This is the seventh in a series of blogs on The Good News as a part of the Armor of God.
The Good News gives us peace so we can stand our ground firmly (Ephesians 6:15). The Good News is so fantabulous that we should share it with others to give them hope in Jesus Christ. But we must guard against its improper use. It’s intended to be shared to give others hope and should not be used as a club to beat others with when they don’t agree with us.
Consider Jesus Christ and his interaction with religious leaders. In Matthew 3:7 He denounced many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized. In Matthew 15:3-9 He denounced them for replacing God’s commands with their own man-made teachings. In Matthew 16:6-12 He denounced them for false teachings. In Luke 11:39 He denounced them as full of greed and wickedness.
These verses are just a sampling of many verses in the Bible where Jesus confronted the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees during His ministry on the earth. Many who read the Bible today feel contempt for them; how could they be so stubborn and dense? These were religious leaders and they studied the Bible, God’s word! However, they replaced what God intended with their own interpretations and traditions. Over time, they replaced what God told them in His word with their own rules and regulations. And then they forced their rules on the people who trusted them as their spiritual leaders.
But, don’t just focus on the Pharisees and Sadducees in the Bible. Many Christians and church leaders do the same thing today. Pharisees are everywhere! Every congregation of believers has them. Even groups of non-believers have them.
These are the people who formulate their doctrines based upon personal beliefs that they are comfortable with. It is often hard to discern whether someone is a Pharisee or not because much of what they believe is found in the Bible. These people read the Bible and then interpret the Bible to clarify and expand their beliefs about God and how they should live in response to His word. This usually translates into lists of what they can do or can't do, what they think is right or wrong, and what they think is good or bad.
People need to read and study the Bible and then apply what they learn in their own life every day. This is personal application and is a good thing. But they become Pharisees when they canonize their personal beliefs as though they came from God and then insist that others believe and live the same way.
Could it be that rather than loving one another as Christ commanded, we stand behind the comfort of our own beliefs and rules using these as a justification to discredit others because they don't agree with us? Are we just masking our selfishness and hate for these others, because we don't want to be forgiving and flexible? Are we so bold to think that we have all the answers and can actually presume that we know what God wants for these others?
Every snowflake is different. Every individual human, animal, plant, and other living thing on this earth is different. So why would we feel as though every human must think and act as we do? Why would we think that every human must relate to God the way we do? Consider Matthew 5:20-22 and Romans 14:1.
Now that we understand the problem, what should we do about it? The Good News is all about God’s love for us in spite of the fact that we are not worthy to receive it. We receive His love because of His grace, not because of anything we did. Therefore, as Christians we need to love others as God loves us. We need to love others in spite of the Pharisees around us. This means we must learn and obey God’s commands. We must treat others with understanding and grace. And we must recognize congregational and personal traditions and rules and respond to them as Jesus would; shaken not stirred.
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All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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