"And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?"
This lesson is very descriptive of much of "Christianity" today. Herein, Jesus warns of the "leaven of the Pharisees".
Just as were those disciples, present with Jesus as He taught, many today are obviously confused by what Jesus meant when He said "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees".
During the entire ministry of Jesus, the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, were spreading the seed of doubt and continually insisting that the Jewish people should ignore Jesus and adhere strictly to the Law of Moses.(As they wrongfully applied it.)
Today, almost all the known "Christian" denominations, teach that in order to see heaven, we must live our lives according to a set of rules that have been either gleaned from Mosiac law, or simply made up to best suit those who teach them.
There are only two commandments demanded of today's true Christian people. Jesus very clearly defined them in Matthew 22:37-40, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
The "leaven of the Pharisees" is any doctrine, or set of tenets, that attempt to take the sin remitting, soul saving power of God's grace away from what was accomplished by, and attained through faith in, the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The vast majority of today's isms attempt to do just that, they try to place the burden of sin back on the individual instead of allowing for the fact that Jesus came solely to bear the burden of ALL sin, past, present and future for those who would believe in Him.
1 John 3:8-9, "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. "
1 John 3:8-9, "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. "
This quote should be read over and over by those who claim to have their faith in Jesus Christ! John, very clearly, says that "He that committeth sin is of the devil", that means that if sin can be charged against a person, that person of OF THE DEVIL, and IS NOT secure within the saving grace of God.
Now, the last portion of Johns statement defines those who have been forgiven, or "justified", "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
This cannot be made clearer! A person who has placed his/her faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ CANNOT commit sin, period.
John also very clearly defines the purpose of Jesus coming when he said, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." This quote does not say that Jesus came to simply bruise the works of the devil (sin), He came to "destroy" those works.
This cannot be made clearer! A person who has placed his/her faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ CANNOT commit sin, period.
John also very clearly defines the purpose of Jesus coming when he said, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." This quote does not say that Jesus came to simply bruise the works of the devil (sin), He came to "destroy" those works.
The very purpose of the birth, life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ was to remit the sins of all those who would believe in Him. Therefore, it behooves us to, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees."~
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