Religious leaders of Jesus day vs the Christian of today.

It is very interesting to me that the Jews, after 400 years of God's silence, had God in their very midst but could not see Him.

They rested so greatly on their laurels, their status as the chosen, that they saw the created as more important than the Creator.

In Isaiah they were accused by God of teaching their precepts rather than His commandments. 700 years in advance!

We know they had these scriptures in Christ's day for He reads from Isaiah 61 in the Temple. So why did the Jews not know and learn from this?

Isa 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

They taught the fear of God by their precepts. Now what does that mean? That means they have taught their reasons to fear God, Not God's pureness and holiness, not His justice and His wrath but their logic, their reasonings.

They had nullified God's Law by their teachings. They had made Him of no effect in His very own people. They have emasculated God, made Him a bogeyman for all who would step out of their teachings.

The next verse though really spoke to me of today's christian and kind of caused a correlation for me between the Jews then and the christian today, nay the people of today.

Isa 29:21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.

They have called wrong right and right wrong, when someone speaks God's truth they laugh them out and consider them the bad guys. They turn aside the Just for no reason whatsoever.

Has the Church of today (again not a blanket indictment or statement) become so close to being the Religious leaders of Jesus day?

Forgetting God and His Law instead pushing their own ideology, their own words rather than the Word of God?

We have made legalism to be used as a weapon against someone who has standards. We use legalism as a catchphrase for anyone who insists there are standards, or as a bludgeon for any who think there is a difference between God and the World and that His people also should be different as He is different.

The religious elite were guilty of making the people groan under their rules, their teachings ignoring God and making the people walk away from God. Yet today's "Religious elite" are guilty of making God of no consequence, amid a do whatever you want theology.

Yet Jesus came to this earth and He had standards. He told them all they had to Believe on Him to get to heaven, He told them all to go and sin no more. He taught them all to have a personal relationship with God, not a drive by.

The High priest going in to the Holy of Holies had specific dress, specific movements and specific requirements, yet to suggest such a thing today is mean and legalistic. I am aware that we are no longer under the Law of Moses but the Grace of God. The very fact that we are the recipients of such Grace should be every reason we give God our best.

If I wear a suit to church most people say that's legalism. I call it love of the Savior who deserves my best as He gave His Best.

If I want to go to three services a week plus people say thats legalism. Why? Being in the House of the God who died for Us, who wants a relationship with me. that is what I should want. I should think that not being in His House every chance we get makes us horrible children.

The Church of today is no different than the secular world, and that is wrong. The Pharisees and Sadducee's made God so much more than He is, so unattainable for the people. Today we have made God so much less than He is, that none reach for Him. They wait for Him to come to them on their terms, to meet their standards, to be what they think He should be.

Lev 20:7  Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. 

Lev 20:8  And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you. 

Lev 20:9  For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him. 

There are so many just like the Sadducees, there is no after life so live how you want.

The Pharisees laid so much emphasis on ceremony and ritual but not the God those things were to honor.

Tell me how we today are any different.