Matthew 5:20 (NKJV): For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Righteous: acting in accord with Devine or Moral Law: free from guilt or sin (As found on www.merriam-webster.com)
When we look at what Jesus is saying, basically, He is saying that we would have to be perfect. He is saying that the scribes and Pharisees have moral standards that they follow, or in other words, they try to live by the Ten Commandments. The problem they have, aside of being sinful in nature and being called out on different sins, not limited to but including, selfishness, self righteousness, pride, etc., but they were trying to force others to live the same and in fact, created many more rules/laws for people to observe, even though they found loopholes around them so they could justify many of their sins. See the problem?
Jesus, when He was teaching here, was saying that we would have to be better then them to enter into The Kingdom of Heaven. We would have to be “Perfect”, without sin or regrets. How do you think we fair in this area? Can any of say that we live without sin or regret? If you do, then I would recommend to read The Sermon On The Mount in it’s entirety. We of course will cover it here too.
So, if we are not perfect, does that mean we have no Hope? No, in fact, Jesus taught this for all of us to see that we need to have a covering of sorts that would make us righteous. Where do we find that covering? Through Him of course. It is only through a Relationship with Him do we become covered, our sins are washed clean, and that we can enter into Heaven. We need Him to be Our Savior in our lives, as well as Our Lord.
Do you know Him? Do you follow Him? Maybe now is the time to start if you don’t. Maybe now is the time to ask for His Forgiveness if you have fallen away. We cannot enter into Heaven on our own accord but only through Him.
Are you seeking Him? Are you learning to be more like who He desires you to be?
It starts with Our Relationship with Jesus. If you don’t have a Relationship with Him or you need to rekindle that Relationship, do it now. Call out to Him and seek his Love and Forgiveness. It really is as hard or easy as you make it.
We should look to Him daily to seek a relationship with Him. I want to encourage you to seek Him today, if you haven’t already. If you need help, have questions or need direction in this regard, please, feel free to let me know.
Maybe today you are struggling with something. Maybe you may have found yourself not as close to The Lord as you thought. We would like to help you in this through prayer and guidance. If you find yourself in need of prayer and/or encouragement, please, feel free to call or text +1 (505) 600-1027 or email cross66info@gmail.com
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Any scripture referenced here is taken from New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted
