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Many today highly respect their religious leaders as very spiritual or holy men. Have you ever said to yourself, “I would like to be like him?” Have you ever thought that some religious leader was closer to God than you were? Be warned. They may not be what they seem to be. They may be teaching error and their lives may not please God. God may have rejected them just as Jesus did when He walked this earth. What God expects from us is found in the Bible.
What God wants may not be accurately written or provided in a church bulletin, recorded on a DVD, printed in a Christian book, spoken from a pulpit, modeled in the life of a religious leader, or sung in a praise song. God’s Word is the only source of truth. Everything else may contain human error. Jesus says that even religious leaders can be wrong! Do you know the Bible, or do you know only what some author, teacher, leader, or preacher told you that the Bible says? Be warned. They may be wrong! The Pharisees and scribes were wrong. Their teaching and their spiritual lives were a mess.
You Have Heard. Then Jesus proceeded to correct several false teachings and to give His listeners a different standard of spiritual conduct.
You have heard that the ancients were told, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER” and “Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.” (NASB) Matt. 5:21 Jesus starts by quoting the sixth command in the Ten Commandments which were recorded by Moses in Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 35:30-31. Then Jesus apparently repeats a common statement used among the people.
Some have accused the Pharisees of adding “Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court” to the commandment and believe that the religious leaders had removed the penalty of capital punishment. But if we look closely at the following passage, we discover that God required a court trial for anyone accused of murder.
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial.’” (NASB) Num. 35:9-12 |
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| Life & Heart of Jesus | |||||
