For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die:  but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  Romans 8:13-14

Pharisee!  P h a r i s e e !

It's the cry of those tightly clutching their right to live "free from the Law".  Personally, I've found it difficult to first grasp, then cling to, the interweaving of grace and obedience. I hope that my own struggles have accorded me a measure of understanding and compassion for those who are either floundering or standing too firmly, in unbalanced fashion, in one camp or the other.  I recently happened across a web page harshly condemning supposed "legalists" (the descriptions didn't fit Scriptural definitions), and the final Scripture quoted on the page was, "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another."  (Galatians 5:15)  Well, AMEN, Sister.

On another of the pages within my own site I mention that "legalist" and "pharisee" seem to be the preferred terms in Christendom to apply to those who desire to walk righteously and in accordance with God's instructions.  I know "walk righteously and in accordance with God's instructions" isn't the characterization or definition most people using the terms "legalist" and "pharisee" would choose. That site I visited, in fact, supplied a checklist to use for "Spot the Pharisee".  No, those weren't her words, they're mine.  The woman, in all earnestness I'm sure, was attempting to save Christians from the abuse (now that was her word) perpetrated upon other Christians by legalists. The problem is, though, that nothing on the list lined up with a Scriptural definition of a pharisee.

If we can agree that the words "legalist" and "legalism" (neither of which appear in the Bible) are synonymous with "pharisee" and "pharisaism" as applies to practice, not office in the Jewish religion, we can proceed to determine what the Bible has to say about those people who attempt to gain God's favor (even salvation) through adherence to the letter of the law--not only His laws, but their own.  Without question, there are some people today calling themselves Christians and believing they are going to spend eternity with God in heaven based upon adherence to a set of laws and ordinances...even ones which cannot even be supported by Scripture.  So there are "pharisees" today--ones which fit the Scriptural definition quite well.  Ironically, those people are generally well accepted by the very people who say they're concerned about pharisaism.

It would be too time- and space-consuming to present an exhaustive list of Scriptures pertaining to Jesus' pronouncements against the practices of the pharisees, but we'll look at enough of them to get a fairly accurate picture of what the problem was:

Mat 23:13
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Mat 23:14
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Mat 23:15
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Mat 23:23
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Mat 23:25
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Mat 23:27
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

Mat 23:29
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

Luk 11:39
And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

Luk 11:42
But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Luk 11:43
Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

I think it's a fair statement to say that people behaving in the manners described in these verses merit the label "pharisee", or as Jesus said, "hypocrite". A very sober pronouncement is made by Jesus about them:

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me.  But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.  Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.  (Matthew 15:8,9)

And in the Gospel of John we see these words of Jesus:

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or [whether] I speak of myself.  He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
(John 7:16-18)

Jesus, God incarnate, spoke the doctrine of His Father in heaven, as did His disciples.  We have that written testimony now, so that we can be certain always by searching the Scriptures whether or not a doctrine or teaching is right and true.  We needn't be led astray (or "abused") by the teachings and traditions of men unless, of course, we fail to study the Scriptures.  And there are religions operating in the world today--even those which call themselves "Christian"--which fit perfectly the description given in Scripture of pharisees and their practices.  Indeed, beware of the leaven of the pharisees--the pharisees which are described in Scripture.

To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.  (Isaiah 8:20)

There's a popular saying which goes something like this:  "God said it.  I believe it.  That settles it."  I think that slogan is faulty, because the truth of the matter is if God said it, that settles it, whether I believe it or not.

I think the following passage is worthy of note in this study:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  (Matthew 5:17-19)

I can't imagine what commentary on that passage would be necessary.  It looks pretty clear.  We move, though, to an equally important passage:

Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.  And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  (Matthew 22:36-40)

Notice Jesus didn't say these two commandments obliterate any other laws.  He said everything hangs on these two--all the law is encompassed within these two.  He was saying Here's the foundation, children; this is the undergirding--the rest of My Word, my teaching, hangs on these two foundational commandments.  And the rest of God's Word very perfectly explains to us the particulars of loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and what it looks like when we love our neighbors as we love ourselves--the obvious fact being that we do all love ourselves, and anyone who denies or doesn't recognize that fact and is wasting time trying to learn to love themselves so they can love others has been hornswaggled by the enemy and his emissaries.  Causing a person to be self-focused or self-absorbed seems to be a very effective, spiritually crippling tool of Satan.

Let us not be fooled by the teachings of some that the Royal Law, as quoted above, and John 3:16 provide all the teachings and doctrine necessary to live a life set aside for Christ, or that we are united with all men who proclaim their truth.  We are united by sound doctrine, thus we are not to be united with those of unsound doctrine--we're told to come out from among them and be separate.  Remember, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."  If all that is necessary for a believer to know is contained in two passages, for what purpose did God write the rest of the Bible?. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."  (Isaiah 55:8)  God told us how to live for Him, how to love Him, how to love others as we love ourselves.  We are not free agents, given the liberty to make our own rules and standards, according to our own desires.  The Old Testament Law was a precursor to the Law He would write on our hearts.  It showed us in living color that we are sinners in need of a Saviour, the final sacrifice for sin.  We don't innately know, embrace, and live in the ways of God, so He told us what His ways are and how to live in them.

Some say "pharisees" ignore people's individuality.  If there's a Scripture about pharisees ignoring people's individuality, I've missed it.  Pharisees, it appears in Scripture, ignore God's commandments in their own personal lives yet strap them around the necks of their followers, demanding they be adhered to perfectly or hell awaits.  And they make their own rules.  Their hearts are turned from Him toward themselves--seeking power, their own glory, self-satisfaction, and control.

Individuality?  We are all members of One Body and equally necessary in our individual callings.  Sisters, we are to be of one mind, unified by belief in the tenets of the One True God:

That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (Romans 15:6)

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.  (II Corinthians 13:11)

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;  (Philippians 1:27)

Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  (Philippians 2:2)

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:  (I Peter 3:8)

The book of Galatians is dedicated almost entirely to teaching us that we are no longer slaves to the handwriting of ordinances, and that we can never attain God's favor through the works of The Law.  The practice of any religion will not save a man's soul.

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.  (Galatians 3:22-25)

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