A great divide (or, maybe better yet, a spectrum) exists in which Christians seek to define and approach the topic of righteousness. Some of the confusion concerning righteousness exists because the word righteousness can be taken in two different ways.
First of all, the Bible speaks about a judicial righteousness. For instance, when Abraham believed God in Genesis 15, God credited Abraham with righteousness. This type of righteousness is directly associated with justification. When Paul tells us in Romans 1:16-17 that the Gospel is the power of God for those who would believe it, he then goes on to say that in the Gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. Paul tells us that this righteousness is from faith and for faith and that the righteous will live by faith.
This righteousness, once again, is a judicial righteousness. This means that God credits (also known as imputes) the righteousness of Christ to the believer’s account. The word credit is an accounting term. If you were to take money out of your bank account, you would debit the account. On the other hand, if you were to put money into your account, your account would be credited.
Someone other than you could put money into your account, and this action would have the same effect: your account would be credited; thus, the bank would recognize the increase in funds. This is the thought behind the believer’s being credited with the righteousness of Christ.
The believer did not earn the righteousness, nor does money need to be earned by someone for it to be put into his account and for the bank to credit his account. Simply put, Christ earned the righteousness that was required by the Law, and God freely gives this righteousness to those who have faith in Christ as He is revealed in the Gospel.
God gives Christ’s righteousness to those who have faith. He then slams the gavel down in the courtroom of heaven and declares, “Not guilty.” An eternal judgment is brought into the present, and the new believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of what is to come: eternal life.
But then things get a little trickier. There are times in which the word “righteousness” appears, but in which the author or the speaker did not have the idea of judicial righteousness in mind. Rather, the idea is that of ethical righteousness. Virtually every reference in the New Testament concerning righteousness uses the word “dikaiosune” in the Greek. This word can be used to describe equity and one’s character. However, it can also be used to describe justification. Justification is the judicial form of righteousness, whereas equity and character consist of the ethical form of righteousness.
Therein lies the challenge in distinguishing what is at stake among the references in the Bible. So what must the Christian do to interpret the Bible properly? He must determine the context of a passage and use Scripture to interpret Scripture.
This brings us to Matthew 5:19-20, where Jesus tells us in verse 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” (Matt. 5:20).
Those who will be least
Scripture says, “Whoever therefore shall break one of the least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven…” (Matt. 5:19). This is a seemingly odd portion of Scripture. It almost sounds as though righteousness does not matter. Jesus plainly says that if someone were to break the commands of God and then teach others to go out and break the commands of God, they will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
You would almost expect Jesus to say, “If someone breaks God’s commands and then teaches others to do the same, they will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Surely elsewhere in the Bible, one could get support for that type of theology. However, this verse must be reckoned with and not explained away.
As a result, what is at stake is the eternal security of a believer. If someone truly is saved at a point in his life and then backslides into the type of lifestyle Jesus is portraying here, he will not lose his salvation –but he also must not expect a great reward.
This verse touches upon justification without directly referencing it. In justification, the eternal judgment is brought into the present. Therefore, God will not determine if a particular Christian is going to heaven or hell when that individual dies. That judgment has already happened.
However, that Christian will have his good works judged on the day of reckoning. If the Christian has been faithful to the Lord while he was in the body of Christ, he will rewarded for the work that he has done. On the other hand, if he wasted his time and abused God’s grace, he will find that he will get in by the skin of his teeth, per se, and be left without a reward.
Those who will be great
Jesus goes on to tell us, “…but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (5:19). Here we see a different picture. There will be another group of people who live in the body of Christ in faithfulness. They will not simply do what the Bible says, but there will be a fire that burns within them: the fire of the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God will use those honorable vessels and fill them to the full; they will go forth and hold to their convictions in a world that is lacking the conviction of God. They will share the Word of God and teach others to do the same.
This verse is reminiscent of how Jesus ended this Gospel. Do you remember what Jesus told His disciples in the Great Commission? He told them to go out and teach others to obey the commands of God. It is as though Jesus was speaking of the Great Commission in this verse – but also paying close attention to what the life of the disciple maker must look like, as well.
The reward will be great. It cannot be known what the reward will be. In reality, it is better that the Christian does not know. One only needs to recognize the fact that God did not tell us in order for him to determine this conclusion. It is possible that if the Christian knew the rewards that awaited him, these rewards could become more important in his heart than God Himself.
The righteousness required
Finally, we arrive at the passage in which we started, where Jesus is telling His listeners that their righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were known for conformity to the Law. It was an outward conformity, but nevertheless, they lived their lives in an attempt to do what the Law said. Sure, they were far from perfect. They were legalistic; they compromised the law and reinterpreted it where it was fitting for them, but if anyone were to get into the kingdom of God by their own efforts, it would have been them.
Therefore, the righteousness that Christ must be referring to here cannot be separated one from another. First, there must be a judicial righteousness whereby God grants guilty sinners righteousness through the imputed righteousness of Christ. If it did not include that, Jesus would be teaching a works-based salvation.
But after that initial point of justification, Jesus is also concerned about sanctification. He has already spoken about the meek, the poor in spirit, the peacemaker, the one who mourns, the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. This is the context in which Jesus brings up the righteousness of the believer. When God works in the heart of a believer, his righteousness will, in fact, exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for the work that You do in believers’ hearts. I pray that You would empower me by Your Spirit today and help me to be who You have called me to be in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.