Surpassing Righteousness

"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."
Matthew 5:20 


We have been discussing the kingdom of heaven recently. Jesus told Peter that he would give him the keys of the kingdom, so we need those keys. You may remember the keys we have so far; faith, humility and love. the fourth key of the kingdom is righteousness. Righteousness is absolutely vital to gaining the kingdom of heaven, for it is through righteousness that we have the 'right' to enter. Think of it this way: If you work at a job that requires you to have access to vital areas within the company, you may have a key or an identification card that opens the doors to the area you need to access. Those who do not work for the company would never have access to these areas. In fact, others within the company may not have access to the same areas you do. So is the kingdom of heaven. Without righteousness, we do not have the key to open the areas we need.
    Righteousness gives us the right to access the kingdom because we have right standing with the King. Therefore, he grants us the key to enter. Notice that Jesus said that our righteousness must surpass, or be greater than that of the Pharisees. What does that mean? The righteousness that the Pharisees claimed to have was based on a set of rules. they believed that they followed the rules better than anyone else, therefore their righteousness was greater. But Jesus wanted all to understand that this was not true righteousness. It cannot be gained by obeying laws. It cannot be earned by being good. True righteousness is given to us by God himself through Christ (Romans 5:17). The Old Testament prophet Isaiah called man's righteousness, "Filthy rags." It will not, it cannot please God. Righteousness is given as a result of our faith in God through Jesus. When we believe in him and surrender ourselves to him, we have righteousness and therefore have an important key to his kingdom. 
    True righteousness will lead us toward holiness. You see, righteousness is freely given to us, but holiness is the process of you and I raising our testimonies to the same level as our righteousness. So holiness accompanies those who are growing in their relationship with God and obeying his commands to forsake sinful, ungodly things in favor of life in the Spirit. So righteousness and holiness work hand in hand to lead us to the kingdom. Maybe an easy to understand this is found in this statement: We have righteousness through Christ. We attain holiness as we live a life that pleases God. 
    We should thank God everyday that we have the righteousness of Christ. It is the only way that this key of the kingdom is given. Be thankful that you have it, but don't forget to use it. If the key stays on your spiritual key ring, never being used, it will be of no value in attaining the kingdom. Practically, this means that when we pray, we invoke the righteousness we have through Christ. We can say things like this: "Father, because I have the righteousness of your Son, I know that I have right standing with you and I have the right to come to you. Today, I exercise righteousness so that my needs may be met. Open up the kingdom of heaven that I might receive the help I need. For my help comes from God, the Maker of heaven and earth." Add righteousness to your spiritual key ring and use it. You will be amazed how much of the kingdom is opened.