THE CARNAL vs. THE SPIRITUAL NATURE OF THE PHARISEE
THE PHARISEES LIVE ONLY TO ATTACK OTHERS THEY DEEM A THREAT TO THEM AND THEIR GROUP
The spirit of the Pharisees is a spirit of contention. And though the Bible teaches that we should earnestly contend for the faith, we find no where in the Scriptures that we are supposed to be contending just for the fun of contending. Nor do we find that our contending should be in the flesh. Neither are we to contend with others just to exalt ourselves. Biblical contention is to contend for doctrine not to contend just to exalt a man who calls himself a doctor. In other words, it's to defend God's truth rather than man's truth. And in scriptures, we find that there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. The scriptures tell us to "speak the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15) and in a "kind and tenderhearted" manner (Eph. 4:32). Why is this? It because we are supposed to exercise "brotherly love" and perfer others in "honor" (Rom. 12:10) as we "esteem others" better than ourselves" (Phil. 2:3). Yet, this is exactly what the Pharisees will not do. It's because they think only of themselves and because they are so self-righteous, they believe they are right and everyone else is wrong. It's because of this, they love to argue, ridicule, and belittle others. It makes them feel good about themselves. They love to put others down because it lifts them up. Because they are in the flesh, they want so badly to appeal to the flesh of others and in the flesh make their enemies appear to be inferior to them. This is why they toil endlessly in trying to discredit others. They want people to only follow them. They want to be viewed as the authority and anyone who doesn't exalt them and their group must be eradicated.
In Jesus' day we read time and again that the Pharisees came to Jesus over and over with the intention of trying to tempt him. They further tried to provoke a rise out of him, hoping he too would sink to their level so he would attack them in return. They further sought to push him so hard that it would get him to say something they could use against him. This way they could attack him even the more and claim his word and doctrine was heresy. They wanted so badly to use his own words against him to try to sway the people in thier favor.
Now apply this to the modern day Pharisees. You know anyone like this? I do. Pulpits are filled with men who claim to be Pastors of flocks and Ministers who rather than exhort others spend their days attacking, oftentimes resorting to the childish practice of name-calling towards their enemies in an attempt to mock them and make them look stupid. But where are the fruits of the Spirit in this? They aren't there. That's a FLESHLY practice that is a true sign of a Pharisee.
In the Bible we are instructed how to deal with others. And if someone be overtaken in a "fault" or in "false doctrine" we are not supposed to cuss at them and call them names. Rather, we are to encourage such people to do right, and "restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1).
Pharisees never do this. They don't consider themselves or do they have the spirit of meekness. Theirs is a critical spirit in which they look at themselves and their group as right and everyone else is wrong. And, rather than take the scriptures to show unto others the truth, they only appeal to the flesh in giving into their basest desires in attacking those with whom they don't agree. Where is the Spirit of Christ in this?
THE PHARISEES FIND STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
An interesting thing about the Pharisees is they are almost always found together. They like to be in a group. Not only do they live of the flesh and by the flesh, but they enjoy the company of other flesh. They are men worshippers. They worship themselves, and they worship men within their ranks whom they themselves deem worthy of special estimation. And because there is so much man worshipping man, man becomes the measure of all things. And the group quickly becomes a movement that devotes its time to exalting those within its group rather than exalting God.
Oh, they might say they are of God, but when you actually examine the group, you find that they follow each other more often than following God. They even stick up for one another and even cover one another's sins. Just look at the story of Jesus in John chapter 8. Some Pharisees came to Jesus with some stones in their hands and brought a woman taken in adultery (always thinking about killing, they were). They wanted to kill that woman, but Jesus wrote something on the ground that made them run off with their tails between their legs. What did he write? We might never know, but some theorize he simply wrote the verse which they tried to quote in allowing them to stone an adulterer. If that be the case, the verse says that both the MAN and the WOMAN under the law were to be stoned. Where was the man who committed adultery with that woman? Was it one of the Pharisees? We might never know. But Jesus' written note to them was so strong it convicted their hearts and made them drop their rocks and walk away. Some think it was because THEY were the adulterers. Who knows. But at any rate, they were protecting the man who adulterated by not bringing him as well. Pharisees will always do this. They will always protect their own. They have a mentality of "us first!" Their fellowship and society is not unlike Satan's many different "secret societies" in which men enter and defend their group no matter the cost. Yet they don't realize their membership cost them their soul.
