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You still don't get it, do you?
Your first sentence quoted above, means that self-righteous "religious" people are sure they don't need Jesus. That is why He came to call the ones who know they need Him.... sinners.
The second sentence: Yes, speaking truth is the righteous thing to do. But it does not make a person righteous. Remember that we are told in the Bible. "There is no man righteous, no not one."
Your first sentence quoted above, means that self-righteous "religious" people are sure they don't need Jesus. That is why He came to call the ones who know they need Him.... sinners.
The second sentence: Yes, speaking truth is the righteous thing to do. But it does not make a person righteous. Remember that we are told in the Bible. "There is no man righteous, no not one."
Get what?, that if the blood of bulls and goats won't save a man of his sins that the blood of a man will?
11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Matthew 9:13
Repentance: NT:3340 metanoeo (met-an-o-eh'-o); from NT:3326 and NT:3539; to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally, feel compunction):
Since it is written to prove all things, show where it is written other than in Roman's 3:10.
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Rom 3:10
So you going to judge all men based upon your assumption of the truth?
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.Luke 1:5-6
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him. Matt 21:32
The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. Ps 37:32
Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner. Prov 13:6
Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Isa 5:23
11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Matthew 9:13
Repentance: NT:3340 metanoeo (met-an-o-eh'-o); from NT:3326 and NT:3539; to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally, feel compunction):
Since it is written to prove all things, show where it is written other than in Roman's 3:10.
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Rom 3:10
So you going to judge all men based upon your assumption of the truth?
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.Luke 1:5-6
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him. Matt 21:32
The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. Ps 37:32
Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner. Prov 13:6
Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Isa 5:23
In other words, for you anyway, Jesus Christ died for nothing!
And it raises another question - Jesus Christ was not just a man!
He was, and still is, fully God in every sense of the word.
The truth is, His sin sacrifice WAS efficacious - this is what the Gospel is actually about!
And His death, as a sin sacrifice, was efficacious for two reasons:
He was firstly obedient to the law in every sense; and
He was divine.
So, as a consequence His death was vicarious and effective as a sin sacrifice!
But, in your world, so it seems, Jesus Christ was just a good man and teacher swept up in events over which He had no control...
And it raises another question - Jesus Christ was not just a man!
He was, and still is, fully God in every sense of the word.
The truth is, His sin sacrifice WAS efficacious - this is what the Gospel is actually about!
And His death, as a sin sacrifice, was efficacious for two reasons:
He was firstly obedient to the law in every sense; and
He was divine.
So, as a consequence His death was vicarious and effective as a sin sacrifice!
But, in your world, so it seems, Jesus Christ was just a good man and teacher swept up in events over which He had no control...
This is a tricky subject. I remember a certain pastor who divorced and then married a divorced woman then called people who critiqued him for it pharisees.
But the irony of the situation was that it was the Pharisees who were arguing in favor of divorce, while Jesus said the opposite. So it was actually the Pharisees who ignored the commandments of the Lord, not Jesus.
But the irony of the situation was that it was the Pharisees who were arguing in favor of divorce, while Jesus said the opposite. So it was actually the Pharisees who ignored the commandments of the Lord, not Jesus.
The Pharisees of Jesus' day were strict religionists and also believed that they could be saved through law-keeping. But they neglected the weightier matters of the Law -- justice, mercy, and love. Therefore the Lord condemned their hypocrisy. But essentially they did not believe in being saved by grace, but being saved by the works of the Law. Even the ones who were saved could not get rid of the notion that the Law of Moses was still binding on all (Jews or Gentiles) in order to be right with God. As a result Paul was in constant battle with the teachings of the Pharisees within the churches, as evidenced in the epistle to the Galatians.
Applying the term "Pharisee" to Christians who have been saved by grace is neither just nor biblical correct. Many Christians today believe that any Christian who upholds strict moral and behavioral standards is a Pharisee, even though the Bible makes it clear that Christians are indeed to hold themselves to a higher standard, but not judge those who are in the world. At the same time Christians who prefer a lackadaisical Christianity and enjoy keeping one foot in the Church and the other foot in the world condemn their more rigid brethren as "Pharisees". But that is quite inaccurate.
