In this daily Bible reading Paul condemns the religious rulers who know the Law and tell others to abide by the Law. However, they themselves did not abide by the Law.
I believe the Jewish leaders thought that they had God’s favor simply by their lofty religious positions. However, God will judge each person individually for his or her deeds here on Earth. The Bible says, “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law will be justified.”
Churches today rightly teach that we are not saved by our good deeds. Rather, we are saved by our Faith. However, unless our Faith produces good deeds, our Faith is not genuine. It is useless.
I believe that many are not motivated to walk rightly, but believe they have Faith in Jesus Christ. They simply acknowledge that He is our Savior and go through some ritual motions. Many people think that they are on solid ground, much like ancient Jewish leaders. They perform rituals and look religious, but they are inwardly corrupt.
God looks inside of us and is not influenced by the outward appearance. Jesus even called the Pharisees “whitewashed tombs and hypocrites.” He knew they were rotten to the core.
No matter what is our status within religion, God will judge us by our deeds, good and bad. Good deeds will lead us to Heaven, but bad deeds will lead us to Hell. It’s as simple as that.
