There once was a man who said to me that he was disgusted with all these people who have dramatic testimonies of salvation. This man claimed to be a Christina. These others were on drugs, lying under bridges with no hope and God saved them to clean up their heart, make them a new creation AND that their lives drastically changed.
These dear ones had a heart transformed that completely replaced their way of thinking as they became deeply devoted to Christ because of all He did for this man.
The reason the first man was disgusted was because he was a "Christian" all his life having learned the ways to talk as well as avoiding certain obvious sins through cultural expectations. He didn't believe the transformation in the homeless guy was real because the self righteous one had no dramatic change in himself all his life. His pride loomed large over every decision he made and every interpersonal relationship he had. He was rude, arrogant and stubborn when told his rudeness and arrogance we sin. He raged even more adamantly when told he had sinned against someone and never repented from his sin, ever. This self righteous man was actually jealous of anyone who was so changed and grateful to God because he didn't have a testimony such as this.
Luke 7:47-48 "47 Therefore I tell you, because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”…"
The self righteous man could not rejoice with the homeless man who was changed because he didn't recognize the sin in his own life. This man had such a high view of his own self righteousness that he acted as though he had no need of the transformation the homeless man experienced.
I even witnessed this self righteous man emotionally and spiritually beating down a repentant sinner saying "why did you do it." Rather than rejoicing in the confession and cleansing from sin he took the opportunity to kick the repentant soul while it was down. This is the tactic of the devil, another clue that the self righteous man loved to see the sinner fall, it made him feel superior. The one who confessed was forgiven by God for their sin, but the self righteous man was not forgive for his pride and determination that he had done a favor to God by becoming a Christian.
Luke 18:9-14
"9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be [f]merciful to me, the sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
I have known many people just like the publican, they show their heart when they become angry at a challenge to test their own heart to see if they are born again because the lovely fruit of the Spirit is not evident. Perhaps the self righteous one cannot stand to see a sinner transformed and changed because it has not happened to them, the are jealous. These types seem to love to hang around those who are sinful, it makes them feel superior. They cannot stand to see someone cleansed and changed by God, so they spend their lives denying what God has done in someone. Someone like this cannot be born again.
A born again believer rejoices at confession and repentance. The authentic believer loves to see God work in the lives of sinners, especially because they know how lost they were and what it feels like to gain the joy of the Lord from having been cleansed by Him.
Matthew 7:16-20 "16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Those who lack the fruit of the Spirit will tell you they have it but their lives do not demonstrate it. They do not have self control because they rage at anyone who will quote scripture to them for correction. These people continually snatch passages out of the context of the entire Bible to make them say what they wish to believe. You will find these self righteous ones studying the Bible to show superior knowledge but all the fruit of the Spirit is missing. Jealousy looms large in their daily lives as they struggle to appear spiritual when they are really devoid of the fruit, that is the lovely character qualities of Christ.
Another clue as to the lack of fruit is the joy that seems to be missing from their lives. They are only happy when they are getting worldly things that they want. They place their trust in their appearances and the acceptance of others rather than in Christ.
One who loves the Lord and has the fruit does not provoke another believer, they do not wish to be superior nor do they minimize the work of Christ in someone's life.
Sadly the man who didn't believe he was so bad to have to weep over his sinfulness did not understand that he never became born again. No one is better than that homeless man, everyone has to come in brokenness confessing their sinfulness in order for Christ to come and live in them.
There are many people in the church gatherings today who "decided to become a Christian", probably because it made them feel safe and gave them a better life, but they never trusted Christ. Christ never came to live in them, there has been no cleansing process of growth because they didn't think they needed to change.
Matthew 15:19
"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders."
The pretenders are many, living a cultural Christianity in order to elevate self they follow meaningless rituals and harsh rules not assigned to us by God. These people boast of their goodness, their deeds and their superiority but there is no love, there is no fruit of the Spirit demonstrated in their lives no matter how much they proclaim it. These self righteous ones will assign their own flaws and sins to others who love the Lord to deflect any assertion that they need to repent and confess.
John 13:35
"35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Matthew 22:36-40 Christ was asked:
"36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
If you love those who need to hear the truth to repent never withhold that correction to maintain a relationship. Your correction may save their lives for eternity. If you lose their love and friendship because you have warned them, then they never loved you in the first place and they will not want you for their friend anyway. Let them go and trust God to work in them.
There are others who may want to hear the truth who might be helped, wasting our time on those who are resistant only causes us to neglect the others who might be helped.
Resistant people keep us all bound up in silly drama while they think up ways to be angry.
Proverbs 22:24
"Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,"
Proverbs 14:29
"Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly."
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