One of the great mistakes made generation after generation through church history is to slather rules onto our behavior and think that external behavior is what fosters, or even accurately reflects, vital spiritual growth. This is the mistake of the Pharisees, who “clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matt. 23:25). They are “like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:27).
