It
is difficult to write about Pharisees simply because as soon as you
think you're not capable of becoming one, you've probably arrived. Yet,
it's an issue that needs to be addressed. The bottom line is spiritual
pride--carnality. The Pharisees were convinced that they had a market
on the truth, a complete understanding of what God was like. The
problem was, as Jesus explained, their "truth" was man-made, based on the intelligence and prejudices of human beings not based on the revealed truth as found in God's Word.
What were the consequences, the exterior manifestations of such an inward perversion? (And it is a perversion.) They had deliberately formed a long list of "correct spiritual behaviors" by which they could judge and condemn others while elevating themselves. And that's one of the great consequences of becoming Pharisaical: a negativity that consumes the soul, that destroys the spiritual and replaces it with the physical. Pharisees are always judging others, always imagining the worst in others, and taking a kind of unnatural joy in doing so. They enjoy finding anything by which they can destroy the character of others--even if they have to make it up by twisting things to fit their opinions. You know, the old "Jesus was a party animal" accusation. I think that they believe that if they can't deny the message that the next best thing is to destroy the messenger--as if that in any way makes the message untrue.
The most frustrating group of Pharisees, at least in my Pharisaical opinion, are those who look down on and criticize others as being Pharisees simply because "they" don't have the "liberty" that they have. They call those who are, as Paul says, the weaker brother, struggling to grow and understand, Pharisees, when actually they are just still maturing. In addition, all too often, this "group" even calls Christians who have genuine biblical guidelines for their behavior, based on the principles of God's Word, Pharisees. Thus they parade their spiritual "superiority" and become, you guessed it, Pharisees. The greatest tragedy in becoming a Pharisee is the one the "original" Pharisees experienced. Claiming to know exactly what God was like and how He would act, they didn't even recognize Him when He stood right in front of them.
How do we avoid becoming one? And we all, if we're honest, have leanings that way. First, I think you have to be constantly examining your life, your standards, and your choices, to be sure they are not man-made but Scripture ordained. And whenever someone questions those concepts in your life, your response should not be "how dare you question or criticize me;" but instead, we should respond with an honest evaluation of their comments using God's Word as the test. That should be our automatic response. And you will find things that need to be changed. The Lord can even use Pharisees to straighten up some things in your life that need rearranging. In addition, you must always remember that "love covers a multitude of sins." We must not look at the life of others always expecting the worse, always jumping to the wrong conclusions. Genuine love never does that. Instead of condemning, we need to be encouraging, affectionate, compassionate in our dealings with others. Being "right" but expressing that "right" in the wrong way, with an attitude of spiritual superiority, has done more damage to the cause of Christ than I can begin to imagine.
I hope in writing this I haven't become a Pharisee. I hope that God's Spirit will always impress on me how easy it is to become one, to take that step. Nothing is more worldly, more carnal, than spiritual pride. Always be on guard. Always be examining yourself in the light of God's Word. Those who don't will have a difficult time finding God in their lives. They've become one unto themselves.
What were the consequences, the exterior manifestations of such an inward perversion? (And it is a perversion.) They had deliberately formed a long list of "correct spiritual behaviors" by which they could judge and condemn others while elevating themselves. And that's one of the great consequences of becoming Pharisaical: a negativity that consumes the soul, that destroys the spiritual and replaces it with the physical. Pharisees are always judging others, always imagining the worst in others, and taking a kind of unnatural joy in doing so. They enjoy finding anything by which they can destroy the character of others--even if they have to make it up by twisting things to fit their opinions. You know, the old "Jesus was a party animal" accusation. I think that they believe that if they can't deny the message that the next best thing is to destroy the messenger--as if that in any way makes the message untrue.
The most frustrating group of Pharisees, at least in my Pharisaical opinion, are those who look down on and criticize others as being Pharisees simply because "they" don't have the "liberty" that they have. They call those who are, as Paul says, the weaker brother, struggling to grow and understand, Pharisees, when actually they are just still maturing. In addition, all too often, this "group" even calls Christians who have genuine biblical guidelines for their behavior, based on the principles of God's Word, Pharisees. Thus they parade their spiritual "superiority" and become, you guessed it, Pharisees. The greatest tragedy in becoming a Pharisee is the one the "original" Pharisees experienced. Claiming to know exactly what God was like and how He would act, they didn't even recognize Him when He stood right in front of them.
How do we avoid becoming one? And we all, if we're honest, have leanings that way. First, I think you have to be constantly examining your life, your standards, and your choices, to be sure they are not man-made but Scripture ordained. And whenever someone questions those concepts in your life, your response should not be "how dare you question or criticize me;" but instead, we should respond with an honest evaluation of their comments using God's Word as the test. That should be our automatic response. And you will find things that need to be changed. The Lord can even use Pharisees to straighten up some things in your life that need rearranging. In addition, you must always remember that "love covers a multitude of sins." We must not look at the life of others always expecting the worse, always jumping to the wrong conclusions. Genuine love never does that. Instead of condemning, we need to be encouraging, affectionate, compassionate in our dealings with others. Being "right" but expressing that "right" in the wrong way, with an attitude of spiritual superiority, has done more damage to the cause of Christ than I can begin to imagine.
I hope in writing this I haven't become a Pharisee. I hope that God's Spirit will always impress on me how easy it is to become one, to take that step. Nothing is more worldly, more carnal, than spiritual pride. Always be on guard. Always be examining yourself in the light of God's Word. Those who don't will have a difficult time finding God in their lives. They've become one unto themselves.
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