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 ❤😘🙂🌸
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Amen to your post! After growing up in Worldwide Church of God (Armstrongism) and not being able to celebrate Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, and then being compelled to follow the Old Testament Jewish laws, I can tell you...
Christ was diminished and law keeping was magnified.
We left that church eventually, and I was glad to be free from the religiosity. I ended up getting into some trouble as a teenager, and compounded my sins.
It wasn't until I was set free by reading John 17, and the simple truth "Father I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they might see My glory..." that everything changed.
I realized I was going to heaven not based on my works or merit, but COMPLETELY on that of Jesus Christ. Amazingly, sinful habits began to fall off like broken chains, empowered by grace.
I still struggle with seeing God for who He is--loving (though certainly a righteous judge) but am continually encouraged by a plethora of promises by both the new and the old testament. Be blessed, Snowpea and have a wonderful 2018!
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ohmygoodness....you basically wrote my story. i was wwcog-armstrong. ping ponged and have settled in the love that comes from the law...not the law exclusively. Praise YHWH and be blessed brother.
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I think one thing overlooked by conforming to legalism is that it's more about one's self than Jesus Christ(and His finished work); that, in itself, would break the first commandment.
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Very insightful and so true. Phariseeism/ legalism is about how much you can and should do for God. Faith says It's what Jesus has done and what he is doing in me.
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Absolutely! I completely agree with you, my friend! Our Lord Jesus came to set us free, not to put us in a bondage of man's traditions. Bravo!
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Amen!! So true @cheneats! Thanks for your support! :)
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It's my pleasure. :-)
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This is very similar to what I have been experiencing within the Christian community. I don't find much outside of "you're a sinner and there's nothing you can do about it," which doesn't exactly help anyone come to tangible conclusions about life -- especially during times of suffering. As Paul says in Romans 7: 7-8:
7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.
And 15-18:
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
And 21-24:
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
We are sinners, we do sin, and we always fall short of God's perfection. There are no exceptions, including (especially) not ourselves. The realization and acceptance of this makes us deserving of death in the eyes of God if indeed the 10 commandments are God's law.
As Paul says: we are slave to sin, therefore abiding by the rules of the law is impossible. This does not mean the law is bad. It means the only way we can truly follow the law appropriately is to submit ourselves to Jesus, for that is the only way we can abide by the law from a perspective of love rather than self-flagellant authority.
Insofar as we are slaves to sin we must, as Christians, become slaves to Christ in order to successfully contend with our sinful nature. To become a slave to Christ is to abide by the law out of our love for Him. Without Christ it is a war we cannot win, with Christ it is a war we cannot lose. A war indeed, for following Christ is certainly not an easy journey.
This is a principle of love. Love is typically not flashy and a lot of times is not very pleasant. Too often we have a false depiction of love being this Hollywood fantasy-land that's full of dopamine and miracles. It's typically full of self-sacrifice and involves the acceptance and endurance of some kind of pain, yet it is overflowing with purpose. I believe the purpose that emerges from love is what allows us to transcend the hardship that usually comes with it.
Thank you for your post! Following you -- I hope to entertain fruitful and healthy conversation in the future.
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@lamninator, you are completely right about how when one is suffering, the last thing he needs is condemnation - and it's so prevalent in some circles.
When you wrote about the law, I thought of a question, and forgive me if this is offensive. Do you believe the point of the gospel is to focus on following the law? Like out of love for Jesus we will follow the law? Paul points out that the purpose of the law is to be our schoolmaster that leads us to the true knowledge of Christ, insomuch as it's a measuring stick showing us that we don't measure up and it reveals our sinful nature. Yes, it is perfect and good, but the works of the law are dead works without the spirit and it's fruit: Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control (and against such there is no law). Through this fruit the law becomes part of our fiber and transcends it at the same time by causing it to be obsolete to those who walk in the spirit.
