02 Mar More Righteous Than Pharisees
There are a few scary verses in the Bible. Some of them because we understand them, but some of them are scary because we do not understand them. Like this verse quoting Jesus:
‘For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.’ Matt 5:20
The natural human tendency we have is to try to be good enough. The Pharisees were people who also not only tried to be good, but amazingly tithed even their herbs from their gardens. You and I might give ten percent of our increase (ie our income from our job) but they would even give ten percent of the herbs that grew in their gardens. They were fanatical in the extent they went to, attempting to be righteous. Sadly, they were focussed on the outward, but neglected the inward as Jesus pointed out in Matthew 23.
But the point remains that they tried hard to measure up to God. And knowing that, and reading the quote from Matthew 5, it makes it sound like we must try even harder. But the way to have a righteousness that surpasses them is not found in effort, but in rest. It comes from trust in Christ.
To have a greater righteousness, you need the righteousness that comes from Christ. Only he has the standing before God that is sufficient. To stand before God, you need to be found in Jesus.
So place yourself in Christ. Put your trust in Him. You will not only surpass the Pharisees in righteousness, you will have the added advantage of knowing it wasn’t your works that gave merit, and it will come with humility, and the thankfulness which keeps us close to Him.
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