I have the general feeling that we shouldn't do that. But Jesus says

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:20

what do you think "your righteousness" means

my righteousness

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So you automatically negate your own righteousness when you consider yourself more righteous than someone else.

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So as long as I don't do this then my righteousness has exceeded the scribes and Pharisees?

Since Christians are only made righteous by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, shouldn't you be directing this toward non-believers or those of other faiths?

Rocag said:

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Hey is this the thread where we comparing righteousnesses? Cause mine's pretty great. Exceeds all of yours, I'd bet.

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Congratulations, world's tallest midget.

The verse says your righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees who, last time I checked, were extremely careful with respect to the law. And before someone responds that somehow that's a bad thing, the previous verse Jesus says whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

However it is attained, righteousness by definition is conformity to the law. Do you disagree?

Martin Q. Blank said:

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However it is attained, righteousness by definition is conformity to the law. Do you disagree?

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The law shows us how unrighteous we are.

That's an interesting question. But no, I think that's not enough. Righteousness is defined by God - He is our Righteousness. I'd say the Law is an expression of His righteousness.

Martin Q. Blank said:

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I have the general feeling that we shouldn't do that. But Jesus says

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:20

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Righteousness of God is the Angel of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Martin Q. Blank said:

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I have the general feeling that we shouldn't do that. But Jesus says

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:20

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I don't think it was a challenge, I believe it was an expression of how impossible it is for humans to be righteous except by the grace of God through Christ's righteousness becoming ours thorough faith. Much like Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness.

The verse is a reference to how the scribes and pharisees only cared about what was written in the law.

They loved the law more than they loved God or their neighbor.

And what are the two greatest commandments?

Specifically Jesus interjects this verse into the middle of the beattitudes, right before he starts explaining commandment by commandment how the traditional jewish law falls short of what God demands of us.

He is saying here that if you desire to enter the kingdom of heaven you must change your heart so that you are no longer looking to do the bare minimum as described in the law. You must follow the law beyond its most basic requirements to exercise your faith to develop a relationship with God so that your heart can be changed and turned toward Christ.

As you do this, you will find God, be saved, and be worthy of entering the kingdom of heaven.

Martin Q. Blank said:

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my righteousness

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I'm sorry but MQB has a dryness and frankness that always makes me smile.

All this talk about righteousness...

There's somewhere I've read about our best day being compared to filthy rags.

Silent For Too Long said:

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Martin Q. Blank said:

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my righteousness

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I'm sorry but MQB has a dryness and frankness that always makes me smile.

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Agree.

Martin Q. Blank said:

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I have the general feeling that we shouldn't do that. But Jesus says

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:20

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I think you need the context of the other nearby verses to answer the question posed.

This is the lead into the Sermon on the Mount and the New Moses giving us a new set of commandments (the Beatitudes). It is essentially a call to set high expectations for all people. Early in the Sermon, Christ proclaims:

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Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:17-20).

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After setting these expectations, Jesus gives us several teachings that begin, "You have heard it was said . . . But I say to you . . ." (Matt. 5:21, 27, 33, 38, 43). Not only does he NOT relax any commandments, he goes to the other extreme and makes them stricter! For example, not only is adultery forbidden, we cannot even look at another lustfully (cf. Matt. 5:21-26). Further, no exceptions are made; all are called to this higher way of living.

And, in Matt 5:48, Christ commands that we "be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). Christ literally has the highest possible expectations for each of us. But, wait, we know that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23), but the bar set by the Son of God is what it is: actual perfection in Christ.

Does Jesus teach his followers to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees? Yes. How? By obeying God from the heart, not simply with the lips. It's the result of a grace-created interior transformation in which believers can grow through authentic obedience (1 John 3:7) as true children of God (Matt. 5:45).

Some of you guys are close, but still missing a key connection. The Pharisees to the Law that was meant to be followed as a way to live at peace with God and mankind, and perverted that into a path to earn salvation. The Law never says to follow the Law in order to earn salvation. That was the bad doctrine of 1st century Judaism Yeshua was trying to show them the absurdity of by taking to its illogical extreme.

As Yeshua continuous in his teaching in chapter 5 of Matthew, you are supposed to not have sex with your neighbor's wife because that is horribly destructive to your relationships with fellow man, and is, thus, against the Law. Not sleeping with your neighbor's wife does not earn your salvation. However, if you want to keep the Law so perfectly to actually earn your salvation, you could not even look at her with lust in your heart. The Law was not a path to earn salvation. If you try to earn it that way, there is a much more strict understanding of what the Law means, that was never intended there in the first place. But wait. If you can't even look at a woman with lust or else you fail at keeping the Law perfectly enough to earn salvation, then how can any man earn salvation? No man can earn salvation. That's Yehsua's point; albeit in a bit of an obtuse way (a way in which He frequently teaches, BTW). Salvation is not by keeping the Law, but by grace through faith (not commenting on whether faith is a "work"); like the faith of Abraham. Once saved by faith, please get on with your life by following the Law for the purpose in which is was given; to live at peace with God and your fellow man.

I was looking at gifs of Crush for this thread, but I couldn't find a good one.

Win At Life said:

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Some of you guys are close, but still missing a key connection. The Pharisees to the Law that was meant to be followed as a way to live at peace with God and mankind, and perverted that into a path to earn salvation. The Law never says to follow the Law in order to earn salvation. That was the bad doctrine of 1st century Judaism Yeshua was trying to show them the absurdity of by taking to its illogical extreme.

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I find no evidence that the Pharisees or 1st century Judaism thought this.

Zobel said:

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That's an interesting question. But no, I think that's not enough. Righteousness is defined by God - He is our Righteousness. I'd say the Law is an expression of His righteousness.

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God is our righteousness. How does that relate to Jesus' teaching? We possess it/him, but the Pharisees did not?

Yes, the promise of the Spirit is that we are made righteous in a way that was not possible before - because of Him, we can become the righteousness of God.

Is this an imputed righteousness or conformity to the law? I don't see how Jesus could be talking about the former.

2 Corinthians 5:21


New International Version



21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.


I read this as we are all righteous before God because of Jesus.

"become" as in a process where we more and more conform? Or "become" as in an instant, imputed righteousness?

Martin Q. Blank said:

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"become" as in a process where we more and more conform? Or "become" as in an instant, imputed righteousness?

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Someone with more knowledge likely can answer better but I take this as only through Sacrifice on the Cross by Jesus can we become righteous.

Neither. Actual becoming righteous.

Is it a process with degrees, ebbs and flows? How do we know how we're doing?

I think it is a process which is experienced and lived out in the various ways St Paul describes it. Knowing how you're doing is like anything else in life. St John gives a lot of "by this we know" statements, but you can measure against a benchmark (which is Christ), be in communion and fellowship with others, and have a spiritual father or counselor who can teaching and admonish you, as St Paul says.