While this OP is condemning Christians who seem to feel that their notions are correct as "Pharisees", the very fact that some Christians call others "Pharisees" is that both sides are judging each other incorrectly and unjustly. No one on a public forum knows the hearts of anyone else. Therefore the best we can do is point out the errors in what they say and their doctrines, and leave the judging to God. Within their own churches and with Christians they know personally, Jesus says "Judge righteously", not "Do not judge at all". How will a Christian brother or sister rebuke another within his own church if he or she fails to judge righteously? And Scripture exhorts us to make such judgments to the point that we have no fellowship with believers who are sinning habitually and refusing to repent.
Applying the term "Pharisee" to Christians who have been saved by grace is neither just nor biblical correct. Many Christians today believe that any Christian who upholds strict moral and behavioral standards is a Pharisee, even though the Bible makes it clear that Christians are indeed to hold themselves to a higher standard, but not judge those who are in the world. At the same time Christians who prefer a lackadaisical Christianity and enjoy keeping one foot in the Church and the other foot in the world condemn their more rigid brethren as "Pharisees". But that is quite inaccurate.
While this OP is condemning Christians who seem to feel that their notions are correct as "Pharisees", the very fact that some Christians call others "Pharisees" is that both sides are judging each other incorrectly and unjustly. No one on a public forum knows the hearts of anyone else. Therefore the best we can do is point out the errors in what they say and their doctrines, and leave the judging to God. Within their own churches and with Christians they know personally, Jesus says "Judge righteously", not "Do not judge at all". How will a Christian brother or sister rebuke another within his own church if he or she fails to judge righteously? And Scripture exhorts us to make such judgments to the point that we have no fellowship with believers who are sinning habitually and refusing to repent.
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Good OP. When we understand that we cannot do anything to deserve the grace of God through Christ Jesus, it makes that grace even more profound. We are nothing. All of us. The only thing we can do that makes a real impact is to glorify His Holy Name.
Paul was a Pharisee and he said "For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." (1 Corinthians 15:9)
He also said to " Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1)
Paul was a Pharisee and he said "For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." (1 Corinthians 15:9)
He also said to " Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1)
Well said...and if you disagree with them - they will call you a heretic and they will "stand against those heresies". That you don't know the scriptures like "I do".
I have read the bible 100 times so my understanding of truth should not be questioned. They try to "lord it over your faith" because they dis-agree with others in a non-essential subject. All it does is expose the bitterness and malice they have for others in the body of Christ.
That is Phariseeism at it's finest.
It's just the flesh acting up and this consistently bad behavior shows that these are spiritual babies just like Peter says in 1 Pet. 2:1-2 and it doesn't matter how long one has been a Christian, pastored a church or went to every bible school and seminary in the world. ( all good things but do not manifest maturity in the Lord )
Here is a typical day in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ - going around destroying the works of the devil and encountering the Pharisee mindset.
Here is a perfect example of religious/Pharisaical ( the word "religious" being used in the negative sense ) people sounding so pious and trying to 'defend their D.I.Y self-righteousness/holiness" and their stand for God and truth in their own minds.
But in effect are grace-haters and grace-fearing too. Jesus encountered it constantly with the self-righteous and He did not have good words to speak to them.
John 9
[SUP]13 [/SUP]They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.
[SUP]14 [/SUP]Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
( I'm pretty sure Jesus does this on purpose to expose the self-righteous mindset as a lot of His healings were done on their Sabbath day )
[SUP]15 [/SUP]So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
[SUP]16 [/SUP]Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” (typical religious attack ..He doesn't keep the Law....like "we" do....He is lawless ) But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.
