Why are we more alarmed and concerned at breaches of duty to man than God, but because they are seen and observed? What then is our principle of action? (Thomas Adam, Private Thoughts on Religion)
“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
The statement by Adam just above is very striking, though it can be thought of as just another slightly convicting statement. Instead of that, however, with a few moments reflection it can be seen as striking at the heart of sin and of the sin of the Pharisees in one aspect. The Pharisees appeared to do what they did out of a concern for what the appearance was before men. Such is the heart of man that his self-love and pride are/is so great that he is more concerned to be righteous before men than he is to seek a true righteousness to stand before the living God.
Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Matthew 23:5 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.
John 12:42 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
The passages above demonstrate to all who read that the Pharisees were concerned with the appearance of righteousness before men. For some reason, most likely the hidden atheism in the heart due to pride and self-love, men want to appear righteous to men more than they want to be righteous before God. The Pharisees, then, in their zealousness in things that were religious were actually more zealous to appear righteous before men. They wanted to obtain honor from men for their religious actions. They sought status and stature in the religious world by the way they prayed, giving to the poor, and of fasting. They did all their deeds to be noticed by men.
The same thing can be true (and is in so many places) in our day. We can pray and do all we do in order to be honored by men. We can evangelize and get people to pray a prayer in order to be honored by men. We can preach in order to be honored by men. We can give money in order to be honored by men. We can build buildings in order to be honored by men. We can build ministries in order to be honored by men. We can obtain terminal degrees in order to be honored by men. We can write papers and books in order to be honored by men. We can be seminary professors in order to be honored by men. We can appear godly in order to be honored by men. The heart is so deceitful that it can take any thing that is good in and of itself and turn it into an act that we try to obtain honor by.
What is actually happening when we try to take the commands of Scripture and turn them into ways to obtain honor for ourselves? It is an act of enmity toward God and our fellow man. The reality of the matter is that our deceptive hearts wants the honor that only belongs to God and use it to obtain honor for ourselves. When we try to get people to honor us, we are actually hating them because they are to love God and honor God with all of their beings. The principle of action that people go by is that they are willing to be religious or non-religious as long as they can gain the attention of others and obtain honor from others. A person will be very religious as long as he can fulfill the desires of his wicked heart in obtaining attention, distinction, and honor for it. That is simply wicked.
Surely this shows that the heart must be changed from its enmity with God to have a love for God so that it may seek the glory and honor of God rather than self. Oh how understanding the heart can open our eyes to our need of grace and the wonder and glory of grace. God alone can be holy in seeking His own honor and glory, while in reality man is as wicked as he can be in seeking his own honor and glory. On the other hand, the holiest of men pant after and seek the honor and glory of God as their chief end and love.
God Loves... Himself 
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