May 17, 2013
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For Christians Only ~PLEASE COMMENT~
On Facebook, someone posted a link to this article: Are Christians More Like Jesus or More Like the Pharisees? Since the link was posted by someone who has made no bones about his godless and liberalness, I went to go check it out. I was reading along until I got to their criteria for determining Christ likeness and Pharisee likeness. This is what they have:
Christ-likeness include the following:
Actions like Jesus:
- I listen to others to learn their story before telling them about my faith.
- In recent years, I have influenced multiple people to consider following Christ.
- I regularly choose to have meals with people with very different faith or morals from me.
- I try to discover the needs of non-Christians rather than waiting for them to come to me.
- I am personally spending time with non-believers to help them follow Jesus.
Attitudes like Jesus:
- I see God-given value in every person, regardless of their past or present condition.
- I believe God is for everyone.
- I see God working in people’s lives, even when they are not following him.
- It is more important to help people know God is for them than to make sure they know they are sinners.
- I feel compassion for people who are not following God and doing immoral things.
The 10 statements used to assess self-righteousness (like the Pharisees), included the following research items:
Self-Righteous Actions:
- I tell others the most important thing in my life is following God’s rules.
- I don’t talk about my sins or struggles. That’s between me and God.
- I try to avoid spending time with people who are openly gay or lesbian.
- I like to point out those who do not have the right theology or doctrine.
- I prefer to serve people who attend my church rather than those outside the church.
Self-Righteous Attitudes:
- I find it hard to be friends with people who seem to constantly do the wrong things.
- It’s not my responsibility to help people who won’t help themselves.
- I feel grateful to be a Christian when I see other people’s failures and flaws.
- I believe we should stand against those who are opposed to Christian values.
- People who follow God’s rules are better than those who do not.
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I was so surprised by these, although I shouldn’t have been. I do not contest the idea that most folks in America today who claim to be Christian are not very Christlike. But this list has serious flaws. Please tell me if you see them too and why. Please comment below and if you have Christian friends on your list who will see it, please rec. I am really curious to see what people think. So I probably will just let the comments go and not answer.
Comments (16)
I don’t feel like looking up all the references, but just a few thoughts:
First list:
1. I listen to others to learn their story before telling them about my faith. – Woman at the well. Jesus asked her for water…and later TOLD HER how many husbands she’d had and that she was in sin. He then presented her with eternal life.
2. In recent years, I have influenced multiple people to consider following Christ. —— Yep. We are pretty open about how sinful mankind is. This is not tolerant.
3. I regularly choose to have meals with people with very different faith or morals from me. – While it’s true that Jesus ate with sinners and publicans, he also instituted the Lord’s Supper for his disciples in remembrance of Him. That type of fellowship is the most important and intimate, and not for everyone.
4. I try to discover the needs of non-Christians rather than waiting for them to come to me. – I’m not sure what this is talking about. The greatest need of anyone is to have their sins forgiven. Jesus also didn’t go around asking people what they needed. If they hadn’t eaten, he fed them. But they came to Him to find the truth. He wasn’t a soup kitchen.
5. I am personally spending time with non-believers to help them follow Jesus. —- Yeah, this is called witnessing. And it’s not hanging out living the exact way they do, either. We are set apart, just like the Jews from the rest of the world.
6. I see God-given value in every person, regardless of their past or present condition. —-Yeah, Christians see that everyone’s condition is the exact same. Hopelessly evil and lost and needing forgiveness.
7. I believe God is for everyone. – Matthew 7:14 “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Whoops.
8. I see God working in people’s lives, even when they are not following him. —- God causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike. Common grace. Matt. 5
9. It is more important to help people know God is for them than to make sure they know they are sinners. —– This is B.S., and sounds like the writer has been hanging out with Joel Osteen. God is not “for you”. God will destroy you if you remain in sin, and the proof of this is Jesus dying on the cross. I don’t see how someone can read the Bible and miss this. What a dangerous statement.
