Matthew 6:1-4 says not to “practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.” Matthew 23:5 condemns the Pharisees: “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long.” Matthew 5:16 and other verses such as 1 Peter 2:12 however say to let your works be seen by others to maybe convert them. Which is it? The answer is within the verses themself: works that are meant to be seen by others to make you look good (Matt. 6:1) aren’t real works, but ones that are really because of your obedience to God are good to be seen by others to glorify God not you. This is why Matt. 6:1 says, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.” The warning is for the motivation, not the result of being seen. There is always a clear difference between doing things just for publicity, however minor it may be, and things that are done for the good they are meant to do. And this is the difference between the Pharisees in Matthew 23:5 and the people who are exhorted to practice good in front of people so that they may bring them to Christ (1 Peter 2:12, Matt. 5:16).
1 Pet 2:12 – Are we to show our good works in front of others or not?
