Matthew 5:20 Except Your Righteousness Exceed That of the Scribes and Pharisees

Frequently Asked Questions About Christianity, Answered Honestly!

Except Your Righteousness Exceed That of the Scribes and Pharisees
-by Tony Warren

any Christians are puzzled as to what Jesus meant when He said, "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." They want to know if He was declaring that we get into heaven by our works, or that we have to be better than these men were.

Matthew 5:20

"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."

The Scribes and Pharisees held a belief system wherein they believed that just following the obvious or superficial demands of the law would be sufficient for them to be right with God. But Christ taught that we have to be Holy, perfect or righteous in order to enter the Kingdom of God. By these words of Matthew 5:20, Christ was declaring that we have to be better people than the Scribes and Pharisees. Better than merely holding to a few laws thinking that this will qualify us for the kingdom. It cannot justify us because of the immaculate holy nature of God that "requires" perfection.

Hebrews 13:20-21

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

It is not our own independent works that are the reason for our being accounted righteous, rather it is the blood of Christ that makes our works perfect, as "required" by God. No man is justified by the law in the sight of God, and this confirms that the just shall live by the faith of Christ.

There are many who look at Matthew 5:20 as a confirmation that there is a requirement of works by man in order for him to be saved. In fact, this verse reveals just the opposite. Christ is denouncing the false and legalistic righteousness of the religious leaders in dependence upon their own works of the law. These comments are illustrating to us that contrary to what these Scribes and Pharisees thought, the kingdom of heaven couldn't be acquired by man's own righteousness in the works of the law. The truth is, if these Scribes and Pharisees had truly adhered to the full demands of God's law, they would have inevitably come to the knowledge that it was only by the "work of the Saviour" that they could obtain mercy of God that they would be righteous. Instead, in their arrogance and ignorance of the righteousness of God, they were driven to legalism in believing that, by their own zeal and enthusiasm, they could find favor with God. Thus in their disingenuous piousness, they demonstrated their non-belief in depending upon themselves for salvation.

Romans 10:2-4

"For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

They were ignorant of the fact that no one could overcome by keeping the law, because no one could keep it perfectly. If anyone would break the "least" of God's commandments, he would be guilty of the whole. i.e., he who breaks even the slightest precept of God, is thus become guilty before the law. And the penalty is death. To an infinitely righteous God, our own righteousness is likened unto filthy unclean rags. So no one would be able to obtain the glory of the kingdom by his or her work in keeping the law. This required righteousness could only be found in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. So in the Scribes and Pharisees depending upon their own work in keeping the law to gain the kingdom, they demonstrated a haughty spirit that was lacking proper obeisance. Christ's rebuke is illustrating that no one will get into the Kingdom by his own lawfulness (righteousness).

Galatians 2:16

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

The Scribes and Pharisees measured their righteousness by their work in keeping the law, and that measurement would never make them righteous to enter the Kingdom. For unless they could keep the law perfectly, every jot and tittle of it, every nuance and distinction of it, then that would never meet the requirement of entering the kingdom by righteousness.

James 2:10

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

In other words, if we try to get to heaven by keeping the law, then we must keep the whole law perfectly, never transgressing even the least point of the law. Because the law is a reflection of God's perfect, holy character, and so to transgress one point, is to come under the imprecation of the law, and it's required punishment of death.

