All Who Use the Bible to Condemn God Are Pharisees

I
The Jewish Pharisees used the law
of Moses to condemn Jesus.
They did not seek compatibility with Jesus,
but took each article of the law
so seriously that—
after having charged Him
with not following the law
and not being the Messiah—
they finally nailed the innocent Jesus
to the cross.
What was their substance?
Was it not that they didn’t seek
the way of compatibility with the truth?
They only paid attention
to each and every word of Scripture
while paying heed neither to My intentions
nor to the steps and methods of My work.
II
They were not people who sought the truth,
but people who rigidly clung to words;
they were not people who believed in God,
but people who believed in the Bible.
They were watchdogs of the Bible.
In order to safeguard
the interests of the Bible,
to uphold the dignity of the Bible,
and to protect the reputation of the Bible,
they went so far as to nail
the merciful Jesus to the cross.
III
This they did merely for the sake
of defending the Bible,
and for the sake of maintaining the status
of each and every word of the Bible
in people’s hearts.
They preferred to forsake their future
and the sin offering
to condemn Jesus to death,
who didn’t conform
to the stipulations of Scripture.
Were they not all lackeys
to each and every word of Scripture?
And what of people today?
They would rather expel
from this world Christ
who has come to release the truth,
so that they may gain entry into heaven
and receive grace.
They would rather completely deny
the coming of the truth
in order to safeguard
the interests of the Bible,
and they would rather nail
the Christ returned to flesh to the cross again
in order to ensure
the everlasting existence of the Bible.
How can man receive My salvation
when his heart is so malicious
and his nature so antagonistic toward Me?

from The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. You Should Seek the Way of Compatibility With Christ