“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”
(Matthew 23:15)
In this passage in Matthew Christ denounces the scribes and Pharisees for their tireless zeal … not to win souls to God’s truth but to bind them tighter in chains of error. They “compass sea and land” to secure a single convert, and yet when they succeed, they leave him in worse shape than they found him—“twofold more the child of hell” than themselves. This is because their false religion, devoid of the grace of Christ, fortified the convert against ever embracing the true Messiah. They further burdened him with ceremonial regulations that had no saving virtue, thus sealing him more securely in condemnation.
Christ’s warning extends to the present day. Churches that have departed from the truth of Scripture often work with equal fervor to gain new adherents, not to the Gospel but to error. Their converts may imagine themselves enlightened, yet they are ensnared in a subtler form of darkness. This is the tragedy of exchanging ignorance for delusion—adding a second layer of blindness that is even harder to penetrate.
When a man turns from the Gospel to embrace a counterfeit, it is seldom pure misunderstanding. More often, it is because his cherished sins and unyielding vices make the demands of Christ undesirable. The heart’s rebellion drives the mind’s error. As it was in Christ’s day, so it is now: the publicans and harlots were more ready to repent at the preaching of John than the outwardly devout leaders who refused to be humbled. These notorious sinners, when converted, embraced both new desires and new practices; but the religious hypocrites would not bow to truth, for it required them to lay down their sin.
Those who reject sound doctrine because it is “too strict” are indeed rejecting the holy God who gave it. They gravitate instead toward assemblies that will not trouble their conscience, where emotion outweighs truth and comfort outweighs holiness. Francis Gregory’s words are well-fitted here: “True Religion sides with heaven; but O cursed religion takes part with hell, and courts men there! Well then, let those churches applaud [themselves] and triumph as [they] please in the access of such proselytes that repair to her expecting from her the patronage of their vices; it is the great honor of our church that its doctrines and laws are too strict for such offenders. And, doubtless, that [which] signals holiness of our religion, which moves such notorious transgressors to renounce and leave it, lays the stronger obligation upon every man that is good, to embrace, defend, and hold it fast.”[1]
The true test of a church’s faithfulness is whether it upholds the truth of God’s Word, abhors sin, and compels holiness in life. If that standard offends, it only proves the state of the hearer’s heart. In truth, the most dangerous religion is not no religion at all, but a false one dressed in the garments of truth. That is the religion which breeds converts who are “twice as bad,” for they are confident in a hope that will betray them at the judgment.
Contemplations
- Real Christianity. Lord, the primary test of whether our religion is from You is that it upholds the truth of Your Word, abhors every sin, and expects from us pure hearts and holy lives. If these marks are absent, no matter how religious the appearance, the foundation is sand and will not stand in the day of trial.
- Holiness reflects a right fear of God. If anyone has issues with true religion because it requires holiness, this reveals more than just misunderstanding; it exposes an unconverted heart that does not fear God. Such a one may profess faith with the lips but has no share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
- Love of the world v. love for Christ. Those who desert their religion because it is “too strict” openly declare that they love the world and its ways more than the righteousness of Christ. They willingly choose the easy yoke of sin over the blessed yoke of the Savior, joining the company of those who “serve sin rather than God.”
Prayer
Almighty God, who searches the heart and tests the reins, keep me from the snares of false religion and hollow profession. Preserve me from being persuaded by those who depart from the truth, no matter how zealous or persuasive they appear. Grant me discernment to see that not all who speak in Your name speak with Your authority. Let my heart be anchored to Your Word, my affections bound to Christ, and my will submitted to the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work.
Where there is sin in me, root it out; where there is reluctance to holiness, subdue it; where there is compromise with the world, break it. Keep me from desiring the praise of men over the approval of God. Let my life bear witness to the transforming power of the Gospel that those who see may glorify my Father in heaven. May my faith rest not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God, and may I hold fast to the truth until the day of Christ.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further References for Matthew 23:15
Matthew 23:33; Mark 9:43; Acts 2:10; Acts 13:43
[1] Francis Gregory, The Trial of Religions (London: E. Flesher, 1674), 45.
