THE student of the New Testament finds many illustrations of mental positions which when placed in juxtaposition form striking contrasts. An example of strong contrast may be had in comparing the Pharisee, self-satisfied, austere, unforgiving, self-righteous, with the Apostle Paul, humble, obedient, militant, but withal so filled with the spirit of the Christ that, in order to prove his discipleship, he surmounted tremendous difficulties while disseminating the doctrine of his Lord and Master. The Pharisee thanked God that he was not as other men. He obeyed the law, he observed all which the ritual demanded of him; but how lacking was he in the true spirit of Christianity cherished by the gentle Jesus, who became Paul's lodestar, his guide to salvation and eternal life!
Contrast Paul's attitude with that of the Pharisee. "For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God," Paul declared in a moment of contrition. Then in a burst of assurance, from his innermost conviction of the rightness of his later course, he declared, "But by the grace of God I am what I am;" and mindful of his persistent efforts in establishing Christ's kingdom on earth, and in recognition of God as the source of his being, he further asserted, "Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
In view of Paul's mighty efforts, what a contrast is found in his position when compared to that of the Pharisee, so satisfied with himself! In studying these passages one is readily convinced that the mental states illustrated were as wide apart as the poles. The difference grew, primarily, out of the different concepts of God and of man held by the Pharisee and the apostle. Christian Scientists find a valuable lesson in reflecting upon these Biblical characters. Analysis of the conduct of the Pharisee discloses that he found in his human sense of selfhood that which satisfied him; and while he acknowledged the necessity of obeying God's commands, yet obedience, to him, consisted in fulfilling the letter of the law; the true spirit of Christianity was beyond his reach. Utterly oblivious to the true meaning of the Christ-message, he was finding in the strict observance of ritual and creed his highest sense of religious observance.