Thank you for reading my article and for your thought provoking comment. I'm following you now too! :)
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I would even go so far as to say that we aren't even required to follow the 10 commandments. We have a new law that has been introduced by a new covenant and a new priesthood. (Hebrews chapters 7-9). That law is the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2), also known as the Law of the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2), also known as love. Because loving your fellow Christian is loving God and love does no harm to it's neighbor, therefor love is the fulfillment of the law. See Romans 13:10, 1 John 2:7, 3:23, 4:21.
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I do not believe that is the point of the gospel, and I agree with you there wholeheartedly. Funny enough as it is, abiding by God's law is something that seems to come about naturally should we choose to follow Jesus in our hearts -- a byproduct.
I suppose the point I was trying to make was: the legalistic approach generally turns into a form of self-tyranny...which in my eyes doesn't work too well. Anyway! Looking forward to reading your future stuff!
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Oh dear @snowpea,
I feel for you. I, too, was once a legalistic to a similar extent to which you had mentioned. At the same time, I was what I euphemistically label a K-Love Christian the manner of which is ruled by emotionalism and an empty sentimentality with a deep down hatred for the actual gospel of Christ albeit unawares to my person. I look back at my "Christianity" and cringe in horror. The LORD brought me to the point where I had counted all things as loss for he excellency of Christ not unlike the Apostle Paul along the road to Damascus.
Before that time, I was subconsciously a God hater because I had inadvertently conditioned salvation on what I have done. The work in my mind. The "if" you speak of is precisely what I am talking about. Concerning work that was done that is specific since being borne in His body on the Cross, there is no if. There is only a "when" for the elect of God.
God had appointed a time for which I was caused to repent of my dead works righteousness. I know the implications of what I am telling you may be disconcerting. There are only two options a person will respond to this peculiar message. They will either hate it or rejoice. There can be no ambivalence or spectrum. Either they realize that Christ's death actually paid for their sins en Toto (past, present and future) at Calvary or they do not. That's the way it is.
You refer to the Holy Spirit. It is by this Spirit that the truth of the gospel is ascertained and believed upon like it is your only hope. All ducks go into one basket. It is not like cryptocurrency. You can't hedge your bets with works and I am sure you are aware of this.
What I think may not have occurred to you is that thing I referred, the making a choice aka decisional regeneration is indeed a work. The only work that God will accept is the one that He himself performs and it is as follows.
John 6:28-29 KJV
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? [29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
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@anthonyadavisii, what a lovely comment!! This is a lot to unpack! I've never heard of k-love, can you further describe what it is? It sounds very charismatic.
What you said was not disconcerting at all. I'm just wondering, do you believe in Calvanism? (You probably already know what it is, but if you don't know what they believe, they teach strongly on the doctrine of election. Some hardcore Calvanists cannot defend any idea of freewill.)
Are you continuing to wrestle a little bit with yourself since your departure from legalism, or am I way off? Anyway, sorry for so many questions haha! Thank you for your response. :)
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I use the label to describe my walk when I was an gospel unbeliever in the Jesus fan club. The problem is there a lot of Christian entertainment that is heavy on the emotions but often shallow or outright false concerning doctrine. So, yeah, I was caught up in that mess for a few years at least. I'm not saying all mainstream Christian entertainment is unbiblical and lacking fundamentals but would conjecture that a most of it is.
Yes, I was what you would call a 5 point Calvinist. For those that do not know, the 5 points are represented by an acrostic known as TULIP and will state them for background.
T is total depravity or alternatively total inability. This states that man, in his default state, is spiritually dead and unable to come to Christ of his own volition but requires a supernatural work of God on their heart (heart of stone > heart of flesh) in order to even be able to trust in the gospel that is in Christ ALONE for their salvation.
U is for Unconditional Election. This means that God chooses persons not based on any merit of their own or fulfilling any type of condition. No, salvation is a free gift that cannot be earned.
