Error of the Pharisee
Ecclesiastes 12:11-14 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the [duty] of every human being. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Here Solomon, the wisest man God put on the earth warns us about putting our emphasis in our faith and study based upon things written about by men. He goes on to say, the whole duty of man is to fear God and obey His commandments.
I use this forum to capture my own studies and the revelation of truth from God. I do this primarily to help me to sort through the complexity of scripture and the many man made doctrines that have been passed down to us. If my writings help others awaken to a truth or to turn towards God then Praise Be To God. Whether that happens or not is totally up to Him. I have no special anointing that is different than anyone else who is Born of God. We all have said anointing and are told in 1 John 2:27 to let that anointing be our teacher and not any man.
Studying scriptures and knowing the Bible is a good thing to do, BUT it in no way is a substitute for having a personal relationship with the Lord. We must know God and he must know us. We can only get to know someone by spending time with them. I encourage you to spend time with the Lord, in prayer and quiet meditation, seeking His direction. We must learn to listen and not just babble.
Let’s not be like the Pharisees of Jesus day on earth. They knew scripture inside out, backwards and forward but did not know God, who was standing right in front of them. Jesus said something very profound in John 5:38-40. He warned the Pharisees that we do not get to heaven by being book smart about the bible. We only get to heaven by coming to him in a relationship. I will not quote the passage here (you can click the passage link to read it) but encourage you to go read it yourself. We all should be aware and not fall into the trap of the Pharisees.
It seems to me that most of the “church” is enamored by the writings and preaching of MEN. People spend countless hours reading “faith” based books or hearing preachers but NO time spent reading and listening for the very WORDS of the Lord. The WORDS of JESUS will be our judge on the last days so while learning about others perspective about GOD may be helpful, if we are not careful, these manly words can lead to our destruction.
