This is the biblical definition of a hypocrite, "someone whose words and heart (actions) don't agree." A hypocrite may act the part of a Christian or talk like Christ, but he or she won't do both. Hypocrisy is defined by the dictionary as, "The feigning of beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; insincerity" (American Heritage Dictionary). In the Greek, the word means "the playing of a part on the stage."

Hypocrisy is often said to be doing something even though you don't want to or feel like doing it. It is true that God demands that our motive and reason for doing things be right, but this does not mean that we always want to, or delight in, doing something. 

To do what God wants you to do, or to do unto others what you would want them to do unto you, is not hypocrisy (Matthew 7:12) even if you don't feel like doing it. It is hypocrisy only when your motive for doing it is wrong and you're not genuinely seeking the welfare and benefit of others.  Jesus didn't feel like going to the cross, but He went anyway to seek the welfare and benefit of the world.

Agape love is described as the, "love (that) can be known only from the actions it prompts." This is not the love of complacency or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by any excellency in its objects (Romans 5:8).

Christian love (agape), whether shown toward the brethren, or toward others generally, is not an impulse from the feelings. It does not always run with the natural insticts. It seeks the welfare of all (Romans 15:2) and works no ill to any (Romans 13:8-10). " Agape seeks opportunity to do good to all men. . ." 

In Luke 11:49  "Therefore also said the wisdom of God," is a part of Luke's narrative and not the words of Jesus. Luke is saying that Jesus is the wisdom of God, a truth well established in the Bible.

There is no way to access the wisdom of God except through Jesus. Until a person receives Christ, he is missing the only source of true wisdom. Men and women are not able to receive the wisdom of God, but those who submit themselves to God have access to the wisdom of God on their own, through the Holy Spirit. We must be dependent upon the Holy Spirit to receive the wisdom of God in our lives.

A Christian who has not received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit can have some revelation knowledge, but it will be limited. One of the greatest evidences that an individual has received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the tremendous amount of God's wisdom that becomes available to him.

The truths of the Gospel, and the power of God that these truths release, can only be given through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Human wisdom, regardless of how eloquent it is, cannot convey the life of God. Much of the preaching of the Gospel today is done in man's wisdom. It's impressive to the carnal mind, but it leaves the spirit starving for the touch of God. The greatest need among ministers today is not to have more of the world's education, but to receive the revelation knowledge of the Holy Spirit. Only words spoken by the Spirit of God can reach the spirit of man. Spiritual thoughts have to be spoken with spiritual words (1 Corinthians 2:13).

In Luke 11:32 when Jesus said, "and not to leave the other undone," it is clear that He is not arguing against doing what is right. 

God's Word stresses holiness in our actions. The Pharisees' error that caused Jesus' rebuke was that they believed their actions could produce a right relationship with God. But a proper relationship with God can only come by humbling ourselves and putting faith in a Savior, who is Jesus. 

God cleanses our hearts by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) and then we have our fruit unto holiness (Romans 6:22). Holiness is a fruit, not a root, of salvation.

In a similar instance found in Matthew 23:26, Jesus told the Pharisees, "Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." 

True Christianity comes from the inside out. A good heart will change a man's actions, but a man's actions cannot change his heart.

One of religion's favorite doctrines is that if you will just act right, you will be right. Nothing could be further from the truth. You must be born again. And if you are born again, then holiness is a by-product and not the way to a relationship with God.

This is the heart of the Gospel. Every major religion of the world has a moral standard it enforces, but only Christianity offers salvation through a Savior. 

Presenting holiness in any way other than as a result of salvation is denying Jesus as our Savior and places the burden of salvation on us. Improper emphasis on achieving holiness or salvation through one's own actions can damn that person. We must trust Jesus completely.

Luke 11:38 is a sure sign of legalism.  It is misplaced priorities. We see this with the Pharisees. It is not recorded in Scripture that the Pharisees marveled at the wonderful works of Jesus. They were too busy looking for something to criticize (Mark 3:2). But they marveled at Jesus not washing His hands. This is a classic example of straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel (Matthew 23:24).

Those who seek to earn righteousness through keeping the Law are consumed with "doing," while those who receive righteousness by faith are simply confessing what has already been done. This is a simple and profound difference. If we are still "doing" acts of holiness to get God to move in our lives, then we are still operating under a "Law" mentality that is not faith (Galalatians 3:12). When we simply believe and confess what has already been provided through Christ, that's grace.