L is for Limited Atonement. This represents the idea that Christ's death is limited in scope to only those that He has chosen before time. I think many opt to rephrase this one particular redemption because they don't like the connotations of "limited". The idea is Christ died for certain people paying for their sins in entirety. It was not a potential atonement but an actual atonement. Let's just say the transactions where committed to the blockchain and they are indeed immutable. Christ will not lose one of those the Father has given Him.
I is irresistible grace also known as effectual calling. Put it simply. If you are one of God's elect and your day has come to be brought unto belief, you will most assuredly be brought to that belief. It cannot be resisted and, no, there won't be kicking or screaming. We will be made to understand and rest in the truth.
P is perseverance of the saints. This one pretty much ties into what I said about God not losing any of the Elect. God cannot fail; therefore, each and every one of His elect that believe will likewise be caused to endure. A true believer cannot apostatize. It is impossible.
Ok, now that THAT's out of the way. Notice that I said that I WAS a Calvinist and there is a reason for this. As a "K-Love" Christian, I was on one extreme end of the spectrum with high emotions but shallow doctrine. Once I was introduced to reformed theology, I became almost obsessed with doctrine in an intellectual sense. I probably had a working definition of the gospel at this point but I did not trust in it fully. I had my works in my back pocket but I would have been hard pressed to admit it. I think most people banking on their works to any degree probably were in the same boat. The problem is you can know the propositions that make up the gospel while at the same time not believing in them fully. I'd imagine the walks of these kind of accompanied with a lot of metaphorically self-flagellation or guilt from not keeping up their quota of obedience points. It's sad really. When we are granted faith, we are supposed to walk by it. If we believe the gospel, we know that God is pleased with us on the merit of Christ's death no matter what we do. Shall we sin that grace may abound? God forbid. We know that while all things are lawful, not all are profitable. Also, we know that the law is fulfilled in love.
Therefore, my rule of life is love and trying to do that which is profitable for the body of Christ only by His grace that I do. Most Calvinists are so close to an actual biblical faith but close will never be enough. It's Christ death either paid for your sins or they did not. Just like horseshoes and hand grenades. Almost doesn't cut it.
If you would like to know more as to why I do not consider myself a Calvinist, I have an article written by a brother of mine that more or less encapsulates the argument. Here is the link
https://theneongaslamp.wordpress.com/2017/12/15/why-the-label-calvinism-is-no-longer-tenable-or-why-i-can-no-longer-accept-the-label-calvinist/
Thanks for the reply @snowpea and sorry it took so long to get back to you! Happy New Years!
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k-LOVE is a syndicated Christian radio station.
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Oh, I see. Thanks for resteeming @bluerthangreen!!
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where did u go? got another post?
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I disappear from time to time. It's a bad habit, I know. Honestly I'm sad to say I have writer's block. Any ideas? Lol ;)
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Well said. I too don't like wearing skirts all the time. :) Upvoted and Resteemed. More people need to hear this life saving message. I speak not only to those who haven't met Jesus yet, but also to all those who claim that they have yet refuse to grow in grace and love by the power of His Spirit.
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Oops, I just saw this comment!! I'm glad you don't like wearing skirts all the time haha! :) So glad you appreciated the article and resteemed it! God bless you and your family!!
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@snowpea I grew up in the church like you, though not nearly as strict I don't think. I grew up in the Assemblies of God and later went to non-denominational charismatic churches, holy rollers and speaking in tongues and all that. I am now in my mid 30's and have not been to a church or identified as a Christian for almost 3 years. May I ask you a few questions about your current beliefs and what the Bible says?
For the record I still whole-heartedly trust the whole Bible, (and some biblically endorsed extra-biblical texts too, like the book of Jasher) I do not necessarily trust most of the modern interpretations of the Bible, especially concerning what Paul said. I love Paul, i don't love what some think he says or how they elevate his words above the Messiah's.