10. I feel compassion for people who are not following God and doing immoral things. —– Sure. Then we tell them about their sin and God’s grace.
2nd List:
1. I tell others the most important thing in my life is following God’s rules. —– I agree. The most important thing is God’s grace since we can’t follow God’s rules and need forgiveness. That doesn’t mean we don’t try to follow them, though.
2. I don’t talk about my sins or struggles. That’s between me and God. —– I’m not sure where this is coming from. Some things shouldn’t be talked about with just anyone.
3. I try to avoid spending time with people who are openly gay or lesbian. —– If we are following the Great Commission, spending time with people living non-Christian lives will result in witnessing. Most people openly in rebellion don’t want to be around **us**.
4. I like to point out those who do not have the right theology or doctrine. —- It is very Christ like to tell people that they need forgiveness of sins.
5. I prefer to serve people who attend my church rather than those outside the church. —- Serve them? You mean with physical needs? This is how the early church did it. We take care of our own, first. The FIRST and greatest need of those outside is to, well, get inside!
6. I find it hard to be friends with people who seem to constantly do the wrong things. —– Uhhh…I find it hard to be CLOSE friends with people whose actions steer me away from Christ!
7. It’s not my responsibility to help people who won’t help themselves. —— Well isn’t this a sneaky liberal jab? Again, we take care of our own within the church. The early Christians were ALL about charity. But the government taking my money and then deciding who to give it to…is NOT charity.
8. I feel grateful to be a Christian when I see other people’s failures and flaws. —— Yep. Because it makes me realize my OWN failures (SIN!) and how grateful I am to Jesus!
9. I believe we should stand against those who are opposed to Christian values. —– When they try to impose non-Christian laws on my land where I have an equal say? You BET! When they try to trick young moms into murdering their babies by lying about what a baby is? You BET! When they try to disarm us, control what we can say and how we can worship, what we do with our money…? You BET!
10. People who follow God’s rules are better than those who do not. —– Loaded statement. People who live the way God wants them to will be more responsible and virtuous. They will help their neighbors. Things will be better in general. But someone who follows God’s rules is JUST as sinful as someone who doesn’t.
The person who wrote this doesn’t understand the gospel, but we both aren’t surprised.
I would call it an unfair comparison. The Pharisees were human and suffered from human weaknesses. Jesus was God and prefect. Jesus is our goal, but we are human and Jesus himself made it clear that we will sin (like the Pharisees). Jesus made it clear that we will be more like the Pharisees than like God. That is the reason we need Jesus. But unlike the Pharisees we know what our goals are. We know what we are doing wrong and are trying to be as much like Jesus as we can.
The research was done by Barna Research Group, which is a Christian researching group. Some Christians (such as myself) often find the research to be spot on. The Christians who often disagree with Barna’s research tend to be a little more fundamental and have a hard time hearing criticism.
I think that everything on the “Christ” list is right. All of the things on the “Pharisee” list are wrong, except for a few that I think are grey areas for anyone. We need to be willing to help those who can’t help themselves, or have trouble helping themselves. But there is a right and wrong way of helping someone. People might differ one what that is, but that doesn’t automatically make them a “Pharisee”.
I am not sure I can fairly call myself a Christian. I profess my faith as being Native American. I have accepted Jesus as my savior. I guess I am stupid. I cannot recognize much significant difference in the two. Mainly, I do not think Native Americans try to influence others into their beliefs. I mean if you are doing it right it should be obvious, what does it matter what label one attaches.? I tend to strongly favor older things, ideas, and beliefs. The most important aspect is an individual has a spiritual path.
I thought all the lists where pretty good advice. The last two of the self righteous attitudes are wrong seems to me. Each person is a different individual, processing thoughts, behavior, and perception differently than others. Each point needs understood in each individual situation.
Maybe I will address each one and attempt to apply biblical teachings to each. Hmmnm, scratching my head.
@jmallory - Let me fix that… “and/or” have a hard time hearing criticism.
