Pharisees

Man's Hypocrisy of Christianity One can call it by any name, spiritual traditions, Christianity, religion, or even religious morality, but Jesus called it hypocrisy. In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, he compares true Christianity to religious hypocrisy. A hypocrite is a person who tells others to live or do a certain thing, and then that same person lives or does the complete opposite of what he preaches. This type of behavior has existed from the time Adam took a bite of…

Perhaps astonishingly would be Luther’s attitude and his demeanor within his letter to Leo X. Despite the fact that many think Luther to be completely against every member of the clergy (as he does call them “despised” and equates them to the Pharisees that Jesus termed “a brood of vipers” ), in his letter to the Pope he appears very apologetic and honorable in his discourse. Pop-history may provide the inexperienced historian with a bit of wonder…

In Victorian England, a young heroine fell in love and became engaged to a rich socialite man, not knowing he had a secret; a secret that would be revealed on their wedding day. When found out by the heroine, this discovery would leave her utterly distraught and with no choice but to flee to the country. This is the situation that is faced by Jane Eyre in the book Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Eventually, it is discovered that the man, Edward Rochester was already married. He was married to…

doctrine and salvation through Christ. Jesus’ messages from the sermon on the mount model the need of grace to be saved. According to Jesus in one of the passages listed above, “unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20, NKJV). In this passage Jesus is saying that unless a person is far more righteous than the most righteous individuals they will not make into heaven. Figuratively he is…

The bible is from the original source and the word testament means testimony. Testimony means ‘proof or evidence that something exists or is true’ (merriam webster dictionary). The first stage of the four Gospels was based on the teachings and parables of Jesus during his lifetime when he travelled and preached about the ‘Reign of God’. During 30-33 AD, the idea of the Reign of God was at the centre of his instruction and way of life. Jesus preached the Reign of God to be the relationship of…

Although Mark labels Jesus as the “Son of God” in the first verse of his Gospel, it seems that this title does not define Jesus. Rather, Jesus defines what being the Son of God entails. For instance, Mark implies that the Son of God must be tempted and remain faithful to God. Immediately after being baptized by John the Baptist, “the spirit drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan” (Mk 1:12-13). Jesus was forcibly driven into the…

The Authenticity of the Gospels in the person of Jesus Christ The gospel of John recounts a pool in Siloam where Jesus heals a blind man, "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means "Sent"). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing,”” (John 9:7, New International Version). According to Dickinson, the gospels tell of the events in the life of Jesus took place during an oppressed time in history where he believes today, there is a connection between history and faith.…

In Matthew 5-7 Sermon on the Mount Jesus explains, how to live a life that is dedicated to and pleasing to God, free from hypocrisy, full of love and grace, full of wisdom and discernment. His main argument is that we should turn the other cheek to those that have done wrong and evil thins to us. The reason being is that if we respond with negativity we can only cause more negativity, which causes you not only to have an impure soul but can have an effect on those around you. I agree with this…

Although millions, perhaps billions, of people have heard of a man named Jesus, far fewer are aware of who Jesus claimed to be. Some believe He was simply a good teacher; others hold to the idea that He was a lunatic, or even a sorcerer. On the other hand, religions such as Islam and Judaism label Him as a prophet. To determine Jesus’ true identity, however, one must examine the claims He made concerning Himself, as recorded by both followers and secular authors. Throughout all these testimonies…

FASTING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT A Common Discipline The discipline of fasting is a practice that is commonly misunderstood. The connotations that surround this spiritual discipline leave many people to view fasting in one of two extremes: something that is hazardous to one’s health, or something for those in a seemingly unreachable spiritual state. However, the reality is neither of these. To quote John Wesley, “Some have exalted fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have…