Certainly, one of the things I love the most. And what less should. It is debating biblical questions in discussions that will lead nowhere and no growth of my faith.
After the last debate, however, at the moment I was asking God’s forgiveness for not knowing how to keep silent. I felt He speak in my heart the passage of 1 Sm. 17: 7. Where it is said that the Lord does not see as men see. But it does look at the heart.
The word used in the Hebrew manuscript for the term “heart” is “lebab”. That carries different meanings. Among them, the soul, knowledge, reason, moral character, desires, intentions, etc.
Which means that when God says to see the heart of man, it means that He is seeing an infinity of things so that there is a holy approval.
We know we are considered approved before the Father by the blood of Jesus Christ. But this does not detract from our obligation to be in constant internal renewal. Aligned to the standards of holiness of the Kingdom so that we can present ourselves as approved workers (2 Tm. 2:15).
Rom 12: 2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”.
Enough of ceremony!
There are some things that have bothered me so much in Christian circles. Among them, the excess of ceremonies, jargon and “recipes” that have been placed as necessary ways to draw near to God.
I am not saying that traditions are not important. But I wonder all the time about what Jesus would do at such a time in earthly life.
The four gospels cite very clearly the struggles of Jesus with the Pharisees and teachers of the law. These people lived to the letter the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament but they did it only of an external and apparent way. So, on the outside, they were respected by the people for declaring themselves holy through their actions. But inside, in their heart, they did not have their moral character and soul aligned with the sovereign will of God.
In the following verse, we have one of the strongest statements of Jesus warning about the danger of religiosity:
Mt 15: 8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (9) They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’
Unfortunately today, within many churches, there are countless Christians living in the same way as the Pharisees of Jesus’ time. This is unfortunate. They are people who make holiness somewhat selective. They care more about clothing, personal presentation, and about fixing the social morals of others than cleaning up the mess of the place where the Lord has his eyes turned. One does not look at the biblical fact that it is necessary to pull the wooden beams out of one’s eyes before removing the speck from the other’s eye (Mt 7: 3).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it clear that actions are only a reflection of sin that already begins in the heart of man, for example, in the passage he says about adultery:
Mt 5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ (28) But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
It does not seem to make sense that people still live today in a manner similar to the Pharisees when we read the Bible. And really, it does not make sense to live that way, but unfortunately man errs in simple things for lack of knowledge of the Word of God (Mt 22:29).
Live in holiness
To be holy, to be separated from sin and to live in holiness is to keep away from things that go against God’s will. To live in holiness, then, is nothing but separate living for the Lord!
In the Old Testament, there were rules and ceremonies, circumcision. This process involved making a mark on the flesh of men. It showed that the one who was marked was part of God’s chosen people to be holy.
With the sacrifice of Jesus and the abolition of ceremonial laws, circumcision became useless, since the mark that matters to God is done internally.
Rm 2:29 “circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God”.
From the moment a decision is made and within the individual a mark is made through the declaration of the lordship of Jesus Christ in his life. A process of mind renewal begins (Rm 12: 2). That causes a change that begins with the moral character, and passes through reason, passions and motivations. Then this begins to reflect externally. It is at this moment that people begin to see Jesus through their lives. Change happens from the inside out.
May the grace and the perfect mark of our Lord Jesus Christ be in the hearts of all the brethren, amen!
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Marcelo, I must say it makes perfect sense that people live like the Pharisees. We are natural creatures. We are creatures of habit, hence history repeating itself.
When I read the Old Testament/Tanakh I see myself so often in the Israelites, especially when they err and misunderstand. We are no different today. We have always been in need of God’s help. Change cannot come without Him and Jesus is the promise of that change.
Does this mean we walk flawlessly? Everyone sins but the one who walks with Christ repents of it and, with His help, changes and grows. We should be able to look back and see how far and high God has carried and lifted us. We are seen as flawless by God ONLY through Jesus.
By the way, you are a beautiful child of God and clearly seek Him. Be blessed friend 😊💕
I forgot the aspect of Sabbath referring to no work. Jesus paid the price already. He did and does the work. He even mentioned how His Father works on Sabbath and He works with Him. The Jews do not carry things-this is considered work. Jesus carries us so we do not need to carry our worries and troubles. We need only to give them to Him.
Sorry for forgetting this part of the explanation. Be blessed 😊🙏
This is exactly what has been on my heart as of late as I church search the town I have recently moved back to! The church is a rigid pathway to a fluid relationship with Yahweh. Even the mark on the flesh was never meant for all to see. Only the most intimate people knew you had it. This has always been an intimate affair. The white sepulchres of today have changed very little in 2000 years. That’s because they are RIGID.
The word ‘Pharisee’ has taken the meaning of hypocrite because Jesus has dealt mostly with hypocrite Pharisees throughout his ministry. But when we read ‘Pharisee’ in the scriptures we should just let the context reveal if the passage is speaking about a hypocrite or not. For instance, in Luke 18:10-14, Jesus compares a Pharisee who was a hypocrite with a humble repentant sinner. But in John 3 we have Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee, where He told him about needing to be born again. Nicodemus was blind to spiritual things and maybe cautious to some degree to really accept Jesus’ message, but him coming to Jesus to learn from Him shows humility, and I believe he probaby received God’s grace and was saved. A hypocrite can’t make it into God’s kingdom without being changed (e.g. Matthew 23:13). As for Paul, even as an apostle of Jesus he identified with what he had been, “concerning the law, a Pharisee” (Philippians 3:5). His error was not in being part of a group called the Pharisees but in being blind to the truth and being a persecutor of Jesus’ church. He was sincere but sincerely wrong; he was not a hypocrite but ignorant of God’s ways, and God had mercy on him.
