Lesson 10: The Idol of Viewpoint (2)

Viewpoints are not inherently wrong. Fact is, each of us has his/her unique viewpoint that has been shaped by our backgrounds and experiences. The viewpoint of the Pharisees was not inherently wrong, after all their viewpoint highly esteemed the Lord and urged them to carefully follow His Law. However, their viewpoint had become an idol which led to devastating consequences. In this lesson we will examine further what those consequences were and note how Christians can suffer the same consequences when our viewpoints become our idols.

When Viewpoint Becomes Your Idol, You Become Blinded

The Pharisees (and their predecessors) had a history of resisting men who claimed glory for themselves. Thus, they not only resisted the claim to deity made by the Greek king Antiochus IV, but also the divine claims of Caesar. Their viewpoint that no man can be God had become fixed, and thus they accused Jesus of blasphemy when He claimed to have the ability to forgive sins (Mark 2.6-7). Furthermore, the Pharisees believed it was the duty of Israel to keep God’s covenant. In that they were correct (see Exodus 19.5), but they devised an elaborate set of traditions that would keep them from violating the Law. The traditions were not wrong in themselves, but their viewpoint became that the traditions were the Law (see Matthew 15.9). And since Jesus did not follow their traditions (Mark 3.1-6) they concluded that He worked by the power of Beelzebul (Mark 3.20-21). The Pharisees were blinded by their viewpoint, because Jesus’ works were clear indication that Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 2.9-12) and that He came to defeat Satan (Mark 3.23-27).

The Pharisees are not the only God-fearing people whose viewpoints made them blind to God’s will. In the early church there were those who “knew” that circumcision was necessary for anyone to be saved (Acts 15.1). Their viewpoint blinded them to the reality that God had accepted the Gentiles (Acts 15.13-21). Today there are many sincere believers who just “know” that faith alone saves (cf. Romans 3.28) and have blinded themselves to the reality that true faith involves obedience to the Lord’s will (Romans 1.5; James 2.14-17; Mark 16.16; etc.). And then there were the Corinthians who evidently thought of themselves as being very wise, but their wisdom was blinding them to the knowledge of God. In his first letter to the saints in Corinth, the apostle Paul repeatedly asked them “do you not know” about matters of God’s will:

1. Did they not know that they were God’s temple with His Spirit (1Cor. 3.16)?
2. Did they not know that fellowshipping sinners would affect the group (1Cor. 5.6)?
3. Did they not know that brethren should judge matters between each other (1Cor. 6.2-3)?
4. Did they not know that morality matters because the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God (1Cor. 6.9)?
5. Did they not know that since our bodies are temples of the Spirit, fornication is inherently wrong (1Cor. 6.15,16,19)?
6. Did they not know that Paul and other laborers in the gospel had the right to be supported (1Cor. 9.13)?
7. Did they not know that they should do whatever was necessary to receive the prize (1Cor. 9.24)?

The brethren in Corinth “knew” so much; their viewpoint was that they were very wise (cf. 1Cor. 8.1). Alas, their viewpoint was blinding them to the will of God!

Can we relate? Think of all the things we “know” and how those viewpoints can blind us to the will of God. For instance, we just “know” we can resist temptation so we willingly put ourselves in positions where we will be tempted. Yet, God says for us to flee (1Cor. 6.18; 1Tim. 6.11; 2Tim. 2.22). We just “know” that we shouldn’t be held to old fashioned standards of modesty, so we readily drape ourselves in tight and revealing clothing. Yet, the Lord has called us to holiness (1Peter 1.14-16). We just “know” that “those people” would never listen to the gospel, so we never share it with them. Yet, our Savior died for them too (John 3.16; Romans 5.8).

When Viewpoint Becomes Your Idol, Your Priorities Get Out Of Order

We read in Mark 7.3-4 that the Pharisees had a tradition of washing their hands before they ate. While they were wrong to elevate their tradition to the status of Law (see Mark 7.5), their tradition was adopted for good reasons. Holiness was important to God’s people (Leviticus 20.26) and so defilement and uncleanness were real concerns (Numbers 19.20). Furthermore, it may be that they adopted the practice of the priests in their zeal to be holy (see Exodus 30.18-20). Their viewpoint was that following their traditions would help them lead holy lives.

However, Jesus showed them that their viewpoint had led to misplaced priorities (Mark 7.6-8; see Isaiah 29.13). As proof, Jesus pointed out how their traditions led them violate one of the ten commandments (Mark 7.9-13; see Exodus 20.12). According to the traditions of the Pharisees, “A son need only declare that what he had intended to give his father and mother be considered ‘Corban,’ i.e., a gift devoted to God, and it could no longer be designated for his parents. By devoting the gift to God, a son did not necessarily promise it to the temple nor did he prevent its use for himself. What he did do was to exclude legally his parents from benefiting” (Expositors Bible Commentary). Their viewpoint had led to skewed priorities: “you leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men” (Mark 7.8).

We can see the same flaw in the viewpoint of the Corinthians. Consider Paul’s discussion regarding eating food offered to idols (1 Corinthians 8-10). Some of the saints in Corinth assumed that everyone had the knowledge that they could eat meat sacrificed to idols (1Cor. 8.1-2). While Paul agreed that there is only one true God (1Cor. 8.5-6), he was critical of their viewpoint because 1) it led them to place stumbling blocks before their weaker brethren (1Cor. 8.7-12) and 2) some were crossing the line into idolatrous worship (1Cor. 10.14-22). They needed to reassess their priorities (1Cor. 8.13; 10.14).

Our viewpoints can easily skew our priorities. It’s so easy to be critical of our elected officials, because they are often both wrong and ungodly. Yet, our Lord said we should focus more on prayer than on criticism (1Timothy 2.1-4). It’s also easy to be critical of elders in the church. After all, they are men and can make mistakes. But our Lord asks us to do whatever we can to make their burden easier (Hebrews 13.17). And it’s easy to think less of others who don’t share our views on world events and even Scripture. But the Lord would remind us that He is the judge (Romans 14.10) and so we would be better off spending our time helping others in their relationship with Christ (Romans 14.13; 15.7).

Removing The Idol Of Viewpoint

A brother once told me that a good title for these lessons would be “We put the ‘I’ in ‘Idolatry’.” He’s not wrong. As we’ve seen, this was certainly the case for the Pharisees. What was important to them was their own cherished beliefs; what they knew; their own viewpoint. They put the “I” in “Idolatry”. Recall that Jesus quoted from Isaiah 29.13 in Mark 7.6-7. Now note what the Lord said in Isaiah 29.14: “therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden” (Isaiah 29.14). The way forward for the Pharisees was to rid themselves of their wisdom, to set aside their viewpoint so they could appreciate how God was dealing marvelously through Jesus.

Significantly, Paul was formerly a Pharisee and shared their viewpoint. However, he rid himself of his viewpoint in order to “know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share in His sufferings, and becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3.10-11). So, when Paul preached to the Corinthians he preached nothing other than “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1Cor. 2.2). The way forward for the Corinthians was to give up their idols, divest themselves of their viewpoints and know only Jesus and Him crucified.

We will continue to put the “I” in “Idolatry” so long as we cling to our cherished viewpoints. The only way forward is to dwell on “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Find yourself constantly upset by the government? Lay that idol aside and focus on the will of Christ, the King. Feel the need to constantly correct the opinions of others? Lay that idol aside and proclaim the good news of Christ crucified. Passionate about your favorite “ism” (conservatism, liberalism, etc.)? Lay that idol aside and be passionate about the only doctrine with eternal value: Christ and Him crucified.