Do you remember all those “woes” that Jesus pronounced on the scribes and Pharisees?

Here are some of them, from Luke 11:42-44.

“But woe to you Pharisees!
For you tithe mint and rue and every herb,
and neglect justice and the love of God.
These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

Woe to you Pharisees!
For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
Woe to you!
For you are like unmarked graves,
and people walk over them without knowing it.”

Jesus said “Woe,” and I say “Whoa.” That’s some pretty harsh stuff there.

But what I want to zero in on today is what came next, after that, from one of the lawyers who were hanging around. (Not lawyers the way we think of them today, but men who studied the Old Covenant law to figure out how to apply it to everybody’s lives.)

One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.”

Not a smart idea to speak up, buddy.

And Jesus said, “Woe to you lawyers also!”

Whoa.

“For you load people with burdens hard to bear,
and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.”

“Oh my word,” says I. “This is exactly what’s going on in so many churches!” I’ve written about this kind of rank hypocrisy quite a few times, one of which is here

Jesus absolutely and utterly condemned this hypocritical exaltation of leaders.

A few verses later He said,

“Woe to you lawyers!
For you have taken away the key of knowledge.
You did not enter yourselves,
and you hindered those who were entering.”

“The key of knowledge” [or in some versions, “learning”]. What an interesting expression.

What was the key of knowledge (or learning) that they took away?

It was making the God-life about rules instead of about life.

And where was it they were supposed to “enter”?

The God-life. The life of relationship with the Father.

So when “the kingdom of God was in their midst” in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, they couldn’t even recognize Him because of their layers upon layers upon layers of rules.

He came to bring good news. But when He used the word “gospel”—literally, “good news”—they didn’t believe Him and didn’t want to hear it.

It’s happening today too.

I’m currently working on Untwisting Scriptures to Find Freedom and Joy in Jesus Christ: Book 6 Striving, Dying to Self, and Life. It in I talk about this life that Jesus promised, vs the one that is delivered in far too many churches today.

Preachers may use the word “gospel,” they may say that Jesus came to die on the cross for us, but often, when it comes right down to it, the “good news” you’ve been offered ends up being heavy burdens instead.

Making the Christ-life about rules instead of about life.

You have been promised good news but are led into prison.

But the true gospel really does offer good news.

Deliverance from the penalty of sin, yes. Many of these churches emphasize sin in their preaching, their songs, and their liturgy. (And often sin gets defined to whatever the leader wants to define it to be.)

Deliverance from the power of sin, which is rarely touched on in these circles.

But according to the amount of space dedicated to it in the New Testament, it appears to be even more important that you receive freedom and deliverance from keeping the law—any law—as a way to achieve godliness, as a way to reach God.

All of your righteousness, rightness with God, is achieved through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

“You have taken away the key of knowledge,” Jesus said to the lawyers. “You have not entered. And you’re trying to keep others from entering.”

Times haven’t changed a whole lot. We see this now.

But our Lord Jesus opens His hands and heart and says, “Come.”

“Come to Me, and I will give rest for your weary souls.”

In my upcoming book, Untwisting Scriptures to Find Freedom and Joy in Jesus Christ: Book 6 Striving, Dying to Self, and Life, I’m addressing all these things in much more detail. It’s scheduled to go to my beta readers October 1st, then to a Book Launch Team in mid November (which you can join here), with a projected publication date of December 3rd.

No keeping of ANY law for staying in right relationship with God?

Not any?

No works at all?

No, none.

And lest you leap to accuse me of antinomianism, I want to assure you of my confidence that when we find all our relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ alone and not through works, our hearts will become more and more aligned with His heart as He lives in us and we live in Him. 

You’ll see His river spring out of you (John 7:37-39) as you look to Him, producing good works as varied as those of the saints of Hebrews 11.

Yes, this is truly good news. That’s why it’s called “the gospel.”

Whoa. It’s beautiful.

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