"7. They say things and do not do them. There is often an abysmal inconsistency in the moral standard they demand and that which they exercise. As they patrol social media, they exercise an ethic inconsistent with the standard they exact from others. While they aggressively condemn others on social media, they commit those very things behind closed doors.
They demand compassion, but harshly disdain others.
They cry for justice, but presumptuously condemn.
They insist on grace, but punish those who disagree.
They demand equality, but exercise partiality.
They insist on love, while treating those who disagree with hate." -- Pastor Eric Davis
So we hate the brethren, are unsaved and now are secret sinners behind closed doors? How would you possibly know Pastor? Oh that's right -- you can't. This article has now gone off the rails. What started as a misguided diatribe has now devolved into personal attacks, ironically enough considering what he claims to hate so much.
"8. They seek to justify themselves and view others with contempt. In this sense, the new Pharisees tend towards legalism. It's difficult to attain to justification in their system. You can do it, but you must cling to their cultural commands. You can achieve justification in their system. But, you must achieve it. Their law is tricky. You must be as angry at yourself as they are about you regarding sins you never committed. You must be able to speak and cry down the ever-growing lists of 'ists that they keep. You must not keep silent. No, silent reflection; a heart that ponders how to answer; these are sins in this system. You must answer a matter before its heard. You must be the first to plead a case. You must not look at the bigger picture. If you do, you are part of the evil, cursed crowds who do not know the law (cf. John 7:49). You must hold to guilty until proven innocent. There is no time for humble, thorough truth searching. Actual great sins--if anyone accuses another of such a sin--cannot be studied with slow, objective examination of all sides from all angles so as to arrive at truth. Truth is not really the goal. If your rage meter does not soar as high as theirs, well, you are guilty and unforgiven. Justification comes through equaling, or surpassing, their rally-cry in the latest preferential cultural fad; and joining them in graceless, baseless reviling of others. They place a yoke upon others' neck which no one can bear. Theirs is a burdensome system of salvation. Biblical justification by faith alone in Christ alone isn't enough to admit you into their church and their heaven. Seeing, loathing, and confessing your personal sin; putting broken child-like confidence in Christ and his finished work on the cross for acceptance with God--all this is insufficient. You must join them in getting as angry, and as social-media patrolling, and woked as them, whatever the current standard happens to be. Then, maybe, you'll be accepted." -- Pastor Eric Davis
This has nothing to do with me. I am just dirt talking to dirt, as my pastor would say. Legalism is using the law to justify salvation. That is not what discernment ministries do. We insist on biblical accuracy from those who labor in teaching and preaching. I do not want you to justify yourself -- just divide the word of truth correctly. That yoke sir, was placed on your neck by God Himself, not me. The word says we will be judged at a higher standard and that the blood of our listeners is upon our heads. If you need time to study, go for it. Just stop preaching until you understand what you are saying. Eternal souls are at stake here.
"9. Their spirituality is only external. The outside of the cup looks clean because of the false spirituality. They cry down the easy-to-condemn fouls outside of them in greater culture. In the meantime, they do not cry down the fouls inside of them. As such, they lack the true inner spirituality Jesus calls for (Matt. 5:3-5, 7:3-5). The behavior of some of the new pharisees is telling. It's almost like they are trying to live the photo-negative of Jesus' beatitudes: They act, not as impoverished of spirit, but self-made-rich in spirit. The way they disdain others who differ with their man-made ethic is revealing. They do not mourn their own inner heart sins, but rage against others outside of themselves with no humility and compassion. They do not hunger for inner, heart-holiness. They hunger for nothing as to their own inner righteousness. Instead, theirs is a hunger solely for others to conform to their skewed, sub-cultural standard. They hunger to be exalted by pushing the moral fences far away from themselves, and towards culturally fashionable faux pas. They are blind to their spiritual bankruptcy, crying for an external form of righteousness while utterly lacking true inward righteousness. They demand outward confirming to their narrow, standard while failing to confirm to God's inward beatitude brokenness." -- Pastor Eric Davis
