The Discernment of
Spiritual and Pious Men
by Henry Velez; Editor

Mat 7:14-17 For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it. (15) Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. (16) By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (17) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

A chief concern which Jesus communicated to His disciples was that of discerning between those who are truly of the faith and those who would desire to deceive and infiltrate the flock of God with evil desires. Such evil comes in the form of men's desires to profit financially by feigning piety in order to gain a customer base for their earthly wares. [(a) 2Pet 2:1-3] Others seek to purposely distort the truth in order to balm their own consciences against the conviction where actual truth has declared them to be in error. [(b) Rom 1:18-21] And yet others who are incapable to help gather only serve to confuse and scatter due to their rebellious nature against biblical doctrine. [(c) Mat 12:30]

With the advents over history of bad doctrines and heresies it is even all the more relevant today that we, as Christians, learn to discern the difference between spirituality and piety. We must be more alert to the difference between being born-again and being religious.

THE PIOUS, RELIGIOUS MAN

Mat 23:23-24 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. (24) Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel!

The Cambridge Dictionary gives the two following definitions of "Pious";

1.) pious; (religious): adj. "strongly believing in religion, and living in a way which shows this belief."

2.) pious; (pretending); adj. "pretending to have sincere feelings"

It is helpful in discerning to understand that which motivates the outwardly pious/religious, man. Lacking any regeneration from within by God's revelation, the pious man does not obtain his approval from God but rather from men. We see from scripture that the very opposite is true of the spiritual/godly man, for he derives his approval from God.. not from other men. [(d) Mat 22:16 ; Gal. 1:10] Thus the actions of the pious man are only evident when there is someone present to observe such actions. And when there is no one present, any 'good' or 'religious' activities are sure to be broadcast to other men in order to gain and promote their own favor among men.

It is for this reason that legalistic appearances and attention to religious detail are of a high priority to the religious, spiritually-empty, man. Jesus pronounced this judgment upon the Pharisees of His time. For they tithed every minor item yet all the while remained ignorant of practicing or valuing those actions related to the proper application of law, justice, mercy and faith. [(e) Mat 23:23-24] Such men were far more concerned with wearing pious attire, public prayer and religious composure and yet all the while behaved as ravenous wolves who consumed the widow's home in courts.

In greater detail, Jesus unleashes his harshest of criticisms against the religious scribes and Pharisees when He states that such men lay heavy burdens upon the backs of the multitudes, yet all the while doing nothing to help them. [(f) Mat 23:1-7] Such men only do good when they can be seen of men and bathe in their sense of piety as others address them with titles they adorn themselves with. Today it is no different and such men do the very same. The religious man is legalistic about public prayer and what he has determined to be proper Christian appearance in attire and composure. The pious man 'blows his own horn' so to speak about his good deeds. His desire is not to glory in that which God has done.. but rather in what he prefers to believe he has done for God. The pious man glories inwardly when addressed with titles such as 'reverend', 'teacher', ‘father’, 'elder' or 'bishop'. He is not content to simply serve in such a duty or office, but rather his prime desire is to have the title adorned about his neck for men to see. This is all traced back to the issue that he still derives his approval from man and not from God alone. It is true we are to give honor unto whom honor is due. Many a spiritual man has served God honorably in the office of a Pastor or similar office. Yet such men would serve even without title or recognition for their service is unto God towards men, not to men so as to be revered by men.

What is to be remembered here is that pious, hypocritical men are not confined to those churches and doctrines which have been openly declared heretical by Scripture. Such men are found not only among those of Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Islamic or Catholic gatherings. Jesus warned that such men will adorn themselves with "sheep's clothing".. the attire and speech of those within the Christian church. Such men go about behaving and speaking words which at first hearing may seem so very Christian and scriptural. Yet they hold no true spiritual origins or lasting evidence.

Joh 4:20-24 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. (21) Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father. (22) Ye worship that which ye know not: we worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. (23) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. (24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at the well it became evident that this woman was as yet relating to God on the basis of outward religion. "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.", she states. The response from Jesus is to clarify that a time is now come that we shall see how those who truly true worship God do so.. "in spirit and in truth".

