By Don Nicely  

One of the main operations of the Pharisee spirit is the spirit of legalism. It seeks to rob the happiness and joy of the other Christians. It is this spirit that killed Abel over worship styles, crucified Christ for power, stoned Stephen for preaching against them, and imprisoned Paul to shut him up.

Now legalism begins with a personal conviction and usually one that is not found in the scriptures. There’s nothing wrong with personal convictions-the problem comes when we try to enforce them on other believers.

You see God only gave us ten rules to live by and Jesus even shortened the list down to two. But the Pharisees took God’s original Ten Commandments and turned them into over 600 rules. And the sad fact was they made them up in God’s name. Things like you couldn’t spit on the ground on the Sabbath because your spit would make a furrow and that was considered work. Wow! Talk about staining at a gnat.

In the same way today many churches have ridiculous rules and rituals that can’t be found anywhere in scripture. At one church I preached at once they had a light on the cross that they left on all the time because the founding pastor had turned it on, and many years after he was dead in heaven they were still tending that light out of tradition. They even went as far as to think it to be sacrilegious to turn it off.

So in order for the pharisaical spirit to operate in a person’s life, there must be an entranceway. Usually Satan uses an offense and the response of a lack of unconditional love to influence a person to do evil purposes. Satan has no love, because only God is love. If we operate at all outside of love we are operating in the deceptive spirit of the Pharisee.

Recognizing the spirit of the Pharisee

This spirit craves praise. Now it is human, to desire acclamation and want people to speak well of you, but if that is what motivates you, and your only concern is what others think about you, then you are in danger of this spirit.

The Pharisee covets positions, titles, and public recognition. Most want the power of the title without the responsibility that comes with it. They are more concerned that the traditions are kept. They have the appearance of holiness, but they don’t have the intimate relationship with God to enforce it. They refuse correction themselves, but want to correct others.

People affected by this spirit esteem the written word over the living word. They worship the book of God and not the God of the book. They cannot stand to see people living freedom and enjoying their life in Christ. They are too centered on their manmade doctrines. Doctrine is good, but God never designed doctrine to control or restrict our lives. They enable us to determine the will of God, so that we can obey him and enjoy our freedom in Christ.

Much of their doctrine is forged in hypocrisy:

1Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3Therefore whatever they tell you to observe that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries board and enlarge the borders of their garments.

Matthew 23:1-4 (NKJV)

They are zealous to win people over to their opinions, but not necessarily God’s:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 15”Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” 16”Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’”

Matthew 23:14-16 (NKJV)

On the outside they appear righteous, but inwardly they are morally defiled:

”Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Matthew 23:27-28 (NKJV)27

Releasing the flow of grace

Jesus said that the way to fight this spirit taws to use servant hood and humility.

Burt he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12And whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Matthew 23:11-12 (NKJV)

When we humble ourselves and serve others we do it as unto the Lord.

23And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.

Colossians 3:23 (NKJV)

If you want grace poured into your life don’t be critical, judgmental or legalistic. Let the spirit of grace flow through you.

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Don Nicely pastors New Hope Church of God in Vero Beach, Florida http://www.shiningnewhope.com