Righteousness that surpasses. . . .
In Matthew 5:13-20, Jesus is talking about, among other things, the importance of letting your light shine before a world that needs to know him. He ends this part of what is known as the "Sermon on the Mount" by declaring "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." (verse 20). This was an odd statement to those listening because to them they thought the Pharisees and scribes were the most religious people present.
Jesus told another story to contrast God's view of righteousness with man. In Luke 18:9-14 he tells the story of a Pharisees who went up to the temple to pray and also a tax gatherer went at the same time. The Pharisees prayed "God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people; swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer, I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get." Jesus though said of this man that the tax gatherer, who expressed humility went to his home justified rather than this Pharisees.
Yet, by legalistic standards, the Pharisees appeared to be doing well. He tithed, which studies show that only about 2-3% of christians do today. He appeared to live a moral lifestyle and fasted twice a week. Yet, he was also proud of his accomplishments and thought that he had earned his salvation by his actions.
The truth is, that we can do a lot of things, but one thing we cannot do is earn our salvation. The Bible calls it a free gift by God's grace. A gift is not something earned or deserved. One of the problems with many christians today is that they act like this Pharisee, proud of what they have accomplished instead of with the humility of the tax-gatherer.
In Colossians 1:13-14 it says, "For He delivered us from the domain of darkenss, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." You notice in this passage who is doing the delivering and transferring. It is not an action that we are doing, but something that God is doing for us. The idea of being "delivered" means that he "rescued" us when we were unable to help ourselves.
When Jesus described his ministry in one of his first public times in ministry in his home town he said this in Luke 4:18-19a "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." Do you see yourself mentioned in that verse? We should realize that as Jesus talked about those who were captive, blind and downtrodden, he was talking about us as well. He came to set us free.
see link for more information about the pride of Ahaz
http://www.gcfweb.org/institute/isaiah/week5.php
Jesus told another story to contrast God's view of righteousness with man. In Luke 18:9-14 he tells the story of a Pharisees who went up to the temple to pray and also a tax gatherer went at the same time. The Pharisees prayed "God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people; swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer, I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get." Jesus though said of this man that the tax gatherer, who expressed humility went to his home justified rather than this Pharisees.
Yet, by legalistic standards, the Pharisees appeared to be doing well. He tithed, which studies show that only about 2-3% of christians do today. He appeared to live a moral lifestyle and fasted twice a week. Yet, he was also proud of his accomplishments and thought that he had earned his salvation by his actions.
The truth is, that we can do a lot of things, but one thing we cannot do is earn our salvation. The Bible calls it a free gift by God's grace. A gift is not something earned or deserved. One of the problems with many christians today is that they act like this Pharisee, proud of what they have accomplished instead of with the humility of the tax-gatherer.
In Colossians 1:13-14 it says, "For He delivered us from the domain of darkenss, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." You notice in this passage who is doing the delivering and transferring. It is not an action that we are doing, but something that God is doing for us. The idea of being "delivered" means that he "rescued" us when we were unable to help ourselves.
When Jesus described his ministry in one of his first public times in ministry in his home town he said this in Luke 4:18-19a "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." Do you see yourself mentioned in that verse? We should realize that as Jesus talked about those who were captive, blind and downtrodden, he was talking about us as well. He came to set us free.
see link for more information about the pride of Ahaz
http://www.gcfweb.org/institute/isaiah/week5.php