A person who is living under the Law and a person who lives under grace should have very similar actions of holiness, but their motivations are completely opposite. The legalist has their attention on what they must do, while the person living by faith has his attention on what Christ has already done for him. 

The Scriptures teach us to confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts, and we will receive from God. The legalist thinks, That means I can get God to heal me by confessing, 'By his stripes I am healed.' The person who understands God's grace will not confess the Word to get healed. They will confess, "By His stripes I am healed" because they really believe it has already been done.

Analyzing our "mind set" is the simplest way of discerning whether we are operating in true Bible faith or a legalistic counterfeit. If the motive for our actions is to be accepted with God, that's legalism. If we live wholly out of faith and gratefulness for what God has already done, that's grace. Grow in grace!

The Holy Spirit is a gift (Acts 2:38). You cannot be good enough to earn the gift of the Holy Spirit, but you do have to ask. This is speaking of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is subsequent to the born-again experience.

The Holy Spirit lives in our spirits, and once He comes, He doesn't leave (John 14:16). There is an initial filling when the Holy Spirit first comes. His control and influence over our souls and body does fluctuate proportionally to how well we have our minds renewed to His will (Romans 12:2).

We can be filled more of the Holy Spirit than at other times, even though in our spirits the presence and power of the Holy Spirit does not come and go. Even after we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there will be times when our souls and bodies stray from the leadership of the Him and we need, once again, to be refilled.

In Ephesians 5:18 believers are commanded to "be not drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit." Being filled with the Holy Spirit is in the present tense, making it a continual command for the believer. In the book of Acts, the same people who were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost were filled again. Most people don't get drunk on just one drink.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not just a one-time experience. There is an initial filling of the Holy Spirit, but many subsequent fillings. Just as drunkenness can change a person's personality and make him or her act totally different, being filled with the Holy Spirit can make us act just like Jesus. 

The most loving Father in the world couldn't compare to our heavenly Father and the love He has for us. But, many times, we find it easier to believe in the willingness of a father or mother or mate to help us than in the willingness of God to use His power for us. 

Few people doubt God's ability, but will doubt His willingness to use His ability on our behalf.  That causes most people to do without. Jesus is assuring us that God's love, and His willingness to demonstrate that love, is far greater than we can ever experience in any human relationship.

The Lord didn't just save us out of pity or a sense of obligation because He created us. He saved us because He loved us (John 3:16). It was the "good pleasure of his will" for us to become adopted sons Ephesians1:5). We are wanted and accepted by our Father! What a wonderful thing this is! 

It would have been more than any of us deserve to be forgiven by God. Then to be given certain rights and privileges would have been more than we could have expected. But the Lord went further than that. He has actually accepted us.

The dictionary defines "accept" as "1. to receive gladly; 2. to receive into a place or a group" (New American Heritage Dictionary). The Lord does not just tolerate us; He actually loves us. He even likes us. He rejoices over us with joy (Zephaniah 3:17).

When you consider that Jesus was the greatest miracle worker who ever walked the earth and the greatest preacher who ever lived, it is amazing that His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. Why didn't they ask Him to teach them how to work these miracles or how to preach and amaze the people with their doctrine?

It's because Jesus' prayer life was even more powerful than His miracles or His doctrine. It was His union with the Father that gave Him His power to work miracles and His authority to speak as no man had ever spoken before. Jesus said that it was His Father who was doing the miracles through Him and that His doctrine was not His own but the Father's.

The same is true today. Jesus said in John 15:5 that without Him, we can do nothing. There are many things that we should do in addition to prayer, but there is nothing that we can effectively do without prayer. Prayer is one of the main ways of abiding in Him (John 15:7). Our request should be like these disciples'  "Lord, teach us to pray."

We should come expecting to receive answers to prayer. The Father is ready and willing to answer our prayers. Just ask and you shall receive.

There are only three instances in the bible that gives us information about Martha. From these accounts, we can see that Martha had a brother named Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, and a sister named Mary. 

Martha had misplaced her priorities, Mark 10:40, and was corrected by Jesus. Later, at a supper for Jesus in the home of Simon the leper, Martha was once again serving while Mary her sister was worshiping Jesus by anointing His feet with a costly perfume.

