Verse by Verse Devotional on Philippians by Pastor Jack #148

Paul the Pharisee

3:5b as to the Law, a Pharisee

In order to show how he has abandoned the perspective of the Judaizers for an entirely better way, Paul describes just how much he was into their mindset before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Here, to show the extent of his dedication to the Jewish law, he informs them that he was a Pharisee. (Cf. Acts 23:6 where Paul says, "I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees.")

The Pharisees were a party in Judea that specialized in the Law. They were the Bible-thumpers. Strict obedience to every jot and tittle was of ultimate importance to them.

Apparently the Judaizers were also Pharisees, because at the Council of Jerusalem (which was specifically called to deal with the Judaizer issue), it says, "But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”" (Acts 15:5)

In this day when the church is rife with liberalism (which undermines the authority of Scripture), we tend to associate conservative, Bible-believing Christianity with true faith. We forget that there is another error on the opposite extreme. The Pharisees were firm fundamentalists, the ultimate conservatives, the Book was everything to them. Far from being liberal, the Pharisees were "the strictest sect" of Judaism (Acts 26:5) The name Pharisee itself means "pure".

They were also the ones zealous for missions. Jesus said of them, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." (Matt.23:15) Thus it is understandable that the Christian Pharisees were going all around the Mediterranean in order to turn Gentile Christians into Jewish Christians.

And Paul stood out even among this zealous group. "I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions." ( Gal.1:14)

And yet this man so zealous for God was as far from God and as opposed to God as one could be. The more zealous he was (in the way he was zealous) the farther he was from the truth.

Let this be a lesson to us. There is a danger for those who take God’s word lightly, who give it little weight and don’t let it rule their lives. It’s called theological liberalism, and it kills. It sends people to hell. But there is also a danger for those who are zealous for God’s word. It’s called Pharisaism. And it can send people to hell just as easily as liberalism.

Heavenly Father, help me to strive for purity without being a Pharisee. Help me to strive to be godly for the sake of Christ, not for the sake of receiving praise from men. Help me to do good for the right reason. I am such a sinner. And I am so susceptible to the devil’s tricks. I am so prone to the sin of pride. Shred my pride, Lord. Do whatever it takes. M ake me a humble man. May my life point to You and not to me.