Religious people are contradictory because they are "performing" rather than having been changed by Christ into a new creation.
"Religion" is about performance and very self-focused, earning their way to heaven, and proud of it. The religious have many rules they make up to fit what they wish to believe, negating much of the Bible in favor of their own system.
Born-again believers trust in Christ and are changed by Him, operating with His mindset as described in the Bible.
In my experience, religious people tend to be prideful and demanding of others. Christ shared truth by the Word, but He never forced or intimidated others into compliance, except in the Temple when the money changers were defiling His Father's house.
Notice in 2 Timothy 3 the people with these horrid character traits have a form of religion but deny Christ in their lifestyle while claiming they are "Christian."
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Difficult Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."
And, what is God's direction to us when we encounter such people? The answer is for us to avoid them.
Matthew 23:27-28
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. / In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."
Titus 1:16
"They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed."
Matthew 7:15-20
"Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit."
1 Timothy 4:1-2
"Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."
Ezekiel 33:31-32
"So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain. / Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice."
1 John 2:4
"If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
Romans 16:17-18
"Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive."
It is not those who point out the disobedience to God's Word who are divisive; it is those who disobey the Word and fight against it when informed about their sin of rebellion.
Don't be one of these people: It is in Christ that we can be cleansed of human rituals and divisive attitudes that lead others away from God.
Matthew 15:7-9
"You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’"
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