Are you a Pharisee?

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. ~ Matthew 7:1-2


We live in a world that is fallen. All of humanity is fallen. That means that as long as we are in this world, we are going to sin, and we are going to see and experience others sinning. Even the best of the best sin. Romans 7 tells of Paul the apostle's struggle with sin. 2 Samuel 11 tells us of the great sin of David; whom the bible calls a man after God's own heart. So what is our response to sin; specifically other people's sin. The fact is, we already know what our response is to our own sin; it's grace, mercy, and sometimes maybe even justification. But the way that we deal with the sin of others is usually different than our response to our own sin.


Jesus says in Matthew chapter 7 that with the judgement that we pronounce we will be judged, and with the measure we use it will be measured back to us. What Jesus is saying is that the way we respond to the sins of others is the way that God will respond to our sin. We are required by God to treat people the way we want to be treated. A little earlier, in Matthew chapter 6, Jesus communicated the same concept. He said that if we don't forgive the sins of others, God won't forgive our sins. I like this. It seems as though God, in His sovereignty, has given us some control over His response to our sins. If we want grace and mercy and to continue to be loved by God when we sin, then we show grace and mercy and continue to love those whom we see fall into sin.


But for us to do this, we must deny the flesh and rebel against the self righteous spirit of religion that is evident in many of us. It's this spirit of religion that takes pride in OUR moral accomplishments, and OUR self control and the fact that WE would NEVER do something like what that person did. It's this spirit of religion that makes a person pray a prayer like "Lord, I'm so glad I'm not like that person and don't do the things that that person does". It is this attitude that leads to a desire to remove ourselves from "such wretched sinners" and deal with them as some "lower class" type of believer. It is this attitude that results in our spiritual arrogance and elitism. And it is this attitude that Jesus hated and contended with in the Pharisees. This may be US. Let's not read this and think of someone else. Let's examine OURSELVES and see if there be any evidence of this in OUR lives. It is not an uncommon temptation. This is why Jesus warned us to beware the leaven of the Pharisees.


Be careful! It's easy to become religious and self righteous! But Jesus says that we won't see the kingdom of heaven unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees. Jesus calls us to a different kind of righteousness. Not a self wrought righteousness that we feel places us above others and earns us favor with God. That's the righteousness of the Pharisees. Jesus calls us to a higher righteousness; this is a righteousness that is not our own. This is the righteousness of Jesus Christ that is given to us freely by grace when we recognize that we are not righteous. It is given to us by grace when we realize that we are desperately sinful and can do absolutely nothing to earn favor with God. God says,"This is the righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees; the righteousness of my PERFECT and SINLESS Son, whom I have made to BE sin for you so that YOU might be the righteousness of Christ."


So how do you respond to the sins of others? What is the attitude of your heart? What is the tendency in your treatment of that person? Are you a Pharisee? Did you know that God will treat you in that same way? You might say, "Well, I'm a Christian. I'm already forgiven! How can God be unloving, unmerciful and unforgiving to me just because I may be that way to others?" I believe that what Jesus is saying is that if you are unloving, unmerciful, and unforgiving to others, that may be the evidence that you are not a Christian. You are religious. Your righteousness is that of the Pharisees. And Jesus would call you to repent of your pride and your self righteousness and your religion and come to HIM empty handed (a sinner) seeking grace and mercy and forgiveness; not based on your good works and religious deeds, but based on His finished work on the cross for your sins. It is this right understanding of the gospel and biblical perspective of ourselves that produces, not pride, but humility. The type of humility we see evidenced in Paul the Apostle (check his resume in the scriptures) when he acknowledges himself not to be greater than sinners, but rather the chief of all sinners. (1 Timothy1:15). And when we have a right understanding of the gospel, we will be more aware of our own sin and need for mercy and grace, so that when we see the sins of others we will be quick to respond in the same way that we know God will respond to our sin in light of the cross of Jesus Christ!

~ Issac