"This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
John 3:2-3
Throughout my journey, I have discovered the Pharisees of my time. I guess I always thought that the Pharisees were men who existed only back in the time of the Bible but I am learning that they walk the earth even today.
Pharisees are those who know all about rules and regulations. They believe that faith is a job. They believe that how you act and what you wear are sure signs of your spiritual maturity. They focus on technique.
A Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus approaches Jesusi n the dark of night because he cannot be seen with Jesus. Nicodemus is curious about the ways of this simple carpenter. He recognizes something within Jesus, a passion that he once knew but has lost. I find the fact that Nicodemus goes to Jesus in the dark of night fitting because I am learning that legalism, the way of the Pharisees, offers no true light.
There are those who believe that grace is a job. It is about works and it has to be earned. Jesus tells us that grace is a gift from the Father. You believe one of two things about salvation: that it is based on the work you perform, meaning our salvation becomes our responsibility; or you accept it as a gift from God. Do you know what that means if you believe that salvation comes from works? It is saying that Christ was beaten and crucified for nothing. That He was tortured and cursed for no reason. It is such dark thinking, but legalism is a dark world.
Those Pharisees of today know how to talk a good talk and walk a great walk. From the outside, they sparkle and shine, but something on the inside is missing. They lack the joy of the Lord because they live in fear. It is the fear that they will never be able to do enough and will continue to make mistakes.
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