A Beggar’s Banquet - Luke 18:11-13

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
 - Luke 18:11-13


    I made a rather bold statement the other day to another Reformed Christian. I said, “We Five Pointers are probably the best elixir the unbelievers have for coming to Christ.” Naturally, my colleague stared at me aghast and asked me, “why?” I then proceeded to lay out my case by pointing to those “Christians” most believers encounter. I think you’ve seen them and I’m almost certain you have heard them pontificate on how pious they believe they are, very much like the Pharisee in Luke’s parable.
    Naturally, unbelievers are outraged that anyone would come off as though they somehow had the market on personal perfection or holiness. I know I am. I know how far I still fall from grace in my daily life. I know that I am constantly in need of repentance and make no bones about admitting it. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” - 1 John 1:8.
    I tell the unbelievers in my sphere of influence that I, more than anyone I know, need churching and continual sanctification. Now don’t misconstrue what I mean by “churching.” It is merely a concept that is easy to grasp for those who don’t practice the Christian faith. And it is certainly easier for my acquaintances and co-workers to approach me about matters of faith when they feel that I do not claim to hold a morally superior position. I am quick to tell them that all men are sinners . . . including myself. Now again, before my words are misinterpreted, I don’t imply that my sinfulness counts in my favor - “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” - Romans 6:1-2. And with my imperfections in view, there are those who are more willing to at least listen to what I have to say.
    This nonsense that we Christians are somehow immune to temptation, that we are somehow held above human weakness by a band of angels, is ludicrous. We sometimes stumble; we sometimes fall. Even the most prayerful of us is prone to a moment of human frailty and we will continue to be so this side of glory. Your sins may be different than mine but they will still be sinful. And so our lives are to be spent in a state of constant repentance. Try to remember the first of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses  - “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”  Our entire life! We are not to merely exhibit our personal holiness on “sanctifying Sundays.”
    Perhaps Paul explains it better, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” - Galatians 2:20. Yes, we are to be like a city on a hill. Yes, we are to be like lamp-stands - “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. After all, our primary purpose here on earth is to glorify God (WLC #1). This is a tall order so we must present ourselves as sojourners like the rest of mankind, but set apart by the grace of God. By the grace of God! And that is the only difference between God’s elect and those trapped in the darkness of unbelief. We are all beggars attending the King’s banquet and until we are glorified in His presence we will all come dressed in rags. The only difference between our sins and theirs is that our sins have been covered and forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ at the beggar’s banquet. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7. By God’s tender mercies we who have been chosen will be purged clean.

The Tombs Of Civility - Matthew 23:27

 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” - Matthew 23:27.


    If all we’re talking about is the need for some kind of safe order in secular society then civility is a basic prerequisite. But the door of civility often falsely leads many to believe that it also provides a pretty reliable gateway to eternal salvation. Behind that door lies the tiger. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” - Matthew 7:13.
    So what can we say of the merits of civility?  Civility is often just a more insidious form of hypocrisy. It is often the smile that hides the sneer. Enemies may be civil to one another but it neither erodes nor removes their enmity. It is often the most condescending form of hostility available. It is ostentatious, a show, a practiced not because it arises from a Godly heart but because it serves our self-interests. “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” - Matthew 12:34.
    How often I have heard the words, “Oh, I believe if you do what is right, God will recognize it and reward your good works in heaven.” What they are stating is that they are basically civil (good) people. But anyone even slightly acquainted with Scripture knows - “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.’” - Romans 3:10-12. Is Paul suggesting that no one ever does anything that can be deemed good or noble? Of course not, he is merely saying that the motivation is not stemming from Godliness but from self-interest. In other words, they’re merely being civil.
    The mask of civility may fool others but God is not confused or misled. He sees the sin nature born into all of us by virtue of Adam’s fall. And while many of us may wear the smile of civility upon our faces, it is merely a gaudy death mask designed to deceive others into believing that we are “basically good people” and that we are going to heaven. Civil? Perhaps. But good? Far from it! God has already declared that pretension will never merit salvation. “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” - Matthew 23:28   
    A serpent may have a civil tongue but his throat is still full of venom. As such, civility will never stand alone as a means to salvation. Man’s total depravity will not be undone by decorum. And while it is a preferable tool to help maintain civil order in a secular society we must never mistake it for the narrow gate which leads to salvation. There is only one - “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” - John 14:6. Let us always walk in the Way that Christ has provided for us and seek salvation in Him and through Him alone.

The Triad Of Goodness - Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8

    Justice, mercy, humility is seen as “good” in the eyes of God. But in what application? Certainly, in today’s day and age, justice would be the first to be thrown out. Justice implies that one receives what he is due. According to holy Scripture, justice isn’t what sinners want from a just God. In fact, it’s the last thing we want. “God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” Psalm 53:2-3.             
 What we really want, what we sinners really hope for, is the second of the triad of goodness - mercy. “Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.” Psalm 25:6-7.
    Knowing that justice is a rigid and harsh mistress that requires mercy for forgiveness what then is required of us? How can we fallen sinners acknowledge that justice will be met with mercy if we are not humble enough to understand that we don’t deserve mercy in light of our sins? Thus, we reach for the third and final leg of the triad of goodness - humility. A proud heart knows no humility. “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’” - Obadiah 1:3. Humility is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When we walk humbly with God we are pursuing our sanctification as God’s elect, thus it is only with this humility that we seek the Lord. It is only with this humility that we can stand in the justice provided for us by Jesus Christ, whose precious blood purchased the mercy we so badly need.            
 This triad of justice, mercy, and humility fairly represents the Holy Trinity in that God the Father demands justice; Jesus Christ provides mercy, and the Holy Spirit instills humility in us . May we always walk in the triad of goodness and in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.