# 494 - Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 8:14,15 “Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."
Let's talk a little bit more about this “leaven” of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. Ultimately both groups wanted salvation on their own terms. The Pharisees sought salvation through their system of false holiness using ceremony and rules and regulations and the Herodians or Sadducees were a lot more into the here and now. (They had to be, they did not believe in a bodily resurrection or the eternal punishment of hell)
This belief system allowed for the unholy alliance with the Herodians and Rome. They didn't believe that God was active in the affairs of men and therefore they needed to take the bull by the horn if they were going to enjoy peace and prosperity.
These false teachings are still with us today with the Pharasaic crowd emphasizing the do's and don'ts of organized religion (salvation by works or the “I'm basically a good person so God won't send me to hell” crowd) and the Herodians emphasizing a social gospel with a temporal salvation through the government and no concern about personal morality.
I think there's a little bit of both in all of us and we need to really fight for the pure gospel, which is, simply put, an utter reliance upon Jesus.
Father, this leaven of self righteousness and self governance is hidden in all of us in the old Adam, our flesh. Give us the grace and strength to fight it, help us to ever look to Jesus alone as the author and finisher of our faith. In His name we pray, Amen.
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