Gatekeeping Grace: Fake Righteousness & The Ministry of Condemnation

Join Rev. Chris Gordon and Rev. Dan Borvan as they explore Jesus's profound confrontation with the religious leaders of his day over man-made traditions. This episode of Abounding Grace unpacks how Jesus challenged an external, ceremonial, and hypocritical righteousness, emphasizing that true purity and worship stem from the heart, not from adherence to human rules superimposed over God's law. The discussion highlights Jesus's mission to set people free from these burdensome laws, the dangers of legalism, and how easily God's commands can be lost when human traditions take precedence. Discover the parallels between the Pharisees' approach and contemporary issues, the nature of true sanctification, and Christ's call to a righteousness that exceeds superficial observance, leading to genuine freedom and rest. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:00:23 - Matthew 15: Jesus Confronts Tradition 00:01:43 - Exceeding Hypocritical Righteousness 00:02:30 - Religious Leaders Should Have Known Jesus 00:03:40 - Jesus: Freedom from Man-Made Laws 00:05:15 - Liberalism as Another Religion: Machen's Critique 00:05:56 - Understanding Original Intent & Gospel Freedom 00:07:00 - The Pharisees Sent Their "Top Guys" 00:08:45 - Overreaction in Times of Reform 00:09:40 - Mishnah: 30 Chapters on Hand Washing 00:11:15 - The Danger of Adding Laws Upon Laws 00:11:45 - Obedience vs. Legalism 00:12:45 - Monergistic Sanctification 00:14:15 - Breaking Tradition vs. Breaking God's Law 00:16:30 - Two Ministries: Condemnation vs. Spirit 00:18:20 - Man-Made Laws Obscure God's Laws 00:19:27 - Radicals, Reform, and Karlstadt's Revolution 00:29:22 - Isaiah, Worship, and Self-Worship 00:31:20 - It's Not What Goes In, But What Comes Out 00:36:00 - Blessed Are the Pure (True) in Heart 00:43:00 - Born From Above: Christ's Call to Rest #matthew15 #jesuschrist #tradition #pharisees #legalism #reformedtheology #gospelfreedom #truerighteousness #heartoverrules #aboundinggrace #reformation #biblestudy #christianpodcast #faith #scripture #theology