Just as the Jewish faith in the time of Christ was filled to the brim with self-righteous hypocrites who saw it as their divine right to determine who is and is not a Jew, so also is the modern Church overflowing with self-appointed judges who believe all authority in Heaven and Earth has been given unto them. If you differ with them even slightly, that makes you an apostate, and with no trial what so ever, they will declare you outside the body of Christ.
As an author who dedicates large portions of his time to dealing with "doubtful disputations" (Romans 14:1), I'm a bit of a magnet for such people, but I often have the advantage of having a pre-drafted case. When I am anathematised for transgressing the traditions of the elders (Matthew 15:2; 7:5), I usually have at least one article demonstrating that the tradition is lacking in Biblical foundation. Whatever the issue, be it drinking alcohol, celebrating Halloween or Christmas, practicing Yoga, listening to certain kinds of music, you name it, I have an article pertaining to it.
But what I find is that these articles are usually only read by those who already agree with the premise. This is true not only for those who have never met me until they discovered my view on the issue they disagree with, but even among followers of this ministry. For example, when I published my first article on Yoga (which I don't even practice), I was confronted by a long time follower who did not read the article, and raised several criticisms that had been addressed therein. However, he was quite pro-Halloween, and had previously supported my articles on the topic.
While it is amply described in the Bible (e.g. Proverbs 18:2), I find this phenomenon curious. It's the kind of thing I would expect from an atheist, for example, because they possess an irrational worldview which has no foundation for either reason or morality. Their religions do not encourage them to diligently establish the truth of their views, or to ensure their accusations are accurate. Their futile antics are entirely consistent with their worldviews.
Not so with one who claims to be a Christian. Christianity, as the name suggests, is founded on the God whose title it bears: Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. He held not only a particular set of beliefs - some essential to the faith (e.g. the resurrection), others not so much (e.g. baptism by immersion) - but also a very specific standard of reason and justice.
One particular thing He taught is the process by which we, as a Church, must deal with genuinely sinning brethren. The first step is establishing that a sin has even been committed. The Bible is quite clear that it is "...given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). What that means is it is the perfect moral guide. We don't get to remove from it, nor do we need to add to it.
As previously alluded to, this was the sin of the Pharisees. They were quite happy to judge people by their own traditions, but they did not take as great a care to obey what Scripture actually teaches. In Matthew 15, for example, they asked Jesus why He allowed His disciples to eat with unwashed hands, transgressing their traditions. In turn, Jesus rebuked them for clinging to their traditions, later even claiming they "...strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:24).
Modern Pharisees are quite like this, forbidding things the Bible does not forbid, according to their own traditions, all while violating it in many other ways. With a pint of beer, you earn their scorn, and they will take great joy in assuring you, you're going to burn forever. But whenever they cite a Scripture, it will be so far out of context, they may as well be reading from the Qur'an.
But for sake of argument, we will pretend it is impossible to charge a brother with sin, unless they are actually guilty. What does the Lord tell us about such people? "“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”" (Matthew 18:15-20).
What this shows is that the Christian faith has a very high standard of justice. We are not a tribe of kangaroos, with each member ready to cast the first stone at the slightest hint of indiscretion. To begin with, note the goal of this whole ordeal. "If he hears you, you have gained your brother." Following this principle, in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, Paul commands the Corinthians "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." The goal? Not to punish the sinner, but to save his soul.
As Christians, we are a loving and forgiving people, because our God is a loving and forgiving God. In fact, Christ's instructions on dealing with a sinning brother are immediately followed by the famous "seventy times seven" requirement for forgiveness, and the parable of the unmerciful servant (v21-35). The conclusion of which is that those who refuse to forgive will not receive forgiveness from God.
Yet, somehow, the goal of the Pharisee never seems to be the reconciliation of (what they perceive to be) sinners to the body of Christ, but the expulsion thereof. Furthermore, this seems to be self gratifying, as I often find these self-righteous judges frequently refer to themselves and their own righteousness. "I follow Christ, I'm not sure who you're following to your own damnation", as one such Pharisee recently boasted against me. I am reminded, at this point, of one of my favorite parables in all of Scripture:
"Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”" (Luke 18:9-14).
