My take on this after having just submitted a word on "the highway of holiness" - Is Yes God is interested in the outside of the cup being cleansed also! For example there is a passage that says "If iniquity be in thine hand put it far from thee" ...And if thine hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee ... And we are told in scripture to dress modestly - which is a passage the brothers have already brought to mind and attention. The problem with the pharisee and the religious approach is - It often BEGINS its journey of sanctification (purification) from the without to the neglect of the WITHIN ...and there-in lies the problem - as you can be relatively clean on the outside but have (deep dank dark) thoughts raging on the INSIDE ( But true HOLINESS starts from the INSIDE/OUT ) THE PHARISEE HAD THE OUTSIDE LOOKING RATHER GOOD AND PRETTY ....but, but, but - Inwardly he was full of hypocrisy and all UNCLEANESS. Again Jesus told them during the sermon which was on the mount: You can commit adultery with another man's wife (in your heart) and not physically have to go to bed with her ( and yet remarkably still be guilty of adultery) As Unchecked and unbridled thoughts often spill over into actual deeds and acts. And again my own take on this is - the pharisee and saduccee felt very secure and comfortable in the knowledge that others could not possibly know their thought life....so they knew, they could front up to church week after week, and week after week and hey nobody is the wiser ... as to what is going on in my heart and thought life - and my reputation gets to remain in tact ( sounds like a fair deal to me). Hmmm. And No doubt many a religious person has secretly told himself he has not offended as he did not actually commit the act or deed! However Jesus came along and knocked that MIND-SET on the head! Again you might not see yourself as a murderer -- but if rage, anger, animosity, and enmity are warring with-in... then you have already committed murder in your heart against your brother ( period/fullstop )! Tha's why i shudder and get disturbed when i see brothers wrangling and quarreling amongst themselves over doctrinal disputes ....as it tends to be a downward Spiral that can only have one ending....and that is this - he that does not love his brother ABIDES in DEATH. If you don't love your brother there is plenty of occasion of stumbling IN YOU 1st john's epistle says. But still we justify it to ourselves....saying yeah but i don't agree with him! Or his words! or his writing style! or his tone! or the way it comes across as it is to confronting - or to coarse etc Friends can i talk plainly with you?? If we cant love one another ...That is we who profess to be IN Christ....how can we love those that really hate us and revile us ( ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF FUTURE PERSECUTIONS)? And if you only love them that love you back....you have achieved NOTHING...for sinners do the same. God loved us the bible tells us - even when we were sinners. ( Now that's love!) WHEN YOU CAN LOVE THE UNLOVABLE AND THOSE THAT CAST OUT YOUR NAME AS EVIL! Friends at SI allow me to implore you for a brief moment...i have no angst against anyone -- though i be dis-agreed with on many an occasion and disputed at times heavily. But in spite of that and those moments God said to me - here is your opportunity to prove you abide me and in my Son ....I want you to Love them back - that cast you down and utterly reject you!

At first i thought (Whoa) that's a huge ask....but yet a very biblical one ...to boot

So then: Am i saying all and sundry must now embrace my teachings or my obvious strong leanings towards the King james version (no im not) But what i would say like the apostle is " If man believes he is Christ's -- then let him of himself believe this also -that just as he is Christ's ...so am i - also Christ's!!

Even a heretic is afforded 2 warnings before he is totally rejected (so what does that tell us?) The purpose of the admonitions is to restore the man, not destroy him ( that's not walking in love when one chooses not to hold to anothers beliefs but in doing so - you cast out their name as evil?)...Now If after warning no. 3 he remains stubborn and unyieling....then yes reject his company. But having said that: If i saw or encountered a heretic on the street i could still say hello to him and smile at him - and yes even shake his hand! Doesn't mean that i should keep his company or talk about spiritual things with him.

And yes All of this has to do with holiness from with-in! Sometimes you have to wonder wether people are almost secretly glad about the truth that no one else can know THEIR thoughts...because they have a a cloak that shields them from being KNOWN or found out ...as to what might really lurk beneath (Jesus said if i had not come they would have had a cloak for their sins...NOW have they NO cloak for their sins)....The pharisee IN THE TEMPLE said i am not as the publican, or as the unjust, or extortioners, or even as this publican!

But only one man went home justified that day...in spite of the fact ...the pharisee had his OUTWARD morals and his veneered outward standards.

You have to wonder how many a church corridor has had people who don the religious face and the religious smile and put on the religious voice but within his heart was a torrent and a raging fire that was just full of envy, covetousness, hostilty, foolishness, lust, adulterous thoughts, despitefulness, malice. etcetera.

Jesus reproved the pharisee saying first cleanse that which is WITHIN that the OUTSIDE of the cup may appear clean also. Their outside cup was not fully clean (anyhow) if you really read the text fully - their outside cup was only only partially clean....which mind you is the fatal flaw of NOT starting the cleansing process from within.

We are told to put of the old man with its deceitful lusts and put on the new man which after christ is created in true holiness and righteousness!!

The Scribe and pharisee had a cold clinical approach to holiness that castigated out those that were not part of the "in group" or them that failed to tow the line according their views of seperation....hence the outright sinner was not someone to sit down to eat meat with. The sinner and publican were considered to be LOST and without HOPE - and not someone to assocaite with ...but Jesus came not to call the righteous....and those that had morals....but sinners in need of repentance and to them that "admit" - - to being the sinners!!

This is borne out in the book of exodus also as the egyptians considered it an abomination to eat food with the hebrews - and also in the gospels the jews had no dealing with samiritans whatsoever....the sinners in Christ's time was so segregated and so marginalized ...that they were considered to far gone - and too hard core to reach and restore...hence the pharisees targeted the religious folks both to proselyte them and to persuade them over to the jews religion ... and alas it was thought to be much easier to convert them - as they are folk who already beieve in the almighty and/or are superstitious!! Forget the hardened sinner - lets convert them of other faiths instead... rings a bell doesen't it? as it( sounds much like our modern day approach to bridging) eh?

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Bro Stephen