The truly spiritual, Godly Christian man first of all worships God in spirit. In one sense he worships by way of the Spirit in which he is sealed, to be sure. But he also worships and serves ‘in the spirit’ rather than the mere letter of the law. This is not to say that the spiritual man worships God based on inner feelings of what he feels is right or acceptable. For the Godly man also worships God "in truth". And where does the Godly man go for such truth? To the Word of God. For the spiritual man the very construction of his faith is found in the pages of scripture.. not in his own ambiguous, flippant, wavering moods or preferences. He judges himself spiritual by definition of that which the Spirit says are parameters of such; namely the very same compassion, love, kindness, mercy and steadfastness to truth that Jesus had earlier said are the result of God's work in a man.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.

The spiritual man's concern is primarily focused on being in the presence of God, seeking His approval in light of the Word. It is from this focal point that his actions come. What men may or may not approve of only bears weight in his estimation if such warnings or admonitions come from God's Word. But though men speak evil of his good.. in good he will persist. If men attempt to praise him for his good deeds.. he directs their attention to God who crafted such good works that he should "walk in them". Thus, even the glory for his own good works He gives to God. For without God he knows that any one of us would have been even worse than unprofitable servants.

Col 2:16-23 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a sabbath day: (17) which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ's. (18) Let no man rob you of your prize by a voluntary humility and worshipping of the angels, dwelling in the things which he hath seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, (19) and not holding fast the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, increasing with the increase of God. (20) If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances, (21) Handle not, nor taste, nor touch (22) (all which things are to perish with the using), after the precepts and doctrines of men? (23) Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and severity to the body; but are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.

The spiritual man may do spiritual things, but not for the sake of justification. Here we see a contrast against the pious man. The pious man holds very high regard for such outward issues. In fact, the pious man cannot conceive of his own religion without them. Such a man's faith rests not on the work of Christ, but on his own works. This is how a man finds himself falling from grace. [(g) Gal 5:2-4] From the lips of the religious man come the requirements of added burden mentioned earlier. It is the pious who love to state either boldly or implicitly to others that they cannot be a 'good Christian' if they engage in a 'secular' tradition, wear certain clothes or eat certain foods. But the religious man does not stop at what he feels others are doing, but extends his piety to what others 'do not' do, for his list of sins by omission are many. He will quickly judge those who do not pray over their food publicly as he does, tithe or gift equal to his own standards or fail to do as many charitable and evangelistic works as he does. For his piety is used two-fold.. to both lift himself up worthily to God while simultaneously placing others beneath him. It is no wonder Jesus will look upon such practices with disgust and say, "I never knew you." [(h) Rom 14:19-23]

It is the workmanship of God upon the inner heart, therefore, which gives value to the man who chooses to use discretion over various traditions, modest clothing, diet, prayer time, tithing, evangelism, charity and such. For such a man does so even as Paul declared in private before God, and thus finds peace before God in both spirit and truth. [(i) Rom 14:19-23]

Similarly, just as 'good works' alone do not define the pious from the spiritual on a moment's observance, even so the failings and even sin of a man do not give enough information in one instance to discern who stands before you. But we are not immobilized in this regard either. For the same principle applies regarding trees and their fruit. The spiritual, godly man may at times falter and sin even as David grievously fell to the temptations of lust, murder and deceit. Yet it was the overall work of God in his life which prevailed despite these horrible episodes.

However it is not so with the pious, religious hypocrite. The unregenerate man may commit the very same episode, but not due to an exception to his desire to walk righteously.. but because it is intrinsic to his unchanged nature. It is the inevitable 'bad fruit' that is to be expected on a constant basis from a 'bad tree'. It is true to say that every born-again Christian is justified and sanctified by God's grace over a multitude of sins in this life. Equally it is true that the unregenerate man will secure his damnation by failing to take hold of that very same grace by holding tightly to his own list of outward good works.

EXCERCISING DISCRETION

Luk 6:45-46 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. (46) And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Our discussion here is focused on discernment. To clarify that which we see before us. Do we behold before us a pious man of only outward religiosity? Or do we behold a fellow Christian whose evidences spring forward from a work of God within?

