Were They All Self-Righteous Pharisees?

[RSS Robot]

In response to the report “Mark Driscoll to Speak at Liberty University,” Friday News, April 13, I received a reply from a young man who identified himself as “an alumnus of Liberty University and a member of Mars Hill Church” (pastored by Driscoll). He said that he is not concerned about any of the things I mentioned (e.g., champagne dance parties, beer brewing lessons, hosting secular rock concerts), and he concluded with the following comment:

“I only wish more preachers would take a stand against the many fundamentalist Pharisees who cloak their self-righteousness behind man-made rules.”

I wrote to ask “exactly which Bible-believing fundamentalist is a self-righteous Pharisee,” but he did not reply.

The term “Pharisee” is thrown around lightly today, but to charge someone with being a Pharisee is a very serious accusation. It is to charge them with being a self-righteous hypocrite who denies salvation through grace, who hates sinners, who exalts tradition to the same authority as God’s Word, and who is a Christ-rejector.

If believing that Christian rock and Mark Driscoll’s “champagne dance party cultural liberalism” is evidence of self-righteousness, then most Bible-believing Christians in past centuries were hardcore Pharisees.

View the full article

[JerryNumbers]

Sure, the lost are not concerned about such stuff, they favor all entertainment, they just do not favor good preaching.

[1John2:15-17]

It's all about "fun," all the while ignoring God's true word.

[John81]

These are those who want their ears tickled. They want to be able to call themselves Christians but they want the pleasures of sin which last but a season to go along with it. These are the Burger King Christians who want it their way. They want to feel self-righteous themselves in claiming to be Christian, all the while dancing with the devil, indulging the flesh and playing with the world.

[Guest]

Good article. The world wants to bring all the little gods into a big ecumenical heap and have a big party. Sad.

Isaiah 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

Edited April 18, 2012 by 1Tim115

[1John2:15-17]

These are those who want their ears tickled. They want to be able to call themselves Christians but they want the pleasures of sin which last but a season to go along with it. These are the Burger King Christians who want it their way. They want to feel self-righteous themselves in claiming to be Christian, all the while dancing with the devil, indulging the flesh and playing with the world.

Exactly....couldn't have said it better myself.

[Covenanter]

Godly Christians who live by the standards of the Word will always be dismissed as: Pharisses; Puritans; bigots; self-righteous, goody-goodies, etc, by those who insist in effect that Paul was wrong:

1

What shall we say then? Shall we co

nt

inue in sin, that grace may abound?

2

God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

However, is it necessarily sinful on occasions to ignore Scriptural "regulations" such as women's head coverings, or rebuking elders who are in error? Should we buy halal food for invitation meals where Muslims are invited? How rigorously should we apply the "regulative principle" in worship? (Some insist on Psalms only, without instrumental accompaniment.)

[JerryNumbers]

Its never right to do wrong. ts never right to disobey God, never. So if we ignore anything that is actually scriptural, them we start sinning.

[Oldtimer]

Its never right to do wrong. ts never right to disobey God, never. So if we ignore anything that is actually scriptural, them we start sinning.

Obey God, except when .....................

Isn't that the slipperly slope of the devil?

Abortion is murder, except when ....
Lying is wrong, except when ....
xyz shouldn't be done, except when ...

KJV'>1 Corinthians 5:6
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
KJV'>Galatians 5:9
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Except when .....

[Covenanter]

We are all sinners in practice, though in God's sight we are sinless IN CHRIST. There are clear commandments that no Christian can disobey - we could expand OTs list. Our Christian walk is with God, but we stumble. Perhaps the most serious sins are sins we are hardly aware of - sins of omission, failure to witness, or give, or pray. Do we see the suffering Christians around the world as our own family? How do such sins compare with a woman not wearing a hat in church, or a man's shoulder length hair, or going to the cinema.

Things we DO are readily condemned. Things we do not do are not noticed.

[Standing Firm In Christ]

Scripture does not say it is a sin for a woman not to wear a hat in Church, nor that a man sins by having shoulder-length hair. As to going to the cinema, I would think it would depend on the content of the movie being shown whether one was sinning or not.

[John81]

Scripture does not say it is a sin for a woman not to wear a hat in Church, nor that a man sins by having shoulder-length hair. As to going to the cinema, I would think it would depend on the content of the movie being shown whether one was sinning or not.

Right there you help make the point. Some do believe Scripture says a woman must wear a hat in church, some believe a woman must have long hair, some think a woman can do whatever she wants with her hair. The same with regard to men's hair.

As well with going to the cinema, there are those who say a Christian should never set foot in one, some who say it depends upon what movie they are going to see and then others who say they can go and watch whatever they want.

[Standing Firm In Christ]

So who is right? Could it be that it definitely matters in light of Revelation 22:15?

"For without are... and whoseover loveth and maketh a lie".

Does the "whosoever" mean "whosoever"? Does it mean "everyone"? or do we take it that the Holy Spirit meant only those who had not professed Christ that love lies?

It is clear that either one, or both of us are wrong on the interpretation of the passage concerning a woman's covering and the length of a man's hair.

Am I being legalistic? I don't believe so. I am just believing what the Word of God says.

[1John2:15-17]

Right there you help make the point. Some do believe Scripture says a woman must wear a hat in church, some believe a woman must have long hair, some think a woman can do whatever she wants with her hair. The same with regard to men's hair.

As well with going to the cinema, there are those who say a Christian should never set foot in one, some who say it depends upon what movie they are going to see and then others who say they can go and watch whatever they want.

I've hear it from numerous preachers that one should not go into a movie house as it would sort of go against their testimony as the non-Christian would see the Christian at the movie house and not know which movie he/she was viewing.

[Standing Firm In Christ]

I've hear it from numerous preachers that one should not go into a movie house as it would sort of go against their testimony as the non-Christian would see the Christian at the movie house and not know which movie he/she was viewing.

For some time now, movie theaters have had marquees that have the names of the movies playing.

I have not been to a movie theater in many years, but I would go if the only movies showing on the marquee were "G" rated or of a Christian theme.