Galatians 3:10

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

It is thus self evident that no one can keep every single point of the law his whole life (Matthew 5:28; Romans 14:23; 1st Corinthians 10:31; 1st John 1:10) never offending in any point. We can praise God that those who truly believe are "not under the law, but Grace." Even though there are some who object to this phrase "as if" this means that we don't have to obey the law because we have the knowledge that we are under Grace. But, God forbid! Knowledge does not make Christians forsake the law. On the contrary, it was the Scribes and Pharisees that were ultimately forsaking the law in favor of their tradition of legalism. The true believers under Grace do not forsake the laws of God. Those who show no real fear of God and have a cavalier or capricious attitude towards His law (as the Scribes and Pharisees) usually reveal their unbelief in some sort of pride, neglect or legalism regarding law. While those who truly fear God have the attitude that God's law is completely authoritative, and this belief is usually manifested in their humility and dependence upon Grace, which results in obedience to the law. Keeping God's commandments is an evidence of true saving faith, not the reason for it. Only by being born of the righteousness of Christ can anyone be accounted as keeping the law "perfectly," and enter into the Kingdom. Only in this Grace can anyone be said to be doing the righteousness of the law faithfully.

1st John 2:29

"If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him."

"This," is the only righteousness that exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees. Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the Kingdom. It is the righteousness we have by being regenerated, or born of the Spirit of Christ unto new life. The only righteousness by which we can enter in.

Colossians 1:20-22

"And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:"

Christ is infinitely holy and righteous so that if we are regenerated in Him, we receive of His nature and have the righteousness of Christ in us. It is in His faith and His righteousness that we are accounted holy and blameless before God. We are seen in God's eyes (which are the only eyes that count) as being "without sin." We cannot sin because we are made perfect, clothed from head to foot in the righteousness of Christ.

1st John 3:9-10

"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."

Whosoever is born of God has received a new nature from Him so that their sins are seen of God as white as snow. i.e., they are accounted sinless, and this is the righteousness required to enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Isaiah 1:18

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

There is "no sin" for the true believer, not by works of their own hands, but by Grace, through the faith of Christ. It is only by being born from above that we have the perfect righteousness that God "requires" for salvation.

Titus 3:5

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"

The Jews in that day (as indeed their progeny today) believed that they could enter the Kingdom by keeping the law of God. And in this objection of Matthew, Christ was illustrating that no one could enter the Kingdom by that kind of righteousness. Because it was insufficient to the task. Only by Christ's Righteousness imputed to them would they be able to enter in. That is the righteousness that exceeds (Matthew 5:20) what the Scribes and Pharisees had.

Philippians 3:8-9

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:"

This whole chapter puts the words of Christ into their proper perspective. Paul was an Israelite, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee circumcised the 8th day, yet when the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was revealed to him, he saw all that as the vanity of his own righteousness, and accounted it as "worthless waste." He saw his righteousness as but dung, for he had by Grace of God finally came to the wisdom and understanding that the Glory of righteousness is found not in his own works, vanity, or piousness, but in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 23:6

"In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Christ is named, "the LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS," because it is He alone that can give us justifying righteousness wherein we have the true "Peace and Safety" that restored Israel must have. Not by worldly might or power, not by earthly reigns or governments, and not by overthrow of carnal principalities, but by Christ establishing a Spiritual kingdom wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Romans 5:1-2

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

This is what Christ meant when He said, "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." That, except your righteousness is greater than that demonstrated in man's vain attempts to gain favor with God by keeping the law, you cannot enter the Kingdom. For being born from above in Christ is the only way to gain such righteousness.

John 3:5-6

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

The rebirth Christ spoke of was not carnal, but spiritual. It was a regeneration wherein perfect righteousness is obtained. Except a man be born of God in this righteousness, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Christ's call to this greater righteousness, is indeed a call to a righteousness that is a "result" of the Grace of God. The worldly righteousness that passes for goodness by men, is not righteousness in God's eyes. The greater righteousness Christ exhorted the people to obtain in Matthew 5:20, is not a righteousness by our own works, but by the unmerited favor of God.

May the Lord who is rich in mercy and forgiveness, grant us wisdom and understanding unto a righteousness that is greater than that of the Scribes and Pharisees. We pray that he will work within us to move us unto a Godly fear to keep His commandments, by Grace. Let us not look to the works of our own righteousness for any favor of God.

Amen!

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Peace,

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Created 2/19/05 / Last Modified 3/03/05
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