Martha was the first one to run and meet Jesus when He came to their home after the death of Lazarus. It was at this time that Martha said she knew Jesus could have prevented Lazarus from dying and that, even then, she knew He could raise him from the dead. She made a confession of faith in the deity of Jesus, every bit as strong as Peter's, which received a blessing from Jesus.

Martha was not wrong in serving Jesus and His disciples. Other women ministered to Jesus in this way without being corrected. Serving was a good thing, but Martha had put it in the wrong place. Her problem was priorities, not what she was doing. It was a great honor to have Jesus in her home and to be able to hear His personal words to her household. Martha should have given this the same priority that Mary did.

Just like Martha, many people are occupied with things that keep them from hearing the words of Jesus. It is easy to recognize and turn from things that are obviously sin, but even good things that we are involved in must be prioritized so that nothing takes the place of seeking first the kingdom of God.

This question of "who is my neighbor" in Luke 10:29 can be used by Satan to deceive us in more than one way. Not only can he deceive us into thinking we have fulfilled the command to "love thy neighbor as thyself" when we haven't, but he will also try to apply this command in a way that condemns us who are seeking to fulfill it, by making us think we are not doing enough.

We cannot meet the needs of every single person in the world. Jesus wasn't teaching that. This wounded man was directly in the path of these three men. The priest and the Levite had to walk around him. Jesus is simply teaching that we should take advantage of the opportunities we have. The fact that we can't help everyone is no excuse not to help anyone.

Jesus, through this parable, defined a neighbor as any fellow human being who crosses our path and is in need of our assistance. The Samaritan went to the full extent of his ability and beyond  to help the man. The priest and Levite did nothing.

There was a racial and religious hatred between Jews and Samaritans. Devout Jews would not associate with or even talk to a Samaritan. The priest and the Levite that passed by this wounded man were his fellow-countrymen, and yet they didn't help him. This Samaritan, who was considered by religious Jews to be of another nationality, was the true neighbor. Jesus made it clear that we can not define "neighbor" on the basis of our geography or our familiarity with someone. A neighbor is anyone that God puts in your path.

Just as with the lawyer in Luke 10:28-29, pride causes many people to resist the truth of justification by faith in the grace of God. This lawyer loved himself and the public recognition that his "holy acts" gave him. He was not willing to love God first and his fellow man ahead of himself. His wasn't a sincere question but rather an evasive question to shun responsibility. 

This man was seeking to be justified in the sight of God through his actions. He knew he had not loved everyone as he loved himself, so he is tried to interpret the scripture (Leviticus 19:18) in a way that would conform to his actions. He wanted to define "neighbor" as just his close friends whom he had treated well.

Self-justification always produces excuses, while repentance and faith toward God produces obedience.

The basis of our salvation is grace, that is, God's undeserved, unmerited favor toward us as shown in providing redemption through Christ Jesus.

The means of God saving us is through faith. Through faith we accept God's free gift of salvation, which was provided by grace. So we are saved "by grace ... through faith. We are not saved by grace alone. We are saved by grace through faith. Faith grants us admission to God's grace. Without faith, God's grace is wasted, and without grace, faith is powerless. Faith in God's grace has to be released to receive what God has provided through Christ.

Just as sodium and chloride are poisonous by themselves, so grace or faith used independently of each other are deadly. But when you mix sodium and chloride together in the proper way, you get salt, which you must have to live. Likewise, putting faith in what God has already provided by grace is the key to victorious Christian living.

We were never instructed to have a degree in demonology. Some justify focusing on Satan and his activity to an excesses. This will actually encourage demonic activity and become a device that Satan can use against us.

Paul said, we should not be "ignorant" of Satan's devices. We need to know that the devil and demons exist, and we need to recognize when we are facing demonic activity; but we need to keep our focus on the Lord.

Some people who are excessive in "spiritual warfare" actually spend more time talking to the devil each day than they do talking to God. That's not right.

The best defense against the devil is to be so "God-centered" that we give no place to Satan. People who are very sensitive to the devil's presence usually do so at the expense of being sensitive to the Lord's presence. David said, "If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there" (Psalm 139:8). Any time Satan's oppression is there, God's presence is present also (Hebrews 13:5)! It's just a matter of which one we focus on. Focusing on the devil is a trick of the devil.

