Paul’s reasons why he might have confidence in the flesh.
• Paul was concerning the law, a Pharisee. This tells us that among an elite people (the Jews), Paul was of an elite sect (the Pharisees), who were noted for their scrupulous devotion to the law of God. “There were not very many Pharisees, never more than six thousand, but they were the spiritual athletes of Judaism. Their very name means The Separated Ones. They had separated themselves off from all common life and from all common tasks in order to make it the one aim of their lives to keep every smallest detail of the Law.” (Barclay) The concern that Pharisees had for keeping the law is reflected in passages like Mat_23:23.
This is why you shouldn't listen to religious man for your understanding. You should just trust Him and let His Word teach you.
To come to the conclusion above you must first reject all the Prophets prophesies about the "Priests". There are dozens as I have posted before, so I'll just show one.
Jer. 5:
30 A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule
by their means; (Not God's) and my people love
to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
From the very beginning of the New Testament it was known to the "Godly Jews" who the Pharisees were regarding their religion..
Matt. 3:
7 But when he saw many of the
Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them,
O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
Quite a contrast between what the Bible actually says, and how Barclay describes them. So who should we listen too, Barclay or the Word's of God?
It is true that "many" who come in His Name, preach that the Pharisees were this obedient faithful "elite" sect of Jews who had devoted themselves to the very detail of the Law, "Letter of the Law".
You preach, as well as many on this forum, that the Pharisees were devoted to God and His Commandments.
But Jesus says;
Matt. 15:
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with
their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Not from God)
It is this religion that Paul, as a Pharisee, was zealous for and he said as much.
Gal. 1:
13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
14 And profited
in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation,
being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
Acts 24:
13 Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.
14 But this I confess unto thee,
that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers,
believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
Rom. 1:
21 Because that, when they knew God,
they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools,
I could go on and on PS. You are trying to paint a picture of the Pharisees which is just not true according to the Bible. Not because it goes against my beliefs, but because it clearly goes against the Bibles description of the Pharisees. These preachers you trust refused to acknowledge any of God's Words regarding the Pharisees. What kind of preacher does this?
