How to be a Pharisee:
1. study the law of Moses and know it inside and out and upside down so that you can use it against people not use it to help them
2. make sure that you enforce that law on everyone around you
3. set yourself up as being superior to everyone else because, after all, you are an authority
Doesn't that sound sad? Unfortunately that is exactly what the Pharisees of the Bible did and that is what modern day 'pharisees' do now. The Pharisees were well learned men. They spent years studying the Word of God but they left out the part of 'grace'. So many people set themselves up at judge and jury over their fellow man.
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
The Word is very clear, in fact these particular words were words that came from Jesus Himself. Check your Bible, they're written in red. Jesus wanted us to know that if we are so concerned with making sure everyone else is living the way they should, then we would forget about searching our own heart. Jesus called people who judge others 'hypocrites'. He had no use for them.
Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Jesus believed in grace. Jesus was grace personified. If we are to live 'Christ-like' lives we must do so with grace towards others. The world and, unfortunately, the church, have too many 'pharisees'. We need to stop judging others and allow the grace of God to cover the situation.
Is there a glaring fault in your brother or sister that bothers you? Pray about it and allow God to do the changing. I have found that He does a much better job of fixing people than I do. I have seen people come to know the Lord as their personal Saviour who still have nasty habits, but I have stood in wonder as the Holy Spirit convicts their heart to give up those things that displease Him. I don't have to do that for God, He can handle it Himself.
So the next time you are tempted to be a 'pharisee' and point out someone's faults or try to correct their faults, please remember to operate in grace like Jesus did. Who knows someone else might be sent along to judge you, just as a reminder of what we can become if we don't strive to be Christ-like.
1. study the law of Moses and know it inside and out and upside down so that you can use it against people not use it to help them
2. make sure that you enforce that law on everyone around you
3. set yourself up as being superior to everyone else because, after all, you are an authority
Doesn't that sound sad? Unfortunately that is exactly what the Pharisees of the Bible did and that is what modern day 'pharisees' do now. The Pharisees were well learned men. They spent years studying the Word of God but they left out the part of 'grace'. So many people set themselves up at judge and jury over their fellow man.
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
The Word is very clear, in fact these particular words were words that came from Jesus Himself. Check your Bible, they're written in red. Jesus wanted us to know that if we are so concerned with making sure everyone else is living the way they should, then we would forget about searching our own heart. Jesus called people who judge others 'hypocrites'. He had no use for them.
Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Jesus believed in grace. Jesus was grace personified. If we are to live 'Christ-like' lives we must do so with grace towards others. The world and, unfortunately, the church, have too many 'pharisees'. We need to stop judging others and allow the grace of God to cover the situation.
Is there a glaring fault in your brother or sister that bothers you? Pray about it and allow God to do the changing. I have found that He does a much better job of fixing people than I do. I have seen people come to know the Lord as their personal Saviour who still have nasty habits, but I have stood in wonder as the Holy Spirit convicts their heart to give up those things that displease Him. I don't have to do that for God, He can handle it Himself.
So the next time you are tempted to be a 'pharisee' and point out someone's faults or try to correct their faults, please remember to operate in grace like Jesus did. Who knows someone else might be sent along to judge you, just as a reminder of what we can become if we don't strive to be Christ-like.
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