In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus spoke words that appear to have been both easy and difficult for the hearers to receive. But I can only imagine the thoughts that must have been going through the hearts and minds of those listening to Him when He said, "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."(Matthew 5:20) Ironically, it would have been the scribes and the Pharisees who were seen by the people as being the very ones who possessed righteousness. The very ones who might be first to enter the kingdom of God if entrance was based upon one's righteousness.
If entrance into the kingdom of heaven required a righteousness that surpassed that of the scribes and Pharisees, what would that mean to the masses that would have understood their righteousness to be less than theirs? Would there not have been a sense of hopelessness regarding their chances of entering the kingdom of heaven? If the "righteous" among them were said to be unable to enter in, who could?
In Matthew Chapter 19 we find the disciples voicing this very concern. Following the story of "the rich young ruler" we see Jesus saying, "it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven". In Mark's Gospel account he records Jesus as saying, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God". The disciples do not appear to be a group of men who would have been described as rich and yet Matthew, Mark and Luke all record them asking Jesus the same question. "Then who can be saved?" This may not have been a question asked in direct response to the story of the rich young ruler but a question that arose in their hearts from all of the things that Jesus had been teaching them.
Praise God for the answer Jesus gave them. One that was full of hope and promise. An answer founded in a storehouse of biblical truth. "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" Jesus said. It is important to note the first truth proclaimed by our Lord. "With people this is impossible". Try as men might to enter the kingdom of heaven in their own strength, by their own means or through their own righteousness, it is impossible for them to do so. The reality is that it is not simply hard or difficult but simply impossible. And the wonderful truth that all things are possible with God has been the enduring hope of countless men, women and children through the ages.
The righteousness of the believer in Christ does indeed surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees as our righteousness is His. His righteousness has been reckoned to us by grace and through faith. That which is impossible for men to attain is found in Christ and Him alone.
In Philippians Chapter 3:7-11 we find the Apostle Paul inspired to write these wonderful words. "More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Yes, ours is the righteousness that comes from God. It is that which comes through faith in Christ. It is through His righteousness that we enter the kingdom of heaven. Praise God!
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