Scripture
The Pharisee stood and was praying these things to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
~Luke 18:11, LSB
Quote
Those who do not think about their own sins make up for it by thinking incessantly about the sins of others.
~C.S. Lewis
The devil is a master when it comes to creating confusion. The great majority of Americans believe the way to heaven is morality. They have confused Christianity with morality. In their opinion, to be Christian is to restrain yourself from doing immoral things. The Christian life, they think, becomes a life of prohibitions: “I don’t drink, smoke nor chew and I don’t hang out with people who do.” I am sure the devil is dancing a gig over this grand deception. There is a huge problem with a works theology. If you do discipline yourself to restrain from certain things that are forbidden and to do certain things that are commanded {like tithing and fasting}, it creates an exorbitant amount of pride and makes a judgmental, critical, cold and condescending person like the Pharisee in the scripture above. This is the opposite of Christianity. Can you drive in traffic without getting anxious or aggravated at those who don’t know how to drive? Good for you but that doesn’t make you better than me. You may be better than me or at least more moral but you still need Jesus’ mercy and grace just as much as I do. Your feeling superiority over me because you don’t battle road rage makes you a condescending Pharisee. I had just as soon have road rage.
The Pharisee was focused on the good things that he did and he looked down on the tax collector for the bad things he was doing, but in the final analysis, the Pharisee missed the fact that he was a death and hell deserving sinner just like the tax collector. Christianity has always been confused with morality. It was true in the Roman Empire and it is true today. No one will get to heaven by being moral. Morality apart from Christ and His grace produces PRIDE and God hates pride. The Kingdom of God does not run on pride. It takes utter humility to be effective in the Kingdom of God. The tax collector was humble. It was the Pharisee who was proud. The tax collector’s prayer was heard but the Pharisee prayed to himself. The tax collector went home feeling cleansed; the Pharisee went home just as he came, full of pride and of himself.
Extra
Hump Day and a full schedule. LORD willing I am going to attend the mid-week morning worship service at Central in hopes of seeing Ken Nelson and John Ingolf. Then a high level executive meeting at BBG and then to the Retirement homes, then to study and finally to preach tonight at the POINT. I am not going public with my prayer list but I am praying for several people and families that are in grief and crisis. June and I worked on my office yesterday but we lack at least one full day completing the task. I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.