Gospel of Matthew Chapter 5 Vs. 20

 Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

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.”

Except your righteousness … exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees”: On the one hand, Jesus was calling His disciples to a deeper, more radical holiness than that of the Pharisees. Pharisaism had a tendency to soften the law’s demands by focusing only on external obedience. Note their self-righteousness in Mat. 12:22-30; 15:1-14; 16:12; 23:1-33; Luke 11:39-54; 18:9-14; Rom. 10:1-3; Gal. 1:14; 2:14; Phlp. 3:2-6.

In the verses that follow, Jesus unpacks the full moral significance of the law, and shows that the righteousness the law calls for actually involves an internal conformity to the spirit of the law, rather than mere external compliance to the letter.

shall in no... On the other hand, this sets up an impossible barrier to works salvation. Scripture teaches repeatedly that sinners are capable of nothing but a flawed and imperfect righteousness (Isa. 64:6). Therefore, the only righteousness by which sinners may be justified is the prefect righteousness of God that is imputed to those who believe (Rom. 4:5).

Because of the necessity of righteousness should exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees they could not enter heaven. The significance of this is seen in the fact that the Jews of Jesus’ day considered these people to be the most religious in all Israel. However, their religion was largely an outward show of self-righteousness.

In communicating the depth of His message, Jesus used a series of contrasts between the outward behavior demanded by the law and the inner attitude of the heart desired by God. Here we discover the practical application of genuine Christian character to true spiritual living.

Here is the Law in the first column (O.T.) and the Spirit in the second column (N.T.):

1. No murder, No anger

2. No adultery, No lust

3. No divorce, Commitment

4. No oath taking, Speak the truth

5. No retaliation, Forgiveness

6. Hatred for your enemy, Love for your enemy

Having a form of religion is not what God wants, He wants our hearts. The scribes and Pharisees were well known for keeping the law but God was not pleased with them. They had only a surface belief, a literal religion, not a spiritual belief.

There will be people who never miss a Sunday going to church, who won’t make it to heaven. They have a form of religion, but deny the power thereof as it tells us in (2Tim. Chapter 3). The walk with God that is pleasing to Him is the Spirit walk, being totally submitted to the will of God. To have the righteousness of Christ, it has to be seven days a week and everywhere, not just at church.

They that worship God must worship Him in spirit and in Truth. Some who stand before Jesus to be judged will say: I cast out demons for you, I prayed for the sick for you, I did all these mighty things for you, and Jesus will say that He never knew them. He had their outward worship, but He didn’t have their hearts. If it is a chore for you to go to church, please examine yourself. Church should be a joy; and something we look forward to, not a bother.

The righteousness they were currently seeking - that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law - was insufficient for entrance into the kingdom Jesus was offering. The righteousness He demanded was not merely external; it was a true inner righteousness based on faith in God’s Word (Rom. 3:21-22). This is clear from what follows.