4. You don’t repent of sin … you don’t have any “serious” sin to repent of.
Remember that time the modern-day Pharisees repented of sin in their life? Oh wait, they never have. What is a Pharisee? Pharisees are people who don’t have any serious sin to repent of. Pharisees have a reputation and status to maintain. Repentance involves vulnerability and weakness. Pharisees don’t show weakness.
Who cares if the God of the universe was humiliated and mocked by mere men? That has no bearing on a modern-day Pharisee.
Repentance is for people who sin really bad. Not for them.
5. You make every issue black and white.
What is a Pharisee? The Bible is grey on many issues. But modern-day Pharisees don’t deal in the world of grey. They must have everything black and white. In or out. Yes or no. Up or down.
You see, if an issue is grey, modern-day Pharisees have to do some work on the heart. And Pharisees don’t work on the heart. They don’t consider motives.
Here is another thing about grey. It does not allow modern-day Pharisees to keep score. Black and white issues, however, allow them to keep a tally of their righteousness. “I have never drank or smoke or gambled or cheated on my wife.” Who cares if their heart is full of lust, anger and envy?
Making a grey issue black and white means modern-day Pharisees don’t have to deal with the motives underneath their actions.
6. You would never condone homosexuality or fornication … but have no problem watching movies that do.
If someone were to preach on the evils of homosexuality or sex before marriage, a modern-day Pharisee would nod his or her head in agreement. “Yeah, that’s right preacher. Preach on!” But on Sunday night, they plop down in the recliner and find humor from a movie or TV show glamorizing the very thing they just agreed was wrong.
This is the real issue with modern-day Pharisees. They love to put on a show when the lights are on. They want people to think they are righteous. But Jesus does not inform the rest of their lives.
After all, they went to church … and life group. The checklist is complete.
7. Your salvation is based on your works, not on Jesus.
What is a Pharisee? Modern-day Pharisees believe in their works. That’s why they love James 2:14-26. But they skirt around passages about grace. Oh, yeah. They believe Jesus died on the cross for their sins. But they turn around and mock the cross by trying to earn their salvation.
8. You read the Bible to substantiate your convictions, not to be shaped into God’s image.
During the time of Jesus, no one knew more Scripture than the Pharisees. They studied the Scriptures relentlessly.
