Hello Steemians!! Today I want to explore the difference between what true Christianity is vs. what religious Phariseeism is. I consider myself a born again christian, but there was a time in my life when religion and legalism blinded my eyes from the real beauty of what Jesus truly asks of us.
You would think of all people, the religious leaders of the day, some 2000 years ago, would be applauded by Jesus when he came to earth. They lived and breathed religion and the scriptures!! Yet Jesus was the hardest on them. I believe the starkest reason is because they lacked love.
They tried to do everything "by the book," yet in Matthew 23, Jesus says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ...you have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, and mercy and faith." He also said, "You blind guides! You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel." (These were the smallest and the largest of the "unclean" animals) You see, outwardly they were clean, but inside they were ugly. Another rebuke was, "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness!"
These are some pretty harsh words!!! So what was so ugly about them, and how does it translate to modern day? I'll start off by telling you about me, oh some 5 years ago. I wore skirts for modesty, I attended church faithfully, we wanted God to choose our family size, we wanted our children to be obedient little robots, we had no corruptive TV in the living room, I OBSESSED over doing the right things, and I'm not saying doing any of these things in and of itself is bad.
What I'm saying is: did this mean anything to God? Not when the issue is an issue of my heart. My heart and mind were that of a Pharisee.
I'll tell you first hand what a modern day Pharisee is like.
They are hypocrites. They point out the sins and faults of others while ignoring their own. Jesus asks in Matthew 7:3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
They refuse to consort with others who aren't like them, even other Christians! (The Pharisees took issue with Jesus eating with sinners.)
They get offended and angry a lot.
They don't love. What is love? 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
They boast of their own accomplishments and righteousness.
They are led by external dos and do nots, and are not led by the power of the holy spirit. Jesus said in John 3 6-8, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
The religious times of my life were some of the darkest periods of my life, and I'm so glad God has shown me the simplicity of the gospel which is this: We have all sinned, we have all done something wrong and we have all fallen short. (Lied, hated someone, lusted after someone, ect.) Throughout all the old testament, Jews tried to live by the law, but NOBODY can, and animal sacrifices were performed to appease God's judgement on them, as sin brings death. All the time they were waiting for the Messiah to come and save them.
When Jesus, the perfect God-man came, he reached down into our world and turned the value system upside down. The religious leaders of the day rejected and crucified him, and as foretold in the scriptures, he became the "lamb of God."
He was sacrificed to save us ALL from the hellbound ugliness of sin. He died on that cross, but came back to life, he lives yet today in heaven - and his spirit, the holy spirit, enters into your heart if you accept the free gift. It changes everything and you will be transformed! For eternity!! How awesome is that!! I really didn't like wearing skirts all the time anyway! Thanks for reading!!
God bless and much love, snowpea ❤😘🙂🌸
Images from Pixabay and Google images
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