Are We Pharisees?نموونە

He was powerfully determined. An outstanding volunteer, his leaders loved him and he performed head and shoulders above his peers. Everyone in his circles admired him.

The prodigy from Asia Minor paced back and forth. Finally, he thought, his leaders had taken a stand against this persistent and spreading sect. This Greek-speaking heretic would be a profound example! He checked the coats and made sure everything was in order. Hearing the blasphemer raise his voice, he glanced over. Despite the stones, jeers, and blood, the charlatanical Stephen was uttering a final, profane prayer… blaspheming even with his last breath.

He fumed--this was ridiculous. Like the venerable Caiaphas, he knew what to do: spare the nation from this defilement and stamp out every heretical trace of Jesus from Nazareth.

---

Jesus had warned that the Pharisees’ disciples would be twice the sons of hell that they were. Paul certainly fit the bill. In his own words, Paul was the worst. After reflecting with God, maybe we’ve spotted some disconnection and autonomy in our lives. Maybe we see ways we’ve resisted God and helped the enemy through our fear of man, dominating behavior, and selfishness. Maybe, with the fruit of knowledge still in our hands, we see that Paul was a little like… us.

You know, grace is one of those words I hate. We seem to use it in a way that makes us more religious. It’s so critical, though, I’m going to use words which, biblically, mean the same thing: generosity and charity.

In God’s generosity, Jesus received our badness, and we received Jesus’ goodness. We can restrict this to a legal transaction, making it so esoteric our hearts can’t grasp it. Our legal standing is cleared before God and improved, it’s true. Even better, though, we get Jesus in daily life--His goodness, strength, power, abilities, and knowledge. He wants to be with us… and impart Himself to us.

John and Peter, after they healed a long-crippled man, remarked: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” (Acts 3:12 NIV). God had healed the man through God’s power and because of God’s goodness. And yet today, when a miracle happens, our admiration of that believer soars and we invite them to teach us his/her presumably phenomenal spirituality. Only, there is none. They received God’s generosity. They dispensed God’s generosity on someone else. That’s it.

In reference to all his Christian accomplishments, Paul claimed it was, actually, just the generosity of God, which he received and participated with:

All the other apostles are greater than I am. I say this because I persecuted the church of God. That is why I am not even good enough to be called an apostle. But, because of God’s grace, that is what I am. And his grace that he gave me was not wasted. I worked harder than all the other apostles. (But I was not really the one working. It was God’s grace that was with me.) (1 Cor. 15:9-10 ERV)

You may notice God’s generosity involves both our passive and active participation. His generosity gave us everything we have today. We receive it. His charity also empowers us to be different. We participate with it. Evidently, if we don’t, we don’t do anything.

“I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything." (John 15:5 ERV)

I know living on divine charity may not seem flattering, but maybe we haven’t understood we’re just earth/dirt breathed on by God, and this was all created in an incredible act of generosity. Maybe we haven’t understood this is sustained by His charity, either. Paul wrote:

… now it seems as though you have let someone use their magical powers to make you forget. 2Tell me this one thing: How did you receive the Spirit? Did you receive the Spirit by following the law? No, you received the Spirit because you heard the message about Jesus and believed it. 3You began your life in Christ with the Spirit. Now do you try to complete it by your own power? That is foolish. (Gal. 3:1b-3 ERV)

Paul referred to his knowledge and accomplishments as a Pharisee--all of his autonomous religion--as garbage. What mattered was Jesus. If it wasn’t Jesus, it was nothing:

Not only these things, but now I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Christ, I lost all these things, and now I know that they are all worthless trash. All I want now is Christ. (Phil. 3:8 ERV)

So I wonder… are we comfortable with a lifestyle of receiving His charity? A life where God is at the center? Where God is our primary metric? Paul’s efforts and knowledge were all a wash. They meant nothing. So do ours. God in us and God with us, though, mean everything.

Are we Pharisees? Maybe. What’s Holy Spirit saying to you? Either way, I’m not judging you. God isn’t judging you, either. I didn’t write this so we’d feel terrible about ourselves. I wrote this because if there’s grace for Paul, there’s grace for us… want some?