After reading the article and rereading the lists am I to accept the premise that Christ-likeness is better than self-righteousness and Pharisee like. The points for each seem similar only worded differently.
Should I tell others God is most important in my life before or after listening to them? Some do not like telling their story. There are cases that need to hear it first, some later.
Ah, there’s some truth to all of ‘em.
I hate polls. They’re always worded to be manipulating. Shrug.
I think the first list is pretty much right. One thing we need to do it with the right attitude. By this I would mean if we are just going to do this list to show people we are somebody, then we do it for the wrong reason.
The second list has so much wrong with it I am not sure where to begin.
One thing I will say, we should LOVE EVERYONE, and that means different Religions, and different Lifestyles. We are suppose to hate the sin they have.
If we do not love the person, then do we really have the Messiah living in us and are we saved.
Scripture tells us, “If we hate our brother, the love of the Messiah is not in us.”
I would dare say lots of Religious people are Pharisee’s because they say I have done this, done that in His Name, but are they really doing it with the love our Saviour had.
Being a preacher, I see lots of this. Thank you for posting this. Very good. Bro. Doc
@NightCometh - I agree with your commentary on all the points.
“Render unto Caesar what is Caesar” is a difficult quote to perform/understand that whole topic is worthy of a blog. For people who have Jesus in their hearts is a probably good interpretation of what is a Christian.
Why do you believe in the way that you do? Basically sums up the misunderstandings and wide diversity of Christianity.
A lot of Christians face the dilemma of not being around people who has Jesus in their hearts. I believe fully that if you pray and read the Bible constantly that is protection against being lured away from Christ’s teachings.
Our understanding does change according to the growth of our faith in Jesus. The maturity of a follower varies and definitely the Bible warns us not to judge others too harshly. Pray to deliver messages and sermons in a G-d given way and pray for patience and conviction.
There are a lot of topics to pick and choose. Today I chose to remain calm and understanding and hope new revelations come to me as I live in this world. I hope for everyone to choose to grow spiritually and to grow the fruits of the spirit as a reality check. Pray for guidance, Thank G-d for his blessings and work with the Holy Spirit who does a lot of interaction with us.
Ther’s only one major problem with letting a hypocrite come before you and God . . . . they’re closer than you are if they stand between you and God. Most folks forget that churches don’t get us to heaven, it’s a personal thang . . . between me and my God, none other matters. I’ve only met a few people in my walk that I’ve looked up too, probably not even ten, but they all taught me something, pretty much the same thing, God is always faithfull and if you want to be great, be a servant . . . we don’t have enough servants. For the last 30 years I have read “My Utmost for His Highest,” not constntly every day, but off and on, it was dumbed down into “modern englsh” a while back, I hate that version. I have a “old” print one, a “old” version bible (NASB) before that was dumbed down.
You can find “My Utmost for His Highest” here http://utmost.org/
Peace,
~ Angry Infidel
I, personally, look askance at anyone who calls themself: “Christian.” Originally, it was the pagans who called followers of Jesus by that name. Since nobody is a very good Christian anyway, I think it ought to be dropped. St. Paul talks about bragging about what God does, because on our own we really don’t have much at all. I refer to myself as a “practicing Catholic” – practicing to be one…, maybe someday I’ll make it.
The problem with both lists is that there are too many ‘I’s beginning the sentences. It’s not about you or me. It’s about Christ and bringing others to Him.
We are just like the Pharisee because they are not without sin, like all mortals.
To be Christian is exactly that: Christ-like. We strive to follow in Christ’s footsteps. Many in the flock wander. Salvation is theirs if they choose.
First and foremost I do not push my beliefs on others, if
you ask me what I think/believe I’ll tell you, but I DO NOT run to my neighbors
and tell them what to think, believe, or how to live. I am F~A~R from a perfect
person, can list many things I’ve done wrong, and mistakes I’ve even recently
made.
It is legalism, just of a different flavor.