RIGHTEOUSNESS
Matthew 5:20
The scribes
and Pharisees were, in their day, the most highly respected and admired
religious leaders in the world. Everyone stood in awe of them. But our Lord
said to his disciples, "Except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the
kingdom of heaven." Those words must have been astounding to the people
who first heard them. The scribes were the religious scholars of the day. They
were the men who copied and expounded the scriptures. They gave their lives
entirely to this one great work for God and his people. They consecrated
themselves to this one noble work. The Pharisees were the strictest sect of the
Jews. No one exceeded the Pharisee in outward morality, obedience to the law,
saying of prayers, tithing, sabbath keeping, scripture memory, personal
righteousness and public approval. Yet, our Lord declares, "Except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you cannot
be saved!"
Is the Lord
telling us that we must do more and be better than the scribes and Pharisees?
Is he saying that we must gain a greater measure of personal holiness than
those men had? Not at all. In fact, he is saying just the opposite! The Lord is
telling us that it is utterly impossible for any man to gain favor with God on
the basis of his own, personal righteousness. There never has been a child of
Adam upon this earth good enough, righteous enough, holy enough to inherit or
inhabit the kingdom of heaven, and there never shall be. You and I must get
every thought of personal righteousness out of our minds, and the very word
"good" out of our vocabulary, when we think or speak of any human
being in God' s sight! We have no righteousness of our own before God, and no
ability to produce righteousness. If we would be saved, we must have the
righteousness of God in Christ imputed and imparted to us. It is this
righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees! Do
what you may, without the righteousness of God in Christ, you cannot enter into
the kingdom of heaven.