Our ability in the Christian life is found in Christ. It is not our ability that makes us strong, but our availability to Christ that enables us.

Paul said, "For when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). He was saying that when he recognized his inability and, relied on the Lord, then the Lord's strength flowed through him. We can do all things THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens us!

Luke 10:19 are examples of God's protection from harm caused by the physical creation, this scripture is also speaking of mastery over the spiritual realm of the enemy (i.e., Satan). This Scripture does not say that Satan cannot inflict any harm. The scriptures abound with examples, and warnings of the enemy's damage on the godly and the ungodly alike (2 Corinthians 2:11, 2 Timothy 2:26, 1 Peter  5:8-9). He cannot harm us when we are walking in faith in Christ's redemptive work.

There are no unique temptations. The devil likes to make us think there are. If he can convince us that no one understands, no one has ever had this problem before, then he can isolate us and take away our hope. Any temptation we face is just some variation of the same old thing. It may come in a different sized box, be wrapped in a different paper, and have a different bow, but the contents are the same. Understanding this lessens much of the power of temptation.

Even though temptation is universal to mankind, we are not left on our own. God is faithful. Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, and yet He overcame every time (Hebrews 4:15). 

Part of His ministry is to specifically aid us in overcoming temptation (Hebrews 2:17-18). Most of us have experienced times when we thought we couldn't resist another minute. Either we were wrong, or we were on the verge of a breakthrough. The Lord promised that He would not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to bear. So, at those times when we can't stand another minute, stand two and this promise will pull us through.

It was the power in the name of Jesus plus the disciples' faith in that power that made the demons subject unto them. This can be seen in Acts 19:13-17 where certain Jews called on the name of Jesus in an effort to cast demons out of a man. They used the name of Jesus, but it didn't work because they had not put faith in that name.

Those who relegate demonic spirits to the realm of superstition do not believe in the entire Word of God. The Gospels alone contain over 90 references to the devil or devils (demons). 

The Paul said when writing to these people in Ephesus, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). The devil and demons do exist, but all believers in Jesus share in His total victory over them.

The name of Jesus is not magic. It does not work like a charm. As Peter said, "His name, through faith in his name" (Acts 3:16) is what brings results.

Peace is the result of casting our care upon the Lord through prayer and thanksgiving. Many people are asking God to give them peace so that their cares will leave. It doesn't work that way. Through faith we cast our cares on the Lord, and then God's peace comes. 

Christians who are lacking God's peace have not taken their cares to the Lord and left them there. All Christians have peace. It is a fruit of the Spirit that is always present in our born-again spirits. Cares will blind us to God's peace. When we eliminate the cares, peace comes.

Being carnally [naturally] minded is death. Being spiritually minded is life and peace. A person who says he or she is spiritually minded and yet is experiencing death is deceived. If we would just dominate ourselves with the spiritual truths of God's Word, we would receive only life and peace.

True peace, which comes from God, only comes by grace through faith. No one who seeks to obtain right standing with God by his own effort will ever have God's peace. 

Human peace is only experienced in the absence of problems. Those who only know human peace don't experience it very often and to a lesser degree. But God's peace is independent of circumstances and infinitely greater in supply than any problem we could ever have. God has given us His supernatural peace to enjoy. What a blessing!

An evangelist is someone who has a passion to lead people to the Lord. But every believer should have a passion for souls. When presenting the Gospel, we are not just presenting a theory about God but the factual account of God's dealings with man as revealed through His Word, with the ultimate witness being the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Our personal witness of the reality of Jesus being alive in our lives brings Christ from theory to reality.

The early Christians had experienced the love of Christ in an intimate and life-transforming way. This motivated them to reach their known world with the Gospel of Christ more than any generation of Christians has done since. They didn't have the benefits of our modern technology, but they did have the benefit of being full of the love of Christ. Experiencing the love of Christ causes us to be filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19) and makes us a witness that the world cannot resist (John 13:35).

Today, much of the emphasis of the church is placed on techniques of evangelism or spiritual warfare. We motivate people to witness through feelings of guilt or punishment if they don't. Much of our evangelism has become as dead and non-productive as that of the cults who knock on doors and argue people into their way of thinking. 

The early Christians had a much greater impact on their world because they were full of, and motivated by, the love of God. The church needs a revival of our personal relationship with the Lord. When we can say with Paul that the love of Christ constrains us, then we will impact our world for the Lord too. You can't give away what you don't possess. We need to personally know the love of Christ in an experiential way before we try to share it with others.