[SUP]17 [/SUP]So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” ( typical response to grace being displayed ..this man being questioned by the self-righteous with an "agenda" in mind)
[SUP]18 [/SUP]The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight
[SUP]19 [/SUP]and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
[SUP]20 [/SUP]His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
[SUP]
21 [/SUP]But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”
[SUP]
22 [/SUP](His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)
[SUP]23 [/SUP]Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
[SUP]24 [/SUP]So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” ( typical religious sounding words to try to show they care about God's "glory" )[SUP]
25 [/SUP]He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” (typical response from a person that now "sees" the grace and love of Christ in them )
[SUP]26 [/SUP]They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
[SUP]27 [/SUP]He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” ( how many times do grace believers in Christ's work keep saying the same things over and over again? )[SUP]2
8 [/SUP]And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. (typical D.I.Y self-righteousness/holiness/Pharisaical types response by saying they are "for God".)
[SUP]29 [/SUP]We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” ( typical Pharisaical D.I.Y righteousness/holiness types response ..we believe "God's word".... it sounds so good...)
[SUP]30 [/SUP]The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.
[SUP]
31 [/SUP]We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.
[SUP]
32 [/SUP]Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.
[SUP]
33 [/SUP]If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
[SUP]
34 [/SUP]They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. ( again typical D.I.Y holiness types response by attacking his character because he doesn't believe what they believe about Jesus )
[SUP]35 [/SUP]Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
[SUP]36 [/SUP]He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
[SUP]37 [/SUP]Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”
[SUP]
38 [/SUP]He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. ( this is the response of us to the grace of the gospel of Christ and seeing the great love of our Lord and worshipping Him only )
[SUP]39 [/SUP]Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
[SUP]
40 [/SUP]Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”
[SUP]41 [/SUP]Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains .
Here is a perfect example of religious/Pharisaical ( the word "religious" being used in the negative sense ) people sounding so pious and trying to 'defend their D.I.Y self-righteousness/holiness" and their stand for God and truth in their own minds.
But in effect are grace-haters and grace-fearing too. Jesus encountered it constantly with the self-righteous and He did not have good words to speak to them.
John 9
[SUP]13 [/SUP]They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.
[SUP]14 [/SUP]Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
( I'm pretty sure Jesus does this on purpose to expose the self-righteous mindset as a lot of His healings were done on their Sabbath day )
[SUP]15 [/SUP]So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
[SUP]16 [/SUP]Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” (typical religious attack ..He doesn't keep the Law....like "we" do....He is lawless ) But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.
[SUP]17 [/SUP]So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” ( typical response to grace being displayed ..this man being questioned by the self-righteous with an "agenda" in mind)
[SUP]18 [/SUP]The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight
[SUP]19 [/SUP]and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
[SUP]20 [/SUP]His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
[SUP]
21 [/SUP]But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”
[SUP]
22 [/SUP](His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)
[SUP]23 [/SUP]Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
[SUP]24 [/SUP]So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” ( typical religious sounding words to try to show they care about God's "glory" )[SUP]
25 [/SUP]He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” (typical response from a person that now "sees" the grace and love of Christ in them )
[SUP]26 [/SUP]They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
[SUP]27 [/SUP]He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” ( how many times do grace believers in Christ's work keep saying the same things over and over again? )[SUP]2
8 [/SUP]And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. (typical D.I.Y self-righteousness/holiness/Pharisaical types response by saying they are "for God".)
[SUP]29 [/SUP]We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” ( typical Pharisaical D.I.Y righteousness/holiness types response ..we believe "God's word".... it sounds so good...)
[SUP]30 [/SUP]The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.
[SUP]
31 [/SUP]We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.
[SUP]
32 [/SUP]Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.
[SUP]
33 [/SUP]If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
[SUP]
34 [/SUP]They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. ( again typical D.I.Y holiness types response by attacking his character because he doesn't believe what they believe about Jesus )
[SUP]35 [/SUP]Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
[SUP]36 [/SUP]He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
[SUP]37 [/SUP]Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”
[SUP]
38 [/SUP]He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. ( this is the response of us to the grace of the gospel of Christ and seeing the great love of our Lord and worshipping Him only )
[SUP]39 [/SUP]Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
[SUP]
40 [/SUP]Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”
[SUP]41 [/SUP]Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains .