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Thank you for your comment! When you say you don't identify as a Christian but believe the Bible, what do you mean? Sure you can absolutely ask me some questions. :)
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I mean the term Christian and all that is implied with it does not properly define and portray who I am as a child of God.
So before I get in to the meat of what I want to discuss with I would like to establish a foundation to make sure we both are on the same page. Do you believe as I do that
John 10:30 NKJV
Malachi 3:6 NKJV and here Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17 KJV
Do you agree with those 5 statements @snowpea?
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I do!
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Ok. My first question, what is sin? How does the Bible define sin?
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I feel like the people who give me the ‘oh, you’re a Christian’ eye roll when it comes up in conversation must be measuring me against some other Christian they’ve had experiences with. Maybe a Christian who could be compared to a Pharisee. (I like the context you framed all this in by they way.)
I can almost understand where they’re coming from though. I’ve been more harshly judged by Christians than by any other group of people. And I’m one of them!!
I wish I could climb up on some mountain top from which everyone in the world could hear me scream, “Christianity is about LOVE!!!” If all Christians could get past incorrect teaching or inherited beliefs or whatever has them focused on the superficial, religious stuff, and just come from a place of love and develop a heart for all people, it seems to me that Christians wouldn’t be looked at with such contempt by non-Christians. Maybe more people would become interested in becoming a Christian. Wouldn’t most people be drawn to someone who was all about love and people, no matter what label they fell under?
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Christ Has been made unto us WISDOM! So Much Wisdom in your words... thank you for sharing
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Well said. The gospel is simple and beautiful, but people keep trying to add to it. Its all about love. Thanks for sharing!
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Which is why I say I'm not a Christian , I am a follower of Christ ! I try to live by the admonition "the kingdom of God is within you" Luke 17:21 among many others. I seek truth where ever it is found.
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It's funny you mention this, @blaynesukut - my Pastor, only just yesterday, mentioned that he no longer asks people if they are Christian - he asks them if they are followers of Christ.
He qualified it by saying that you only need to go into Hollywood and every second person will say they identify as a Christian, but then pretty much everything they do and all the causes they support contradict this statement.
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It's not just Hollywood its many in the churches and even pastors who would consider themselves the staunchest of Christians or even followers of Christ IMO. Many are also waking up too...
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Wow. This was a fantastic read. I must say, I am not a Christian....in fact it's the very things you have talked about that pushed me away. Having been raised in a strict 'christian' household I saw plenty of judgement and intolerance. We never socialised outside the church, never reached out into our community at large and anyone who didn't conform or agree with their interpretation of scripture was deemed to be 'going straight to hell'.
When Jesus said 'by their works ye shall know them' I would wonder, even as a child, if this would have been what He wanted. Today I see so much judgement, anger and hatred in Christianity. Self righteous condemnation of all that they perceive as sin, that leaves me thinking that they're more like the Pharisees of old than the followers Christ called to go out into the world.
I must admit to having my perceptions of the church coloured by my encounters with bigotry, fanaticism and intolerance.
To read your post, was like a breath of fresh air shining a light into the darkness. If all Christians, thought as you, I'm sure the pews would be full and the churches overfilled with souls drawn to the light of the true teachings of Christ.
Thank you. Food for thought.
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@looksfarwoman, thank you for your kind words!! I'm so glad that even though you don't identify as a Christian, you were open to reading my article and considering it food for thought.
Your childhood description reminds me of what my children would have likely endured if I continued on in my legalism. Jesus did say "by their works, ye shall know them." If you read the full context, he was teaching on how to snake out a false teacher. Remember also that he said, "They shall know you are my disciples by your love for one another." <3 Once again, thank you so much for your encouragement!! :)
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You are welcome. I really appreciated your article and hope to read more in the future.
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@snowpea is absolutely right about on one point: the Pharisees were HYPOCRITES. They were pretending as if they were blameless in the law (the standard for righteousness), but were lawless, setting aside the commands of God (breaking the law) to obey their traditions instead.
