The Pharisee in the parable may not have been evil like other sinners in his external life. 18:9-14)! It is more than likely that 90% of all prayers offered in public by believers are primarily meant to impress others who are listening and not prayed to God at all. We all know the parable of the self-righteous Pharisee who despised others even in his prayer (Lk. Spiritual pride is the most common sin to be found among those who pursue after holiness. When we hear of a Christian leader suddenly falling into adultery, we must realize that that was no sudden fall but the final result of a long period of unfaithfulness in his inner life. The wise virgins had a hidden reserve of oil in their vessels while the foolish ones had only enough to light their lamps externally and have a good testimony before men (Mt. It is hypocrisy if we praise God only on Sunday mornings, but do not have a spirit of praise in our hearts at all times. They prayed lengthy prayers in public, but they did not pray at length in private - just like many today. Yet they gave others the impression that because they knew the Scriptures well and fasted and prayed and tithed their income, they were very holy. 23:25) - which meant that they lived only to please themselves. Jesus told the Pharisees that their inner life was ""full of self indulgence"" (Mt. Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit without saying a word - when he pretended to be a wholehearted disciple of Jesus (Acts 5:1-5). It is possible to tell a lie without even opening our mouths. Jesus pronounced a curse on hypocrites seven times in Mt. It is the same as being false, or telling a lie. To be a hypocrite is to give others the impression that we are holier than we actually are. As we consider five such sins, we will see that none of them are listed in the ten commandments!! When we consider the sins that Jesus spoke against the most, we will discover what He hated the most. But righteousness under the new covenant is measured by the life of Jesus and not by any written Law. When we talk about righteousness, most people think of the standard mentioned in the ten commandments. As we grow spiritually, we will discover that the righteousness of God is not primarily external, and that sin too is not primarily external.
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