the pharisee and the publican

8/14/2019 the pharisee and the publican

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The Pharisee and the Publican

Luk 18:9-14And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselvesthat they were righteous, and despised others:

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the

other a publican.The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that Iam not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as thispublican.

I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much ashis eyesunto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me asinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justifiedrather than theother: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humblethhimself shall be exalted.

Pharisees were learned in Scripture; publicans were trained in money collecting.Pharisees were "holy men of God"; publicans were generally despised bysociety.Pharisees were ready to pass judgement on those who could not keep up withtheir rules;publicans needed to take those who would not pay their toll, to the law.Pharisees kept the Law of God (with their own interpretations where needed);publicans kept money they took (with a little extortion to the side).The Pharisee was sure of his "salvation" by the works of the Law;the publican was sure of his damnation by works of sin.The Pharisee was judged by his own claim to holiness;

the publican was justified by his own claim to sinning.The Pharisee went home with Hell in his future, unless he repented;the publican went home with Heaven in his future, by calling on the grace ofGod's mercy.

This is not to condone sin: God is Holy and shall never tolerate sin. Which is whyHe sent His son Jesus to die on the Cross on Golgotha, so than people mightfind the Way to go to God. Jesus went to Hell and back, so you do not need to gothere. Because the only return-ticket out of hell has already been used by JesusChrist.

God is holy and shall never tolerate sin. That is why all people have a

chance to call upon the Name of Jesus to be saved. Those who never heard thegospel?

Rom 2:12-16For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish withoutlaw: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shallbe justified.For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things


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contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also

bearing witness, andtheir thoughts the mean while accusing or elseexcusing one another;)

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to

my gospel.

Those without the Law, are judged according to their conscience.Those with the Law but without the Gospel, are judged according to the Law.Those with the Law and the Gospel, are judged according to their acceptance ofthe Gospel, and then whether or not they kept the Law which the Holy Spirit shallwrite in the heart of those who become a part of the new covenant:

Joh 10:9I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shallgo in and out, and find pasture.

Act 2:21And it shall come to pass, thatwhosoever shall call on the name of theLord shall be saved.

Jer 31:31-34:Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a newcovenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the daythatItook them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which mycovenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; Afterthose days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write itin their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his

brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from theleast of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their

iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Those with the Gospel and without the Law? The modern churches are filled withthose. They claim to be free from the Law, free by grace, they say, and use whatshould have been their freedom to do what they must, which is to glorify God intheir lives, as freedom to feed their own lusts.

And all they say about that is: "God is mercyful. He forgives."

They go into all the world "to make converts for Jesus"; and they conform to theworld, which belongs to the Darkness and hates the things of the Light, and claimto use that to lead people to the Truth. The Lie shall never lead to Truth.

Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visitthe fatherless and widows in their affliction, andto keep himselfunspotted from the world


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To be holy unto God, means to be set apart by His Spirit, to be different from theworld.

Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of theworld is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is

the enemy of God.

The Pharisees loved to be known by the world as great men of God. Theydemanded the tithes and offerings, and probably claimed that the poor haveplaces to go to help them. Matthew 23 is a bit long to quote here (KJV). And theyeven demanded that all men who will be Saved, be circumcised.

Act 15:5-11 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed,saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to commandthem tokeep the law of Moses.

And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them,

Men andbrethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choiceamong us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel,and believe.

And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the HolyGhost, even as he didunto us;And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples,which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved,even as they.

Interesting. That seems to have been studied well by modern preachers also.

The Pharisee was damned by his assurance of Salvation by keepingthe Law and the works;

while the publican was justified by his assurance of damnation exceptthrough the grace of God's mercy.

And being justified, he received Salvation.And Salvation shall be seen in the works which follow it; it does not come by theworks before it.

Jas 2:14-24 Whatdoth itprofit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith,and have not works? can faith save him?

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, beye warmed and filled;

notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to thebody; whatdoth itprofit?

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith


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without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, andtremble.But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his

son upon the altar?Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith madeperfect?And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it wasimputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

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the pharisee and the publican