The Pharisees have let go of the commands of God. But what are the commands of God? The Law of Moses? Personal revelation?
Why would Jesus tell us to obey the Pharisees, but not do what they do? Because they taught the Law, expected everyone else to keep the Law, but did not keep the Law themselves. The sin of the Pharisee is hypocrisy, not legalism. They claim to be blameless in the law of Moses, while inwardly they were wicked and lawless. They were a bunch of illegalists.
@ironshield
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I think @snowpea was right about her whole post, not just one point. In context, Jesus was speaking to his disciples before his death and resurrection. Jesus told his disciples to obey the Pharisees because they were still under the Law, and therefor required to submit to the leaders of their day. We today, as followers of Jesus, having been born again by His Spirit, are no longer under the law. That point is abundantly clear throughout the whole NT. Just do a word search on "under the Law" and you will see what I mean. To quote Jesus out of the context of the cross is not rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
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Beautiful! Jesus came to do His Father's work... not man made traditions which the Pharisees and Sadducees were performing. They both added to the law of God with their own traditions. Jesus came to show us exactly how to live and love... God came down in flesh form and dwelled among us. Such love!
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Interesting thing about Jesus and the Pharisees, Jesus healed, fed and ministered to people for three years no problem. He cleared the temple of Pharisees (bankers) and was on a cross by that week-end. Kinda shows where the real problem is IMO. Thanks for the post.
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You bring up a good point. I'll have to disagree with you about Jesus performing his ministry without any trouble though. His 3 year ministry wasn't without persecution. Before the temple incident, the Pharisees were going to stone him twice when he claimed to be God. They also constantly followed him around, questioning him, trying to trap him in his words in some way. That said, they did care an awful lot about their money. Maybe that was the straw that broke the camel's back for them...thanks for the comment.
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I agree things were coming to a head. Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I followed you. Hope to chat again.
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@originalworks
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The @OriginalWorks bot has determined this post by @snowpea to be original material and upvoted it!
To call @OriginalWorks, simply reply to any post with @originalworks or !originalworks in your message!
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Thanks for sharing💛
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Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by snowpea from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews/crimsonclad, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
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Thanks for sharing this timely reminder.God Bless.
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Legalistic Christianity is an ugly thing.
I follow you!
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Hello @snowpea)))
This is really such a great post. Yes, the Pharisees, although keepers of the Law (Written Torah), completely missed God's heart because of all of their additional legalistic instructions (Oral Torah). As Mark 7:6-7 says:
"He answered and said to them, 'Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (NKJV)
And that was the deal...their extra teachings, the Oral Torah, with all of the additional rituals, traditions, regulations, and prohibitions, did several things. It obscured the simple beauty and heart of God's Way. It made keeping the Law perfectly impossible by any mortal. And it made the keeping of the Law (Both Oral and Written) something of a status symbol, a thing of pride and ego, and something focused on what man could do versus what God has already done. All ego, and no heart.
God's Way as given to Moses and lived perfectly by Jesus, was always meant to be simple yet distinct. "For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?'
Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?
But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it." (Deu 30:11-14 NKJV).
And then in Matthew 12:29-30:
"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (NKJV)
Simplicity. Heart. Obedience. Love. Follow His Way, not our own, and definitely not the world's. His Way is very straightforward, and since we are not of the Levitical priesthood, there really isn't too much for us to do....except Love God, obey Him out of loving obedience (not for salvation), and love one another. Yeah, there are some other things....keep His Sabbaths holy, keep His feasts, avoid incorporating pagan traditions into the faith, etc. But comparatively speaking, His Way is very straightforward and simple....as He intended it to be.
That way we could focus on being in loving relationship with Him.
Thanks for such a great post, @snowpea! The modern church really needs to take a look at itself and realize a lot of Phariseeism has crept into the faith.
Shalom,
Todd
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