Preface To The Second Printing
1. Must God Plead With God?
   
2. How The Spirit Leads
   
3. Physical Reinforcements of Faith
   
4. Jesus' Physical and Spiritual Death
   
5. Is There Merit in Pain?
   
6. The Six Days of Creation
   
7. Adding Guilt to Anxiety
   
8. Wine and The Disciple
   
9. Revolution or Evolution
   
10. I Am That Disciple
    
11. When People Disagree
    
12. Is Unity Based Upon Seven Doctrines?
    
13. Our Seven Sacraments
    
14. Instrumental Music
    
15. The Mood of Worship
    
16. Justified Then Sanctified
    
17. Is Christian Our Name?
    
18. The Lord's Table
    
19. Righteousness That Exceeds
    
20. Neither Destroyed Nor Nailed To The Cross
    
21. The Right of Self-Protection
    
22. A Tree of Error
    
23. God is Limited
    
24. You Are Here
    
25. God is In Charge
    
26. Hook's Points
    
27. Lamentations of A Mediocre Preacher
    

RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT EXCEEDS

We are all familiar with Jesus' admonition, "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20). Let us discover the basis of the Pharisee's claim for rightness with God. In Jesus' comments upon points of the law in question, we will observe that Jesus was explaining the original intent of each law rather than giving new Christian regulations in contrast to the Law of Moses. Then we will be able to understand how our righteousness may exceed theirs.

The Pharisees are to be commended for their desire to call the Jews back to true adherence to the law. They were reformers. In their zeal to be strictly orthodox, however, they drew many lines and split many hairs. Sometimes these definitions allowed them to be legally correct while evading the real spirit and intention of the law. Thus, for example, they could consider themselves righteous by strict tithing while overlooking justice, mercy, and faith (Matt. 23:23).

Many times we have heard the explanation that the Pharisees gave a tithe of all and, since our righteousness must exceed theirs, we must give more than a tithe. That out-Pharisees the Pharisees, but it does not exceed them in righteousness.

Of what did the Pharisee's righteousness consist, and how may ours surpass his? Let us look at the context. As a preface to his remarks about the law, Jesus explained his attitude toward it in Matthew 5:17-20. He called for a deeper respect for it than was being demonstrated by the Pharisees. Then he begins to illustrate what he means.

"You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill...'" A man might consider himself righteous in keeping this law as long as he refrained from killing. That would give license to smoldering anger, insults, and scolding so long as there was no murder. God is not defining by this commandment how hateful, mean, and ugly a person can be without sinning. This commandment was intended to prevent the violation of love. The non-murdering Pharisee could worship God with a feeling of rightness while alienating his brother. Jesus explained that a person cannot worship God rightly while being the cause of alienation. Jesus is not changing the Law of Moses. He is explaining it. Our righteousness is no better if we seek to worship ever so correctly while holding ill will toward another or while being the cause of alienation.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' " Haven't you heard Bible teachers say that the Law of Moses did not prohibit lust when it forbad the act of adultery? Was Jesus changing, or adding to, the law when he declared that lust was adultery in the heart? He was explaining the meaning of it. Pharisaic rightness conformed to the outward requirement. True righteousness begins in the heart.

"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' " In Matthew 19:3-10 the Pharisees, evidently uncertain on this point, were trying to get a list of causes for lawful divorce. Jesus' answer indicated that God did not give a man a checklist of fouls to keep against his wife so he could throw her out. "From the beginning it was not so." God made an exception under Moses because of the hardness of man's heart. Sexual unchastity destroys the basis of marriage. Jesus recognized that. But from the beginning God intended that "the two shall become one flesh." The righteous in heart seek to preserve that.

"You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn." That was clear enough, but the Pharisee could swear falsely by heaven, the earth, Jerusalem, or his life and feel righteous because he had not performed the oath to God. Jesus' words indicate that God was not concerned about some specific kind of oath. He was concerned about honesty. They were keeping their interpretation of the legal requirement while being dishonest. To exceed in righteousness, one must look for no loopholes in the law of honesty.

When God gave the "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" provision, he was not suggesting that a person could be on the lookout for all the infringements on his rights so he could retaliate in like kind. That law was no license for revenge. Vengeance was forbidden. "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord" (Lev. 19:17­18).

This law was intended to discourage violations since the offender would be brought before the judges and tried, then repaid "an eye for an eye" for his crime. So, Jesus explains that, instead of looking for evil to repay to others, one should look for the good he can do-the kind and peaceful responses he can exhibit to create peace and show love. So it is with the righteousness that exceeds.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'" This was not a quotation from the law but, evidently, it was a Pharisaic interpretation. By identifying one's neighbors, he had a whole outside world that he could hate and vent his wrath upon. No law was ever given to identify whom one might hate. God intends that we love and pray for all men. By keeping their legal interpretations of the law with hair­splitting strictness, they felt that they were righteous while disrespecting their fellowman. Our rightness must come from a better claim. Again, Jesus was giving no new law, but he was telling the true meaning of the old one.

There is evident need for us to apply this lesson to ourselves in many areas. A person may be very scrupulous about tithing, for example, or he may give more than a tithe, satisfying his legal interpretation of what is required, while still failing to recognize that all his talents and what he has earned by them are entrusted to him in stewardship. God has set no legal quota that, when met, allows him to fail to show love by serving the needs of his fellowman with what he has. Rightness with God cannot be attained through meeting legal requirements.

A person may think to Bet his check mark in the heavenly ledger of righteousness by his participation in the Lord's Supper each week. He may be very correct in all details-right elements, right time, right procedure, right purpose, right people - while partaking with bitterness, resentment, alienation, and condemnation of others. To exceed in righteousness, we must go beyond rightness in outward forms and be righteous in the heart.

In the points of the law that Jesus discussed, he was not abolishing or changing a jot or a tittle of the law. He was making it clear that God, through his commandments, was calling for true righteousness in the heart.