Study of the sermon on the mount. Matthew 5:20 . can you help with any relevant scriptures or comments ?

Question

Matthew 5:20....For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

See Matt 23:23&24....Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Also Matt15:19 & Luke 11:43.

Other scriptures...Matt 23:2-5,23-28 Lu 11:39,40,44 12:1 16:14,15 18:10-14 20:46,47 Ro 9:30-32 10:2,3 2Co 5:17 Php 3:9

Mat 3:10 7:21 18:5 Mr 10:15,25 Lu 18:17,24,25 Joh 3:3-5 Heb 12:14 Re 21:27

Comments.

1.....The superiority to the Pharisaic righteousness here required is plainly in kind, not degree; for all Scripture teaches that entrance into God's kingdom, whether in its present or future stage, depends, not on the degree of our excellence in anything, but solely on our having the character itself which God demands. Our righteousness, then-if it is to contrast with the outward and formal righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees-must be inward, vital, spiritual. Some, indeed, of the scribes and Pharisees themselves might have the very righteousness here demanded; but our Lord is speaking, not of persons, but of the system they represented and taught.

ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven-If this refer, as in Mt 5:19, rather to the earthly stage of this kingdom, the meaning is that without a righteousness exceeding that of the Pharisees, we cannot be members of it at all, save in name. This was no new doctrine (Ro 2:28, 29; 9:6; Php 3:3). But our Lord's teaching here stretches beyond the present scene, to that everlasting stage of the kingdom, where without "purity of heart" none "shall see God."

2...Let none suppose that Christ allows his people to trifle with any commands of God's holy law. No sinner partakes of Christ's justifying righteousness, till he repents of his evil deeds. The mercy revealed in the gospel leads the believer to still deeper self-abhorrence. The law is the Christian's rule of duty, and he delights therein. If a man, pretending to be Christ's disciple, encourages himself in any allowed disobedience to the holy law of God, or teaches others to do the same, whatever his station or reputation among men may be, he can be no true disciple. Christ's righteousness, imputed to us by faith alone, is needed by every one that enters the kingdom of grace or of glory; but the new creation of the heart to holiness, produces a thorough change in a man's temper and conduct.

Are the comments above correct , why /why not ?

What does righteousness mean ?

To be righteous is it a state of mind or something we must actively work on ?

Have i missed any important points ?

Can you add relevant scriptures or comments ?

Answer 1

We know our "righteousness" are as filthy rags...we know we must be clothed in His righteousness.

Answer 2

Romans and Galatians reveals that the Law was given to us to reveal to us that we are sinners and lost and condemned. Yes God's holy law is necessary to man's salvation, if it were possible. When he realizes that actually obeying that law and never disobeying it is impossible, then he feels condemned and deserving of the punishment to come. He feels dread of God and hopeless. He knows he is going to h**l. This is where the law is meant to take us. Now we are ready for salvation by grace. We cry out to Jesus to save us, and he does. Then by the power of the Holy Spirit we strive to obey the Lord and follow Him. God says that we are saved by His rich grace, that no man should glory in his presence. No man deserves Heaven. It is a gift. Read Romans and Galatians.  

Answer 3

Greek scholar Kenneth S. Wuest says: “God is the objective standard which determines the content of meaning of dikaios [righteous], and at the same time keeps that content of meaning constant and unchanging, since He is the unchanging One.” He then quotes Cremer as saying: “Righteousness in the biblical sense is a condition of rightness the standard of which is God, which is estimated according to the divine standard, which shows itself in behavior conformable to God, and has to do above all things with its relation to God, and with the walk before Him. It is, and it is called dikaiosune theou (righteousness of God) (Rom. 3:21; 1:17), righteousness as it belongs to God, and is of value before Him, Godlike righteousness, see Eph. 4:24; with this righteousness thus defined, the gospel (Rom. 1:17) comes into the world of nations which had been wont to measure by a different standard.”—

Jesus admonished his hearers: “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and [God’s] righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.” (Mt 6:33) A person needs to keep seeking the Kingdom; he must desire that government and be loyal to it. But he cannot forget that it is the Kingdom of God; he must conform to God’s will, to God’s standard of right and wrong in conduct, and he must continually ‘make his mind over’ so that every facet of his life is in accord with God’s righteousness. (Ro 12:2) He must “put on the new personality which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty.”—Eph 4:23, 24.

The Jews thought that they were safe and would receive God’s Kingdom by seeking to establish their own righteousness, but they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. (Ro 10:1-3) That is why Jesus said to his disciples: “For I say to you that if your righteousness does not abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” These men had a form of righteousness in their obedience to certain of the requirements of the Law and to their added traditions. But they had actually made the word of God invalid because of their tradition, and they rejected Christ, the way provided by God through whom they could have obtained real righteousness.—Mt 5:17-20; 15:3-9; Ro 10:4.

Consequently, it is clear that imperfect men could never attain true righteousness—they could not measure up to the righteousness of God—either by dependence on works of the Mosaic Law or by their own works of self-righteousness. (Ro 3:10; 9:30-32; Ga 2:21; 3:21; t*t 3:5) The men whom God called “righteous” were men who had exercised faith in God and who did not trust in their own works but backed up that faith by works in harmony with his righteous standard.—Ge 15:6; Ro 4:3-9; Jas 2:18-24.

Answer 4

It certainly makes one wonder why a supposedly divinely written book contains so much anti-Semitism, doesn't it!!

How can a book claiming divine authorship (NT) be so blatantly anti-Semitic?  

(Rev. 2:9) “I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”

Matthew 23:37-38 "“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the killer of the prophets and stoner of those sent forth to her,—how often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks together under her wings! But YOU people did not want it.

Matthew 23:33 - "You snakes, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of h**l?"

Rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Rev 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of  Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

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Answer 5

Righteous character is developed.  To be righteous as Jesus was means that you have outward care and concern for others and this is by no means easy because many of us will walk past a stranger and not help them.  You have to work at being righteous.

Answer 6

I think your comment # 1 is much better, for the Pharisees are declared hypocrites. The New Testament teachings removed us from the supervision of the law, for we now live by faith (Gal 3:25). The law cannot justify us, but our faith in Christ will (Gal 3:11). The Law was not intended to save man, but to make man know how sinful he is, that he may be led to Christ for the remission of his sins (Gal 3:23,24). For no one can obey the law, not even the people to whom the law was entrusted (Acts 15:5-11). Does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not, the Bible declares that we have been set free from sin, so we should no longer live by it (Rom 6:11-14). We live by love, this is righteousness,  because it is the fulfillment of the law (Rom 13:8-10). The power of love makes us strong to deal with this world (Rom 12:9-21). Living in love conform us to the character of God (1 Cor. 13: 4-8). It is what man heard in the beginning in paradise (1 John 3:11) and it is how we know that we've known Him (1 John 4:16-18).