"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."
~ Matthew 5:11I smile as I read about the Pharisees criticizing Jesus about His poor testimony in eating with worldly sinners.
Biblical Pharisees die hard, to be sure, they continue with us today practicing their legalism and teaching their perverted doctrine of ‘convictions' where they can..
The "Biblical" church I grew up in was fanatical about the Christian's testimony. "Whatever you do, don't associate with worldly people, that's a bad testimony!" Like the Pharisees of old, my church had a long list of things that a real Christian was not to do. Convictions, they called them. Activities we were never to take part in, as well as words we were never to utter, such as ... dang, gosh or darn!
Yet we were to take every opportunity to "witness" to these damn Lepers of the world, but never, never get too close! Stand downwind; worldly lepers smell. We were not even to smell like cigarette smoke. (And if you did spend too much time with "worldly" people, you smelled like it!)
We were known in our neighborhood as Baptists that didn't! That is, we were known for what we didn't do!
I wish I were talking history here, but I'm not.
I'm reminded that there are still seminaries that teach the sick Pharisee's legalism and faithfully grind out Pastors that will continue teaching this heresy to their ignorant flocks. Mexico is full of those so-called seminaries, teaching their convictions rather than Biblical truth. (And we exported this perverted type of "gospel."
Fortunately in most cases their witness is as sterile as they are. Unfortunately though, in many cases they go under the label of "Bible or Biblical." Yet, their churches never grow. Sterile legalistic Believers, who's fruit is choked out by the weeds of "convictions!"
Yep, for years I was a sterile Biblical Super Saint! Right down the line! Thank God I got converted from a Pharisee to becoming a Christian, and now I can actually eat with people who ... God forbid! ... have a bottle of beer on the table, and God forbid ... smell like the world.
Remember it ain't "that beer" that will send them to hell; if they end up in hell, it's because they have never heard of anything better.
By the way, give me a seat at their table! I prefer eating with honest sinners rather than hypocritical Christians.
"Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."It's dangerous indeed!
~ Mark 8:15
Image: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, "The Seven Deadly Sins"
