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8 Signs Of A Modern-Day Pharisee” Written by Christian Author, Frank Viola 1) Pharisees spend more time focusing on what they hate rather than on what they love. And what Pharisees hate are people. Well, people who sin differently than they do. Because of Pharisaism, Christians are known for what they are against rather than for what they are for. It’s because of them that “evangelical” has come to mean fanatical zealots who have perfected “culture war” tactics and represent the grotesquely hateful versions of Christianity commonly peddled by ambitious politicians. 2) Pharisees magnify the sins of others while minimizing — or even ignoring — their own. Jesus said to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. A.W. Tozer put it this way, “A Pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself.” 3) Pharisees believe (and spread) accusations against others without ever going to them directly, something you’d insist on if it were you being slandered (Matthew 7:12). Regrettably, “Christian” Pharisees produce more vitriol and spread more poison than a Chernobyl-like nuclear disaster. Dispensing slander is labeled “poison” by the Bible because it exposes innocent souls to toxic substances which are spiritually lethal. Pharisees are adept at vilification, bombing others “with God on their side.” In fact, many of them don’t know what to do with themselves unless they’re fightin’ for Jesus. 4) Pharisees are quick to pass judgment, but slow to inquire and listen to those they’re judging. Pharisees wake up with criticism in their hearts, plotting against those they wish to destroy, even before the coffee gets cold. In this regard, Pharisees minister toxicity and death to those who love God (all in the name of God). As E. Stanley Jones rightly pointed out, “The measure of my spirit of criticism is the measure of my distance from Christ.” 5) It breaks a Pharisee’s jaw to admit they’re wrong or apologize to those they’ve mistreated. In this regard, Pharisees exhibit a remarkable lack of self-awareness. This also accounts for why they are so belligerent. They exist to correct others, never turning the spotlight inward. 6) Pharisees only hang out with other Pharisees. Because Pharisees establish dubious doctrinal criteria by which every Christian is judged and condemned to hell, they only hang with their own kind. In addition, they aren’t a terribly happy bunch of people. They weren’t in Jesus’ day either. 7) Pharisees impute evil motives to the hearts of others (but are clueless that they’re merely revealing what’s in their own). NEWSFLASH: Only God has the ability to read the motives of mortals. And as I’ve contended elsewhere, the New Testament has zero tolerance when humans engage in it. On that score, Pharisees need to listen to Anne Lamott who said: “The difference between you and God is that God doesn’t think God is you.” 8) Pharisees cannot tolerate correction, even when it’s given in the spirit of Christ. A Pharisee hasn’t caught on to the fact that no human sees every angle of everything. Pharisees are quick to join the bandwagon of brother/sister bashing, crafting special attacks against those who don’t line up with their unique interpretations of Scripture. And they break out in boils whenever someone points out their own flaws. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/support