YES, they even argued with Jesus while thinking they had a right to get into heaven because of their good deeds. The fact that they argue with God after they are dead they think their ideas and even themselves are equal to God. Who are "they", they are those who believed they were going to heaven but had not trusted in Christ. They had a religion but they did not have a relationship with Christ. They did not look to Christ as their authority, they looked to Him to validate themselves as special. These pretenders are proud and self-righteous, depending on their own version of goodness to enter heaven on their own power.
Matthew 7:21-23
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [a]miracles?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
And today they argue with us when we bring scripture to bear on a matter. To argue with scripture is to argue with God.
The modern church gatherings are not obeying God in most things including the way they gather and their idea of leadership. Their leaders are men, not the Holy Spirit. Their leading has to do with cultural norms rather than God's Word.
Mankind often thinks they know better than God how things ought to be run in their gatherings. They operate from the standpoint of what they think works, what manipulates people rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to work.
We know this by the flattering and motivational words they use to make people feel happy and comfortable.
I notice that many preachers today are using the excuse that Christians cannot violate the words of God that says "do not forsake the gathering" as though two or three people in a household is not a gathering.
Matthew 18:20 "20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
Notice one only has to have "two" gathering to be pleasing to God.
I am convinced that the pastors of today are not upset at the closing of churches because of this Matthew 18 verse, they are upset because they are not receiving the salaries or paying the mortgage on buildings. Nowhere in the word of God does He tell us to build buildings or pay salaries to preachers.
Titles for preachers are forbidden by God.
Matthew 23:9
"9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."
Any title of authority given to any man is a violation of the scriptures. "Pastor" is not a title it is a gift and several in one gathering should have this gift.
The title of "Reverend" is dishonoring to Christ because it elevates a man to the level of Christ. "Reverend" means "worthy to be revered." We ought not to be elevating anyone above anyone else. We all have jobs to do, some are leaders but they are to lead by example and teaching not by an authority over.
Jesus Christ is the only Authority over a born again believer. We submit one to another as a person is led by God, but we are not required to submit to someone teaching untruth or who is sinning.
The only way to be born again, the only way to enter heaven is to confess our sinful nature and ask Christ to change us into a new creation. After we do this with a sincere heart Christ will come to dwell in you while cleansing you from your sin. His shed blood for the penalty of sin is counted to those who do this. He paid the pride for sin, He is the One that saves when we have faith in Him. Then HE cleans us up and makes us ready for heaven. He is our righteousness because we have none of our own.
Those who wish to have special titles above others are prideful, full of the culture, and their own self-righteousness. If you are one who allows others to call you by a title as a one-man pastor in a church gathering, repent, drop the title, refuse the paycheck and encourage other men in the gathering to participate in the preaching and leading. The leadership in the local gathering is the model God gives us in the Word of God. All other models are man-made and without God's blessing!
1 Corinthians 3:1-14 "3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.
2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,
3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?
4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?
5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.
5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.
11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.
14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.
11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.
14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
