s one we all readily take on and then suffer under.
