Matthew 5:17-20… “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 20
Even though Jesus was not a new Moses, Matthew wanted his readers to know that Jesus did care about righteousness. In fact, the words from Jesus that Matthew recounted demonstrate beyond any doubt that Jesus wanted his disciples to live lives that were beyond reproach. They wouldn’t just be exemplary keepers of the law like the scribes and Pharisees—they would go beyond what was required by commandments and precepts and behave totally by the law of love. How could this be possible? Well, the Holy Spirit would plant in their hearts a new righteousness, a total gift from God, and the shackles of the external rules would fall away. And as they were freed from the Law the fruits of the Spirit would abound and all that they said and did would show forth the Light of Christ.
This isn’t an easy way to live and through the years followers of Jesus have struggled to understand how they could be righteous without following the Law. It’s so much easier just to adopt standards of morality and behavior and then require a whole community of faith to live that way. And that’s what many have done! The resulting codes of conduct have been rigidly enforced, and countless Christians have grown up in an atmosphere of judgment and repression and not grace, truth, and freedom.
Thought for the Day: What ethical codes have I had to unlearn?
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