madscientist wrote:Sanctimony god? what that? dont think i properly heard of that.
Here is the definition of sanctimony:
Sanctimony: devoutness by intent...outward or artificial saintliness...assumed or pretended holiness...hypocritical devoutness. -Merriam Webster Dictonary
So, when I said you were in danger of creating the idol of a Sanctimony god, I warned that this god gives you the
illusion that you are doing what Jesus Christ wants. In Jesus' day, the Pharisees had the authority to teach and expound the Torah, Jesus said,
The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, so you must obey them and do everything they tell you...≠ However, Jesus warns,
...I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.*
Obviously, The Pharisees were competent enough to teach the law and to guard the law and to obey the law, but all they could
do was not good enough to get them to heaven. This is what Jesus warned when speaking to the rich young man in Luke 18:
Those who heard [Jesus] asked,«Who then can be saved?» Pay attention to Jesus' reply:
«What is impossible with men is possible with God.»
madscientist wrote:Yes, we can never be good enough by ourselves, but still - shouldnt we try and be better???
Should Christians
try to be better? If this is your goal, it is the foundation of your Sanctimony god. So the answer is, NO! do not try to be better. Jesus told you what to do:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind.³
When I love God,
He will change me and make me more and more like my Lord, as the Bible promises. The more I love the Lord, the more I immerse myself in His Word, the more I become like Him.The change comes as a gift from Him, not as something that I accomplish on my own. Get it?
madscientist wrote: And I think God will look upon those who TRY to be better and work with Holy Spirit to be better - that they actually bother being better.
No. The Sanctimony god may work this way. If becoming a «better» human being is your goal, you may want to look into Buddhism as it teaches holiness through works. Also, if you are counting on works to enter Paradise, you may want to look into Islam; Allah promises to weigh your good works and your bad works on a scale. If the good works are heavier, you get in!
Buddhism and Islam are friends of the Sanctimony god. You may feel at home with them, until you go to Hell.
FL
≠Matt 23:2-3
*Matt 5:20
³Matt 22:37 (All quotes NIV)
Hold everything lightly. If you don't, it will hurt when God pries your fingers loose as He takes it from you. -Corrie Ten Boom
+ + +
If they had a social gospel in the days of the prodigal son, somebody would have given him a bed and a sandwich and he never would have gone home.
+ + +