Here, we see that the sole criteria for justification is the earnest and humble appeal to the God who gives it. The avoidance of sin is not required (though of course, is still an integral part of the Christian life), and in fact, the confession of sin is. As the beloved Apostle would later say, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:8-10, emphasis added).
So what are we to think of these almighty busybodies? Well, the danger here is we can become them. "Thank you, God, that I am not like this Pharisee, who condemns the brethren for having a tattoo". It is vital to seek to be the tax collector in this parable. But there is nothing wrong with encouraging the Pharisee to become the tax collector, and in fact, it is loving. We seek to win our brothers and reconcile them. We seek the salvation of their soul on the day of the Lord Jesus. Frankly, it is loving to want to humble them ourselves, on the Earth, rather than leave it to Jesus, because it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God (Hebrews 10:31).
Coinciding with the wonky motive is the wonky methodology. Notice, Jesus doesn't say you can judge whoever you want, whenever you want, of your own accord. He gives a process that must be followed, and it cannot be on the testimony of one man. Now, it may be, after all is said and done, that a believer may be counted as an unbeliever. It is a very modern phenomenon to find such a concept offensive. Yes, you may judge righteous judgment (John 7:24), and that may require you to say that a so-called Christian has falsely claimed that name.
But there is a criteria. We do not get to judge according to the appearance. If a believer appears to us to be an unbeliever, this is insufficient. Christ is very clear: "...take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." What's that? Leave "haha" reactions on every Facebook comment and start calling people horrible names? Disregard every statement they make and throw around wild accusations? Decide from the beginning that this person is not a Christian, and they never will be unless they feed you your favorite words "you're right, thanks for showing me the light"? No, every word must be established.
And so I find it strange that very few words ever are. As I said, when I am accused of being a false Christian for defending certain things, my articles tend to be ignored. "I'm not reading your heresies!" Ok, but why? It can't be out of fear that I'll convince you. Or if it is, evidently you're not as convinced in your own view as you claim. By contrast, if you do have the integrity to read, first of all, you might be convinced. Why? Because you might be wrong. Maybe, I'm presenting Biblical truths you've been fearfully ignoring for years, all because you were scared reading them might convince you. Alternatively, let's suppose I'm wrong. Maybe, by reading my material and representing it accurately, you'll actually see why I'm wrong and be able to show me.
In the worst case scenario, maybe I'm wrong, and maybe, somehow, I know it. I of course deny that, if I'm wrong, I certainly do not know it, and frankly, my opponents do a terrible job of showing me. Refusing to give me a fair hearing only reinforces my views: Winners don't cheat, and cheaters don't win. But in this scenario, is it not absolutely vital to obey Christ's words and establish every word?
There are two main points I want to make here. First, while I have made this article somewhat personal, this is because it's easier to write if I do so. I can't speak for the hundreds of thousands of Christians who regularly deal with the equally large number of Pharisees around the world, but I can speak from my own experience. Nevertheless, the principles apply universally. It is essential to judge righteous judgment, to do so diligently, and to do so with the goal of a Church united in love and mercy under our Holy God. Self righteousness is, and will always be, a grievous, self-destructive sin.
Second, the irony is not lost on me that I am writing an article with the intention of convincing those who do not read articles to do so. It is very likely, as I regularly do, that I am merely preaching to the choir. The target audience will have tuned out long ago. Maybe, due to the absence of specific subject matter, some of them have read this far. But just as much, maybe the choir to whom I preach will have gained a song to reach Pharisaic ears. Ultimately, my intention with this article is to encourage the Church to be divided only where it is essential to divide. Let us stand firm on the Gospel, keeping the peace in spite of our more trivial differences. Where self-righteousness rears its ugly head, let us cast that out, but still in the hope that they may be saved.
AI usage
AI was used to create the header image for this article.