Posted on 01/10/2015 5:58:49 PM PST by RnMomof7
What intrigues me about the Pharisee in this passage is that he thanked God for his moral uprightness and religious devotion. He is not claiming, perhaps like the rich, young ruler did, that he had kept God’s law and thus is deserving of eternal life. He doesn’t believe that he’s earned his salvation by works of righteousness achieved apart from divine grace. No, he goes to thank God for the grace and charity that God had worked in him, by which he has become acceptable to God. He believes that he is justified by his faith in God as well as the good works which proceed from the divinely-imparted righteousness inherent within him. And he does not go to his house justified.
(Excerpt) Read more at thecripplegate.com ...
Bump
The Pharisee is telling God and himself that he is not a sinner because he has performed all the customary acts as prescribed in the law. He is being self-righteous. The tax collector admits his sinfulness is asking God for mercy on his sinful self. They are both sinners. The Pharisee does not admit and thus does not repent. The tax collector admits his sinning and implicitly repents.
INDEED! Paul wrote to the church at Galatia and it well applies to the Roman Catholic cult of today!
Galatians 3: 3 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Two Gospels? This must be about Protestants and. . . other Protestants.
The Pharisee's gospel was Judaism, and his sin was in looking down on a man who came before God in humility and repentance. The Pharisee was confident that his practice of Judaism made him superior to everyone else. If he were alive today, he would probably be posting on a message board trying to prove how wrong everyone else is, and how utterly theologically correct and completely justified he was.
Sounds familiar.
Are you an expert in the beliefs of any other Christian sects or only Catholism?
Luke 18
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.'
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!'
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
....” Trusting even partly in your good works as the basis for your salvation—even if you acknowledge and truly believe that they are 100% God-given—will not leave you going to your house justified.”....from the article.
I do question though our choice to accpet the Gospel message....because I think we also have the choice to reject it when heard....
Some say this makes it a “work”...but I see it as a choice of the will which God gives us and freedom of.
She’s exactly right.
....”most Catholics identify with the commoner/tax collector standing far off — we know we are sinners”.....
Unfortunately many still stand far away from God because they still depend on their works to achieve for them acccpetance into God’s presence.....otherwise there would be no grounds for purgatory....which itslef is a matter of works for those to be released from...prayers for them IS works.
Keeping in mind most realize there is no such place as purgatory.
I’ve been raised Lutheran but my wife is Catholic so I’ve seen a lot in Catholic and Protestant churches.
There are many Catholic Churches that are dead wrong in their messages and I fear there are more and more, but I’ve seen many that plead the words “Lord have mercy on me,” every Sunday.
Likewise, there are many great Protestant churches, but unfortunately the modern day message in many Protestant churches seems to believe that faith = a prayer they once made in high school, now they can live on with the deepest attachments to their sins without a second thought. God is very fortunate to receive their “Jesus is my boyfriend songs” every Sunday.
And that's where is stops. They don't go the rest of the route and throw themselves on God's mercy and grace.
They think that they need to add their works to it to become acceptable to God.
There is nothing anyone can do that is enough good works to merit heaven, even if a person could live an otherwise perfect life except for one sin.
That one sin is still enough to condemn and make the need for Christ to die for forgiveness to be granted.
Contrasts, huh?
Each individual should read the Bible and meditate on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His Living Spirit will make everything clear.
metmom, if a person believes Christ died for them and had a born again experience but then hate the Lord all their heart, mind and soul all the days of their life, and all their life is spent harming their fellow man for their own benefit, are they saved under Christ’s grace?
Someone born of God hating God? With the Holy Spirit living in him, hating God?
Not possible. You set up a impossible scenario.
Such thinking reveals a person who has never had a born again experience.
You are correct that it is impossible. It is not impossible that people believe they are great with God though.
I don’t know enough about Catholic theology. If they believe going on a mission trip or something is going to give them a feather in their hat, then I believe they’re wrong, but if they believe that repentance from sin is important, then I can’t disagree with that.
Thanks for posting. I read a similar sermon from Piper which laid out the same distinctions. Although Piper does not get involved with labeling the RCs as the Pharisee in the parable of the tax collector.
Although if the shoe fits…
The Pharisee “gospel” is that grace gets you to the door, but it’s up to you to get through it all the way to the heaven side. It is actually NOT grace at all!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.