Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Unless Your Righteousness Exceeds The Scribes and Pharisees?

Matthew 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees barred them from entering into the Kingdom of Heaven, but why? First, their righteousness came from the law, which made a very important provision for righteousness, blood, not just any blood, but from an animal, a beast that was not created to keep God's moral law. This is important, if we can't get this, then blood makes no sense to us for our forgiveness of sin, which all sin is lawlessness! Hence, meaning we are not righteous, but instead unrighteous and in death to God, alienated from God's righteous whom is the source of our eternal life.

Galatians 5:4 You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.

Ephesians 2:12 that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Colossians 1:21 You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works.

However, the laws righteousness, that is, the blood, not the law; for a sinner could not keep the law, it only condemned them so they must go to God great seat of mercy and shed blood of an innocent victim to be temporarily made righteous by a creature losing its own life, which should speak volumes to any person not thinking about themselves, in how important they are to God.

Mark 7:6 He answered them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

John 5:39 "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.

Luke.18:9 He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others. 18:10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: 'God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
18:12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.' 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

The scribes and Pharisees, failed on two points, 1.) the law could not bring them into God's true righteousness found in the Kingdom of the heavens, and secondly, they felt themselves more important to God than others because of their position as teachers of the law. They thought as many in false religion do that teaching others God's word makes them righteous.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, "There is no one righteous; no, not one.

Romans 5:7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 9:22 According to the law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.

Deception is a wide road and easy to land upon, the scribes and Pharisees thought that fallen flesh could be made perfect by practice of the law, they hadn't realized the truth of the law, that is, no one is righteous by the law and never would be if enforced for a billion years. The law could do one thing condemn us in our imperfect flesh. Still false religion today in Christianity and others religions practice what is impossible perfection in our flesh once we are born into sin.

1 Peter 3:21 This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you--not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

John 6:63 It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.

Romans 8:3 For what the law couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh;

Sin means a person is not righteous and is dead to God, it is a fall from a righteous standing with God into a unrighteous standing which is death, there is nothing in between but the Devil and false reasoning, we are a sinner or we are not! We are righteous or we are not! The problem all creation is faced with is how does one make themselves righteous when they have no righteousness in themselves? The scribes and Pharisees taught as if they knew and than they spread their lies by actions and words into their doctrines like yeast.

Matt.5:37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out the old yeast, that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place.

Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

We must be “made” righteous, not that we have a righteousness because we love the law or Christ teachings, no! We have to be made righteous by another person precious life given for us someone that had never sinned against God's moral laws. Sin is no joke, please understand that God calls sin death, and death from sin an enemy to life, which means lawlessness. It is not a friend or a simple mistake it is death, it is alienation from God because God cannot associated with death or sin being He is incorruptible life without death.

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:

2 Corinthians 3:9 For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

Philippians 3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.

For this reason God allowed for the law to point out to his people how serious sin was for them with death and life of innocent victim, which puts us into unobtainable situation, as Paul belt out in his own personal pain. Once realizing he could not make himself perfect in his wonderful flesh: "Who will save me undergoing this death in my body of flesh?"

Rom. 7:8 But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead.

Rom.7:15 For I don't know what I am doing. For I don't practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.
7:16 But if what I don't desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good. 7:17 So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don't find it doing that which is good. 7:19 For the good which I desire, I don't do; but the evil which I don't desire, that I practice. 7:20 But if what I don't desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 7:21 I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present.

No! Paul could not in his own power, and/or sin flesh bring forth righteous, his must like us be made righteousn by the suffering of a righteous man upon earth that loved God us more then we can be honest enough about in our need for his righteousness most of the time. Righteousness is a state of sinlessness given us freely, from God's love, a gift, not demanded or taught like we have earned it.

1 John 5:18 We know that whoever is born of God doesn't sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn't touch him.

Being sinless does not mean we are perfected in love. Many are fooled at this point. Sinful spirit son's fell from God's righteousness, which was freely given them from His love, why? Because they were not perfected in love for God. They chose to rebel, don't be fooled, it was not a mistake that they chose death over life by free will that they like us were being tempted in rebellious flesh born into sin with no choice like human are.

James. 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 1:14 But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 1:15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. 1:16 Don't be deceived, my beloved brothers. 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.

They were created in love, without sin, with out desires to sin, nor was anything lacking for God's children in heaven. Moreover, Adam and Eve both were placed into a beautiful paradise they could not be fooled into thinking God didn't love them with his whole being in providing everything for a beautiful happy life on earth.

1Cor.13:7 (love); bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 13:8 Love never fails.

Being created in God from God, which means there is nothing outside of himself as life, God's love means living in a body, as a part of that body functioning for the love of the body. Our hand is not tempted, or our eye tempt in its position to rebel against our body, our body is given the righteousness of the body, it is given the life of the body. One cannot be sinless apart from God, one cannot have the life of God indwelling them feeding and making them righteous without the head of the body.

Psalms 34:9 Oh fear Yahweh, you his saints, for there is no lack with those who fear him.

Romans 3:3 For what if some were without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?

2 Corinthians 8:15 As it is written, "He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack."{Exodus 16:8}

2 Corinthians 9:12 For this service of giving that you perform not only makes up for lack among the saints, but abounds also through many givings of thanks to God;

Christ is God's substitute until the last enemy death from sin is brought to nothing by the perfecting of his son's in love. You cannot be perfected in love and sin against God, it is impossible. God did not created any son of God with sin, that is, evil, it was impossible for him to do so. God love will make us perfect in love, that is, perfecting our faith, and/or trust that God is good in all things pertaining to life eternal without question, and only one, God, is good, so we don't doubt but trust him with every thought and decision of life in all His ways are righteous and true, hence, life!

Psalms 91:11 For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.

Psalms 145:17 Yahweh is righteous in all his ways, and gracious in all his works.

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says Yahweh.

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Hebrews 6:18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us.

This is God's great mercy towards his son's, it is called undeserved kindness we must put on Christ in all humility, and not input any evil to God.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, don't be afraid, nor be scared of them: for Yahweh your God, he it is who does go with you; he will not fail you, nor forsake you.

Rom. 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 8:36 Even as it is written, "For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter."{Psalm 44:22} 8:37 No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.