Luke 9:58 has often been used to support the misconception that Jesus and His disciples lived in poverty. The fact that Jesus had nowhere to lay His head was because of persecution. The Samaritans, because of a religious prejudice, had just refused Him hospitality and a place to stay as He journeyed to Jerusalem. 

Persecution is part of the cost of living a Christian life. Jesus was communicating to this man that not having a place to stay at times was part of that cost.

There are many forms of persecution. Having your life threatened because of your faith in Jesus is one way you can be persecuted, but it is not the most damaging. History shows that the Church has always flourished under persecution with increased numbers and zeal. During intense, life-threatening persecution, people's priorities get straightened out and the Lord assumes His rightful place. This always works for our good, regardless of what our outward circumstances might be.

A far more deadly form of persecution is men simply speaking evil of you or separating you from their company. It's more deadly because it's more subtle.

Many who would never directly deny the Lord will fall into self-pity or strife because of someone's criticism. This will render one just as ineffective as a negative reaction to having one's life threatened would.

It helps to recognize that it is not you that they are persecuting, but rather Christ in you. You are actually becoming a partaker of His sufferings and will share His rewards. With this in mind, we can actually shout and leap for joy in persecution!

Jesus was constantly being accused of breaking the law of Moses. He taught differently than the law of Moses (Mt. 5:21-48), and now He rebukes His disciples for desiring to do what an Old Testament prophet did with God's blessing and power. However, Jesus didn't come to destroy the law but to fulfill it.

Jesus came not to destroy men's lives but to save them (John 3:16; 10:10).

"God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them" (2 Corinthians 5:19). Jesus was just in doing this because He bore our sins (Isaiah 53:4-6) and the wrath of God (Matthew 27:46; Hebrews 2:9). Jesus didn't reject God's judgment against sin; He bore it (2 Corinthians 5:21).  He was able to extend the grace and mercy of God to those who would have been doomed under the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39).

The Old Testament law was like a judge passing sentence upon sin. Jesus became our advocate (or lawyer). Even more than that, He became our substitute, bearing "our sins in his own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24).

He didn't destroy God's judgment; He fulfilled it in Himself, so that we could go free. This changed God's dealings with sinful man forever. In light of what Jesus has done in the New Covenant, we would be rebuked for trying to release God's wrath upon others as was done in the Old Covenant. 

If Jesus would have been on the earth in His physical body, reconciling the world unto Himself in the days of Elijah, then Elijah would have been rebuked for his actions, 2 Kings 1:9-15. There is a difference between Old Testament law and New Testament grace. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). 

The Greek word translated "life" in John 10:10 is "zoe" and it means life as God has it. Everyone who is breathing has life in the sense of physical existence, but only those who receive Jesus can experience life as God intended it to be. 

Jesus came to not only save us from the torment of eternal hell, but also to give us this "zoe" or God-kind of life in abundance. The life of God is not awaiting us in heaven, but is presently possessed by every born-again person in his spirit. 

We can release this "zoe" life and enjoy it now by losing our natural life and finding this supernatural life. The way we lose our life is to deny any thoughts, emotions, or actions that are contrary to the Word of God, which is life ("zoe" in John 6:63). When we line our thoughts, emotions, and actions up with the instructions of God's Word, then we will find this "zoe" life manifest in our bodies and souls.

The Word is spiritual and must be understood through the spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14). The Bible is simply a physical representation of Jesus and spiritual truth. It is inspired of God and totally accurate and reliable, and until we receive the spirit that these words express, the Bible will not profit us (Hebrews 4:2).

If we want to know what spiritual truth is, we must believe the Bible, for it is spirit and life. If we want to be led by the Spirit, then we must follow God's Word. If we want to hear from the Spirit of God, then we must listen to what God says in His Word. The Spirit (Holy Spirit) and the Word (Jesus - John 1:1) are one (1 John 5:7).

John 10:2-3 promises all who are God's sheep that they not only can, but that they do, hear His voice. Many born-again people doubt the truth of this statement because of their experience. They don't think they can hear God's voice. The Word of God is true - not our experience.

