I think the biggest difference between what we've often called UCs and those that are not is their emphasis on works. Because of that and their wrong view of those that don't emphasis works, they erroneously accuse any thing that is not UC of all sorts of things ranging from "reprobates" to being ok with sin.
Jesus addressed this error
Mat 23:16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.'
Mat 23:17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
Notice Jesus was correcting their wrong thinking. Their emphasis was on the wrong thing. Jesus called them blind fools. He continues to show how they had a wrong way of viewing things
Mat 23:18 And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.'
Mat 23:19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
Mat 23:20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
Mat 23:21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
Mat 23:22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
This was always the problem with the Phariseeical minded person. They focused on regulations so much they were obsessed with how they can affect their own salvation so much that they even made up their own rules and regulations.
Mat 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
The Pharisees were very big on the outward appearances to men. They boasted about how they fasted. They thought they were righteous because they tithed on absolutely everything, but their focus was NOT on what was important according to Jesus, which was justice, mercy and faithfulness. It was their emphasis that was the problem
Mat 23:24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
Jesus again told them they were blind but this time included the fact they were guides. Others followed them and we know they were blind leaders of the blind. Those that followed them, followed them into the ditch.
Mat 23:25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Mat 23:26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
These people emphasis what can be plainly seen outwardly, seen with the eyes. The look at the cup and they think the cup looks fine. Their emphasis is on the outward not the inward..
The true church had to deal with these kinds of people in their days.
2Co 5:12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us,
so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.
Mat 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.
Mat 23:28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
See, the problem with those that emphasis rules and regulations is clear, as long as you meet our standards then you must be Holy. But according to Jesus these pharisee's looked the part but inwardly they were spiritual criminals. They appeared Holy. They preached this outward appeal. The even pointed to other men to distract from their own corrupt selves (see the pharisee and the sinner praying at the wall). This is how the wrong emphasis works. Not only do they emphasize the wrong priority, they attempt to feel even more superior and make those that follow them feel that way by railing on those that don't emphasize what they do.
When these people are feeling low or guilty, they emphasize the wrong priority; They preach even harder against others to make themselves feel better all the while inside they are hurting.
Col 2:20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations--
Col 2:21 "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"
Col 2:22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)--according to human precepts and teachings?
Col 2:23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Paul was not against works. His priority though was on faith. His priority was on Christ. Those whose priority is not on the outward are not promoting doing what you want. They just realize that Only Christ can clean the inside of the cup. They emphasize Christ and what He can do and their priority is to preach whatever will help you have faith in Christ so that not only will the inside of the cup be clean but the outside will to.
Luk 18:9 He also told this parable to some
who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:
Luk 18:10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus:
'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.'
Luk 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying,
'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
These that emphasize the wrong priority, do so often at the expense of others and the promotion of themselves. They look down on others who emphasize mercy and faith in Christ as inferior. They point out what the others are doing, all the while what they are really doing is pointing away from their corrupt inner man. As long as we are looking with our eyes we will see a righteous man he hopes and as long as we are focused on looking at others we may never notice that all we are seeing is the outside of the cup and not notice how dirty the inside really is.
Rules and regulations will never clean the inside of the cup, only Christ can do that. While those that emphasize rules and regulations will erroneously charge those that emphasize Christ as sinners who say we can do whatever we want, those that emphasize the inner work of Christ have true works and obedience because of what Christ is doing on the inside.
Preach to me faith. Preach to me something that will affect my inner man to trust in Christ and grow Spiritually, so that my outward man can be clean also!
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