“…when the Pharisees saw Jesus eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked, “Why does He eat with those kind of people? “Jesus told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those WHO THINK THEY ARE RIGHTEOUS, but those who KNOW THEY ARE SINNERS.” (Mark 2:16-17)
Jesus was telling the religious leaders, that they may THINK they are righteous but they ARE NOT. “The scribes and the Pharisees SAY, and DO NOT DO.” (Matt. 23:2-3) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES!” (Luke 11:44) A hypocrite pretends to have certain Christian beliefs, attitudes or feelings but they REALLY DO NOT.
We definitely MUST NOT LIVE THIS WAY, we are living in the last of the last days. (2 Tim. 3:1) The word “last” is from the Greek word eschatos. This word always points to the ULTIMATE END of a thing —In other words, eschatos doesn’t merely describe the last days in general; it depicts the VERY LAST of the last days. So, if you know you are a sinner, “…repent of your sins and TURN TO GOD, so that your sins may be wiped away.” (Acts 3:19)
-Bill Stockham