“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:20
The Pharisees were a group of people who believed so much that they were righteous. They would talk about how they kept the law and how not one speck of unrighteousness could be found in them.
But in this passage, Jesus says that if we ever hoped to enter the kingdom of God, our righteousness has to exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees. However, humanly speaking, that is almost impossible. And that is why we need the Grace of God. We can’t do without it. Trying to be righteous on our own makes us religious law-keepers with a form of godliness based on works.
Unfortunately, this means that even though we exert much of our strength to attain self-righteousness, it still does not qualify us for heaven. Self-righteousness makes us feel like we have done our best, but it also ensures that we never look to God in humility, asking for His help to live in His ways. In other words, we cheat ourselves of everything grace provides.
Our aim as Christians should be to live according to God’s way in His power, not ours. Our strength should be found in Him. Our hope should be built on Him and our righteousness, a result of His Grace.
Finally, Beloved, “…be found in Him, not having my {your} own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” Phil 3:9.
Prayer
- Dear Lord, may I never live by my own righteousness.
- Help me, Lord, keep my eyes on you, never on my strengths or capabilities.
- Lord, please open the eyes of every Christian leader to serve you truthfully without self-righteousness.
This is our message for today, and we hope you were blessed. We’d also love to hear from you; please comment below.
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Have a blessed day!
