Yet churches today are filled with folks who consider themselves not only righteous but also God's best friend and hatchet man (or woman) ... the "religious" people who never miss a service, who always show up dressed to look their best and to impress, who're always ready to yank their pastor's chain for causing them to feel personal distress or discomfort, who're always eager to let other people know just how religious, upright and moral they are in every way ... and who can't wait for the next opportunity to condescend to others for their flaws and point out their shortcomings.
They're the folks ... let's call them Deacon Dudes ... who'll eagerly announce that they've never touched alcohol, smoked cigarettes, experimented with drugs, had extramarital affairs, cursed (outside of work or football games) or even watched an R-rated movie ... and woe to the poor sinners, even in their congregation, who've fallen short and have no hope of living up to their exemplary example of "religious living."
Like the Pharisees in Christ's times, they are the same folks who're more concerned with themselves, and with their role inside their church, than they are with Christ and his role in their lives and within his church.
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I can think of a handful of friends whose examples as Christ followers make me humbled in comparison. Yet not one of them has ever pointed out to me how much they tithe, or how often they've attended services without missing, what they've done to "help the church" or how many Bible verses they can quote from memory.
They don't have to announce any of those things in order for me not only to see, but to know, that Christ lives inside their hearts and is in control of their lives.
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Just one more thing about Deacon Dudes and Pharisees: the most religious Pharisee to ever walk the face of the earth may never have touched alcohol or smoked or cheated on his spouse or said a single swear word (or even had cable TV in his house) ... but he still sinned, some how or in some way ... and fell abominably short of Christ's example.
In other words, they're all pitiful and unworthy compared to Christ.
And that means the strictest Pharisee and the most religious Deacon Dude, with all their rules, traditions, scolding, name-calling, strictness, steeples, organ preludes and stained glass windows could have been crucified and died in my place ... and still not saved me from spending eternity in hell.
Only Christ can. Only Christ did ... and that's why his example is the only one worth following.
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
- Matthew 5:20
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
- Matthew 23:12
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
- Matthew 23:15