In Luke 6:45-46 Jesus gives us one of the most useful tools in making this distinction. He declares that those who truly are of His flock do their good works due to the abundance of that which has been wrought in their heart. From the abundance of the heart come such good things. He compares the heart to a place where that which a man truly treasures are kept. How then do we know if such actions we observe come truly from the heart and not only from ulterior motives? Through the Holy Spirit and observance over time.

It is the unfortunate disposition of many Christians who suppose that they must accept a man's faith as true simply by self-declaration and that to question it would be the epitome of offenses against fellowship among the saints. Yet it was Jesus himself who made it very clear that not all those who call Him 'Lord, Lord' and do good, outward works are of His kingdom. His most scathing revelation about such people is that He says, "I never knew you.". [(j) Mat 7:16-23] Within these verses of Matthew 7 we also find Jesus comparing men's actions with that of fruit from a tree. Every good tree brings for good fruit. Likewise, every corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. Here is where we may take hold of discernment from the words of Jesus.

Trees do not produce fruit in a matter of minutes. Fruit requires time and arrives in proper season. Biting into fruit, one quickly realizes when such fruit is bitter or spoiled. But for the pious man, he cares not if his fruit is at the proper time or of benefit to others.. his chief concern is that he has something on his tree for others to see. Not so with the spiritual, Godly man. The spiritual man is patient to allow that good which God works within him to come to season at it's proper time. The Godly man's fruit is a benefit to others, giving them what they need for their growth and edification. In studying the Old Testament we see time and again that it is in the end of a matter, not in it’s beginning, that we are shown whether an incident was borne from flesh or spirit.

Thus, when making a discernment we need to be wary in giving approval quickly to every man who moves his lips in such a way as to say audibly, "Lord, Lord..". The instruction we have from Jesus is to observe the fruit which proceeds from the tree. Observe to see whether this man derives his approval from men or from God. Observe to hold his actions up against the whole counsel of God to see.. not whether he be conforming to society's values regarding tolerance or courtesy.. but that such a man is behaving in such a manner as to draw men to the truth of Christ. For not all truth or love is at first pleasing or easy upon the ears. We are at times in need of correction as much as encouragement in our walk with one another. But the heart and motive is to draw men's eyes upon God.. not ourselves.

We must keep in mind that not all outward appearances of 'good works' or speech are wrought in God. Two men give food to the poor. Yet one man does so to gain the favor of men. The other because God has wrought compassion into his new heart. The same goes for men who teach, pastor, lead, disciple or speak from a public podium. As surely as God's work comes in season and is beneficial.. so it is that the religious man will produce the evil that is in abundance deep within him. It is with time and the discernment of the Holy Spirit through the scriptures that we see whether a man's deeds are actually spiritual or merely pious.

In the final judgment of God, it is He who will personally attest as to whether or not we are known by Him through Christ the Savior or.. unknown to Him due to a reliance upon outward good deeds alone.

(a) 2Pe 2:1-3 But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (2) And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. (3) And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.

(b) Rom 1:18-21 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness; (19) because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them. (20) For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse: (21) because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.

(c) Mat 12:30 "The person who isn't with me is against me, and the person who doesn't gather with me scatters.

(d) Mat 22:16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. They said, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere and that you teach the way of God truthfully. You don't favor any individual, for you pay no attention to external appearance.

Gal 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of people or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant.

 

(e) Mat 23:23-24 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. (24) Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel!

(f) Mat 23:1-7 Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples, (2) saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat: (3) all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not. (4) Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. (5) But all their works they do to be seen of men: for they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, (6) and love the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, (7) and the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called of men, Rabbi.

(g) Gal 5:2-4 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that, if ye receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing. (3) Yea, I testify again to every man that receiveth circumcision, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. (4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace.

(h) Matthew 7:22-23 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

(i) Rom 14:19-23 So then let us follow after things which make for peace, and things whereby we may edify one another. (20) Overthrow not for meat's sake the work of God. All things indeed are clean; howbeit it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. (21) It is good not to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor to do anything whereby thy brother stumbleth. (22) The faith which thou hast, have thou to thyself before God. Happy is he that judgeth not himself in that which he approveth. (23) But he that doubteth is condemned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; and whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

(j) Mat 7:16-23 By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (17) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (19) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (20) Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.