Mutilators

Philippians 3:2 (NIV)

Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.

The Greek word used by the Apostle Paul in this verse is "katatome," which means cutting down. The yeast of the Pharisees that the Apostle Paul warned about, those that are "katatome", the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is still prevalent today. If the yeast back then was circumcision, today it is tradition and history. Christians are constantly bombarded from multi-million dollar pulpits with Church history, tradition, and legalism, but very little grace and truth. These "preachers" love bludgeoning believers with the Ten Commandments and Old Testament teachings. Their excuse? Since the Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew that a good teacher of the law brings out the old with the new, they should continue teaching the Ten Commandments. What they fail to understand is that the New Testament already contains the Ten Commandments.

For example, Exodus 20:14 teaches us "Thou shalt not commit adultery." But why go to the Old Testament for that, when Hebrews 13:4 teaches us that the marriage bed must be kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer? Ironically, these are people who have already committed adultery by eloping with their secretary while still being married. It is regarding such "preachers" that the Apostle Paul says in Romans, "You who condemn idolatry, do you rob temples? You who forbid adultery, do you commit adultery?" and so on. These preachers pound away from the pulpit with the law, fully ignoring that the law of God has been satisfied in Christ Jesus and that believers are no longer under the law but under grace. They ignore the fact that the Old Testament has been fulfilled in the New and that all the teachings for holy living in the Old Testament have actually been exemplified in the New. These are the sort that forbid women from wearing makeup or jewelry, citing 1 Peter, when in reality the Apostle was emphasizing inner beauty from the Holy Spirit and not condemning external beauty.

These preachers discourage young men from marrying, as our brother Paul said, behaving just like the Pharisees during the time of Christ. They take scriptures out of context to lay down unbearable rules when Christ Himself was accused of eating and drinking with harlots and tax collectors, but had a pure motive. They preach the Old Testament as a beating stick to gain dominance and control over their parishioners, while the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ sounds too easy and cheap. The yeast of Pharisees, those mutilators of the flesh, is alive and well under the aegis of Satan in the Church today. Believers should be aware of this and continue walking in the grace of God, not in legalism