MZTV 1743: We've Recorded a Judaizer in the Wild

In the first century, Jews of the Israel gospel sent spies into Paul's ecclesias, trying to understand their freedom. They hoped to uncover corruption. Finding none, they conspired to create it. Failing that, they could at least bring these grace people into some of the same bondages that they themselves—the Circumcisionists—struggled under. (Misery loves company.)

Although they don't call themselves this, we have modern Circumcisionists who spy out the freedoms that we, modern-day members of the body of Christ, enjoy.

Holding themselves to the standard of the terrestrial Jesus, these Israel-wannabes consider themselves defenders of morality. To identify themselves to others of their ilk, instead of saying "Jesus" they use the name "Yeshua." To them, this brands them as serious people. They are more educated than most. They take the terrestrial Jesus more seriously than most. Saying "Yeshua" instead of "Jesus" puts them in sympathy with actual Israelites whose favor they would not at all mind currying.

Johnny Greene of Ohio is a modern-day Judaizer. He infiltrates the body of Christ by watching videos made by certain members of the body of Christ. Like the Judaizers of old, he spies out the freedom of Paul people. The first-century Judaizers hated the freedom of Paul's message. They resented the fact that the nations could access deeper recesses of God, and receive more blessings from God, than they—without modifying their behavior.

Modern-day Judaizers are no different.

The burden of the Judaizers is knowing that the nations THINK they have received a message of complete and total grace requiring NO behavioral modifications. (This message does in reality exist, but the Judaizer refuses to believe it exists. To the Judaizer, such complete freedom would be too good to be true, nay, impossible to be true.)

This is the straw that cripples the self-righteous camel. Nothing maddens a Judaizer more than watching a person swimming in grace without even a thought as to moral struggle. The Judaizer, you see, considers himself to be a paragon of morality who has, by great exercise of will and much personal sacrifice, cleaned up his life in order to present himself to God as a sterling example of what sainthood looks like. It's all about perception—self-perception and otherwise.

Because we have identified a modern-day Judaizer, it will be profitable to observe him in the wild so as to learn more about what makes such a person tick. This will also become a cautionary tale of how not to become a bitter, self-righteous grace-denier who demands that everyone else become as perfect as he imagines himself to be.

Martin's homepage: https://www.martinzender.com

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