The agreement between what this verse says and what our experiences say is that it is our new born-again spirit that hears God's voice. God has spoken and still does speak in an audible voice at times, very few people experience this. God speaks to our inner person (spirit) and our inner person hears Him. The problem comes when we aren't sensitive to, or controlled by, our spirit but are walking in the conceit of our mind. The Bible calls this walking in the flesh instead of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18).

Man is a spirit, soul, and body. Our spirits are as perfect as they will ever be in heaven. If we will change our thinking so that we believe what God says in His Word about who we are and what we have, then this agreement between our spirit and soul forms a majority and our flesh will experience the life of God that has been deposited in our spirits.

Prayer, Bible study, fasting, fellowship, etc. are ways of refocusing our mind's attention away from the voice of this world and back to the voice of our Shepherd who is constantly communicating with our spirit. If we fail to renew our minds, we can live our entire time on this earth without experiencing the abundant life that Jesus provided for us. 

Listen, and hear His voice speak to through His Word.

It is one thing to seek God; it is another thing to have God seek you. Jesus sought this man [who had been born blind] out when others had forsaken him. The acceptance of Jesus is worth more than everything this world has to offer This is what enables the believer to endure and even leap for joy amidst persecution.

When our sufferings in Christ abound, then the consolation of Christ abounds much more. This man's parents, who knew the truth, but refused to share it for fear of persecution, didn't have Jesus seeking them out (John 9:22). They chose the company of the scribes and Pharisees, which is what they got.

Even though the believer is redeemed and delivered from many afflictions that were a result of sin and its power, we are still called to take part in what the bible calls the "sufferings or afflictions of Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:5; Colossians 1:24). These afflictions are not sickness and poverty as some religious teachings suggest. These afflictions are described as the "fellowship of sufferings" that the believer will encounter for doing the will of God. 

Persecution for righteousness' sake is not something that we can rebuke (2 Timothy 3:12). We must remember that as we live godly lives, suffering will follow. Peter reminds us that these trials of our faith will result in praise, honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7). Jesus' comfort, strength, help, and love are ready to "overflow" into every "trial" that we face if we will only look to Him (Hebrews 12:2).

Much of the Pharisees' problem was spiritual pride, evident by the statement in John 9:34. They couldn't believe anyone who hadn't been through their "seminary" could teach them anything.

The name "Pharisees" comes from a Hebrew word meaning "separate." This term was applied to this sect because of its extreme devotion to the Mosaic law and commitment to leading a separated life. 

This was a reaction of the devout Jews who came back to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, and saw the pagan customs and influences of the Babylonians everywhere. Not only their religion but their identity as a nation was being threatened. The Pharisees were patriots and religious zealots, who in the beginning served a very needed function in the Jewish nation which was struggling for survival.

Over the centuries the Pharisees had departed from the Mosaic law and had written their own interpretations of the law, interpretations which they held to be God-inspired and equal to that of Moses. In Jesus' day this group was characterized by hypocrisy and self-righteousness. They, as a whole, persecuted Jesus and His followers and received the Lord's rebukes.

The Pharisees, like many people, were ignorant of achieving right standing (righteousness) with God through the simple act of receiving His forgiveness by faith and were trying to earn salvation by their own acts. No one can fulfill God's commands (Romans 3:23) except Jesus (Hebrews 4:15). 

To be righteous, we must put our faith in what He has done for us.

A good test of whether or not someone is of God is by his actions. Jesus' actions were so miraculous and overwhelmingly consistent with God's Word that any reservations about whether or not He was of God should have been set aside. 

But, in Mark 7:13, they had exalted their own traditions above God's Word, making the Word of God of no effect in their own lives. As in this instance nearly two thousand years ago, theologians now are sometimes the last to accept a move of God if it violates their traditional beliefs. "The common people heard him gladly" (Mark 12:37). "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth" (1 Corinthians  8:1).

In spiritual matters, a person can educate himself in theology to the degree that it does more harm than good. It is possible to win a theological battle and yet lose the war for a person's heart. Arguments over points of theology often distract from the more important issues. There is no premium on ignorance, but love is infinitely superior to knowledge. We should learn all we can, but we must make our knowledge a servant to love. "The greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

If anyone's quest for knowledge leads them away from knowing God, then it would have been preferable for them to stay ignorant. What we know is not as important as who we know (speaking of the Lord). Our most important goal in life must be to love God and be known of Him.