1 Timothy 1:12-13
12 And I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service; 13 although I was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Philippians 3:3-6
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh; 4 though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I yet more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.
Here he speaks about his fellow Israelites that would have included the Pharisees certainly:
Romans 10:2-4
2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end* of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
*goal, objective
Lastly, I want to share Jesus’ instruction to his disciples concerning the Pharisees, that reveal that there was indeed much hypocrisy among them:
Matthew 23:1-3
1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 saying, “The Pharisees and scribes sit on Moses’ seat. 3 All which they will say unto you, observe and do; but their works do not do, because they say, and do not do.
They could speak right but their actions didn’t match their teachings.
Well said! 😊
As long as we have clergy members teachers, preachers not willing to submit to Jesus and holy ghost teaching, we will always have these type of ceremonies, I love the statement don’t be a Pharisee!
Let’s look to Jesus for an understanding of the word
As long as we have clergy members teachers, preachers not willing to submit to Jesus and holy ghost teaching, we will always have these type of ceremonies, I love the statement don’t be a Pharisee!
Let’s look to Jesus for an understanding of the word
Why would Isaiah the prophet receive from GOD a vision related to the future while GOD Himself would lately come and change it through His son Yeshua?
God’s grace does not prohibit obedience to his just and saint laws or prescriptions.
Read Isaiah 65 and 66! Shalom Adonai, brothers and sisters.
Jesus brought understanding to the Laws and fulfilled the Laws of which saved us from our due punishment seeing that God is just. This understanding of the Law is seen when He would elaborate on the Laws such as killing or adultery. He showed the deeper meaning within the Laws.
Romans 3:31
31 Do we then nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather we uphold the law.
A person in Christ is drawn to walking in His ways…the law is in their heart. There is also, going from milk to meat, a deeper grasp of what these laws mean (as I mentioned before with Paul, these are shadows of what came, that is Christ)…hence walking in the Spirit and truth. These are the only worshippers acceptable to God.
John 4:24
24 God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.
The prophets speak heavily in the Spirit. It is one way viewed in the natural-literal and another way viewed in the spiritual.
An example of something mentioned in Isaiah 65 and 66:
Pigs do not literally mean the animal, when looking in the Spirit. Think about what a pig is like. It betrays and turns wild if it was at one point a pet-no loyalty. It eats anything…a garbage disposal for the earth. A person who spiritually eats anything will believe anything even if evil is attached. They do not take time to discern and hold onto what is good but discard what is evil, all goes in without partiality. They roll in filth like a person choosing to hide in the darkness living for the moment instead.
There is far too much going on in Isaiah 65 and 66 to discuss here. Just know there are 2 views going on. It has to be this way otherwise any person who does not even believe in God can read His book and have the same understanding.
The Spirit is needed, it is what distinguishes a Christian from a non-Christian.
Be blessed and open to hear what has been said and may you see in this way more and more as you seek to know God through Jesus.
I want to know why do we celebrate Christmas, is the biblical or not
Why has the world adopted Sunday worship instead of Sabbath .
What is really celebrated, easter or Passover or a combination of the two.
Will we stop being subjected to the Roman/papal laws regarding Christian life
Until people can realize the difference between walking in the Spirit and truth and walking in the flesh these sorts of thoughts will prevail.
Try not to look at things in the natural/physical way and you may begin to see a different way of living out Sabbath rest and seeing no danger to ‘holidays’ and days chosen to worship our Lord.
Colossians 2:16-17
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
An example:
In the Spirit viewing Sabbath rest. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus said “Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest”. We rest in Him. You cannot buy- it is a FREE gift given by the grace of God through Christ. You cannot sell it- again it is freely given by God to those who genuinely seek Him. Think of Simon wanting to buy the Holy Spirit so he could ‘sell’ himself by giving others the Holy Spirit. God does not work this way and as Peter said, Simon’s heart was not right with the Lord.
There are deeper spiritual meanings to the ‘shadows’ of previous things. Sabbath is an example of this. Following the initial things just makes one fall into legalism, like the Pharisees.
I hope this helps. I, myself, struggled with these same sorts of questions when I first began truly seeking His Way and Truth.
I hope this helps:
The Truth About Christmas and Easter
https://www.cfcindia.com/article/the-truth-about-christmas-and-easter
Pay attention to the final exhortation. The most important is to identify some principles you can apply in your own walk with God and as you get better clarity on issues like these, be merciful to others as Jesus would. We can’t go wrong by exalting Jesus Christ. But we can grow weary and lose our focus by “fighting the system” instead of just coming out of it as God leads us.
Paul was a Pharisee?
Saul was!
Paul is Saul. Saul is Hebrew and Paul is Greek. His name did not change. It is no different than Jesus and Yeshua.
Paul studied as a Pharisee under Gamaliel but converted to Christ after his experience on the road to Damascus. He was teaching Gentiles more in later years thus being called Paul by the Greeks.
Wow! This is what the Lord reminded me of this morning. A word he spoke to me in 2015. Wow! Thank you for sharing. Where is the generation that can say “imitate me as i imitate Christ”?