We find that Pharisees often will never go against the status quo of their own camp. That is, they have a collectivism mentality. They do what's best for the group, and anything that isn't good for the group must be forbidden. This leads to much intimidation within their ranks, in which people who join them often find themselves in bondage to their system. They must conform or die. Or at least face ridicule for not following everyone else's way of doing things.
This leads to a very damnable society, one in which it makes it very hard to leave. Especially, if the whole becomes corrupt. For the more corrupt it becomes, the more devious its followers will be and the more malicious they will behave themselves towards those who of their own accord desire to leave their ranks in order to follow the truth, rather than corruption.
A good example of this is Nicodemus. The Bible tells us in John chapter 3 that he went by night all by himself to speak with Jesus. Why did he do this? I'm sure he feared ridicule by his peers for speaking with someone that they all viewed as the enemy. So in order to speak with Jesus, he went alone, in a time when he hoped no one would see him.
Notice how Phariseeism leads to fear. And as the Bible says, "The fear of man bringeth a snare" (Prov. 29:25).
The spirit of the Pharisee, then, is the spirit of "Convert to us and our group or die!" And this is ultimately what all Pharisees and their Phariseeical groups become--religious systems in which people must obey the laws of the group upon threat of ridicule, excommunication, and even death. See the Catholic Church and the Spanish Inquisition, the Masonic Lodge, The Illuminati, etc.
Sadly, modern day Christianity has become very Phariseeical and we are seeing the same spirit of those Pharisees of old running rampant today in modern Christian circles, denominations, and Churches. Even in my denomination, Independent Baptist, do we find this spirit of the Pharisees. And many of my peers are in a sad type of spiritual bondage in which they are afraid to come out and face the truth. For even questioning some of the things they have been taught could lead to loss of friends, support, fellowship, etc. Further, it could open one's self up to attack from others who portray this spirit of the Pharisees. For this reason they stay quiet and don't want to look at the corruption within their ranks.
As for me, I don't want anything to do with Pharisees. As I read the Bible, I'm faced with the same theme over and over again. It goes like this. A man starts out with God, but then he gets some followers. Eventually, they build a movement, but then it becomes a huge mass which eventually apostasies and falls headlong into corruption. God then sends a man to preach against it, and he then gets some followers and starts a movement that eventually apostasizes the bigger it gets and it becomes a corrupt Phariseeical organization, so then God has to send another man to come along and preach against that and the whole cycle begins anew.
But one thing I've noticed. God can do so much with just one man who's completly sold out to him, while a huge group who has the spirit of the Pharisee, although they might appear in the eyes of others to be doing a mighty work for God, is really not doing much but building a movement which eventually and consistently turns against God.
That's why it appears to me that the best thing to do in order to not have the spirit of a Pharisee is to separate yourself from men and their Phariseeical groups and just walk in the Spirit of God, serving him of a pure heart.
Are their Pharisees alive and well today? YOU BET YOUR LIFE THERE ARE! And they are everywhere! But at least now you know how to spot them. They are easy to find. For they are the ones who continually brag about themselves and what they do, exalting and magnifying men and their group rather than Jesus. They are continually in the flesh, and it shows as they have no charity whatsoever, and are quick to get offended. They also love to attack others and in the flesh ridicule and mock them, even calling them dirty and hateful names. And finally, they are those who faced with the truth would rather KILL you then hear what you have to say.
What's needed is someone to preach against them, their sin(s), and their apostate practices. Who is that man? In the Old Testament, it was many different prophets. What did they get for their service to God in preaching against corruption? Stoned, ridiculed, mocked, imprisioned, and even killed. But then Jesus showed up. What did he do? He preached against the Pharisees. What did they do? They crucified him!
So we see that it's not easy to go against the Pharisees and corruption. Yet, if you truly love God, then shouldn't you choose the Spirit of Christ rather than the spirit of the Pharisee?
Dear Bro. Breaker, From time to time I will read your blog. As I read between the lines, it seems to me you are a very unhappy person. We all get mistreated in life. Sometimes it is simply our perception that we have been treated unjustly. Nontheless, the result is much like what your blog displays. Whether you are bitter or not, your writings seem strongly to indicate you are. If I can help you in any way, feel free to contact me. Pastor James Pitts
ReplyDeleteBrother, I thank you for this blog. I just left a church where I noticed these things going on. I confronted the pastor and his wife about it, and the next day his sermon was about me and the decision I made to leave the church. They continue to say that they are the only ones with the truth, and they quarantine themselves from others who don't believe as they do. Thank you for the confirmation the Spirit gave me about this.
ReplyDeleteMay God bless you!!