Bible Study #4 The Pharisees and Sadducees

Who are the Pharisees and Sadducees?

In our last study we were introduced to the Pharisees and Sadducees at the baptism John the Baptist was giving, but we were not told who they were or how they were relevant to the Bible.

There were two main religious sects for the Jewish people at this time (there were others as we will see). Just as there are many religious sects today these two sects held different beliefs, for instance the Pharisees believed in resurrection while the Sadducees did not. Nevertheless both groups were the scholars and teachers of the scriptures. They were the leaders of the Jewish religion. Most could quote scripture verbatim from memory and all were highly educated in the word of God.

These were also very proud people who desired adulation and recognition. They all enjoyed the power their positions gave them. As you will see as our studies progress these groups were also strongly against Jesus. Please note how these groups attempted to discredit Jesus using scripture just as Satan did during the temptation of Christ in the desert. We will learn of a close connection between these groups and Satan. There were also other religious leaders that aligned themselves with the Pharisees and Sadducees, as we will discover later.

Why are these groups so important to us today? They serve as a warning to us. Today we have many highly educated preachers and teachers that mislead us. These preachers and teachers may be educated and knowledgeable in the Bible but they do not understand what they have learned or they deliberately mislead us. This shows us that education and knowledge does not equate to being right with God.

These are the false preachers and teachers Jesus will be warning us of throughout the New Testament. If we follow their teachings and do not discover the truth for ourselves we can be condemned. If you believe that once you are saved there is no way you are going to fall away from God think again. God will not fail you but you can fail God and if you follow Satan you are removing yourself from salvation. When you turn your back on God you are looking upon Satan. No one can follow both. Just because you are saved does not mean you have lost your free will. God cast angels out of Heaven because they followed Satan, think about that.

Before anyone jumps up and says “once saved always saved” stop and think. What the Bible says is that if you believe on Christ Jesus as the Son of God and that He came in flesh body as your savior and you believe He died on the cross for forgiveness of our sins no one can remove you from His hand. You still have free will therefore YOU can remove yourself from His hand just as Satan removed himself from God’s keeping when he rebelled against God in Heaven.

At one time Satan was the “Covering Cherubim”, one that protected or covered the mercy seat of God. He held a very special place and position in Heaven but because of his pride and the rebellion from that pride he was cast out of Heaven and condemned. In fact Satan is the only spirit of all God’s creation that is condemned to death before the White Throne Judgment takes place. If this very special angel can be condemned can you truly believe you are special enough to avoid God’s wrath if you follow Satan? If you repent and ask forgiveness for following Satan then you can be justified again. Use common sense because that is what God gave you. As we go along in our studies we will learn more about this subject. If we want the truth the Bible offers us we must keep our minds open and forget the traditional teachings of man and learn the true word of God.

A side note here, repentance means asking forgiveness and to stop doing that sin. If you continue in that sin then you are not truly repentant. God knows what is in your heart so you cannot fool Him.

There are hundreds of false traditions and teachings we have been subjected to and that is why we are here, to dislodge the lies from our lives and learn God’s true teachings. Can I be wrong? Yes I can, but the Bible is never wrong. That is why I want everyone to check for themselves the accuracy of these studies.

But I digress; now let us return to the subject of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Bible will speak for it’s self on this subject and I am sure when some see what the Bible says it will shake some beliefs that some might have held about the Bible. I just want everyone to be forewarned that these studies may go against what you have learned so if you want the truth some of you may have to unlearn what you have been taught previously and I truly hope that is why you are reading this.

Or next study will be about learning how to understand the Bible. It will deal with understanding how the scripture was translated into the King James Version. After that we will return to the book of Matthew.