Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Matt.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 foolish person is quick to take offense, Christ offended many simply because they had become foolish towards faith. They could not get past righteousness through works done under law towards God and man. Hence, when Christ made this statement it incited anger in the Pharisee's, and many Christian's today whom are fleshly minded legally bound by doctrine, rules, and laws, thinking, teaching, and preaching that is what makes them righteous!

Proverbs 14:16 A wise man fears, and shuns evil, but the fool is hotheaded and reckless.

Romans 8:7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God's law, neither indeed can it be.

When Christ stated a truth, it is a truth applied impartially to all, not just to the Pharisee's, but all whom practices the legalism of the Pharisee's. So what did Christ mean when stating our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees? The law is what the Pharisee's thought and taught made a person righteous, but it did not! The Law made no human righteous, because it convicted, condemned, and punishes sinner with the death sentence jailing them into death with no way out by human efforts. Thus, God provided redemption by blood of an innocent victim, not redemption by keeping the law, which was impossible for a sinner to do!

Romans 9:31 but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn't arrive at the law of righteousness.

Romans 10:3 For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn't subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

So Jesus stated a fact of truth, a truth that if your righteousness was the Pharisee's righteousness by works of law a person could not enter into the Kingdom of God. No person was going to save themselves from being a sinner by the laws righteousness, or by any other means upon earth through mankind's works/effort or goodness, for that matter! Subsequently, the laws righteousness could not save a person whom was a sinner because it did not take away our sins, it only made them convictable. The law did not perfect sin, that is, take sin out of mankind i.e.; us as sinners that was not its purpose, its purpose was declare all men sinners and unrighteous!

Hebrews 7:19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

Romans 3:20 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:21 But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets;

At this time there was no other righteousness for God's people, but the law, not unless God sent us a new and better righteousness greater than the laws righteousness to save us.

Now all Israel looked to those appointed (Pharisees) as priest and teachers in Israel for instruction in righteousness, so it seemed to those Christ spoke to that the Pharisee's must be righteous by their position and knowledge of the law. But they were deceived, rightness before God did not come from teachings, or position of power, but the blood, the blood must be shed to save us from our sins. Thus, if the Pharisee's loved God more than themselves, and their position in Israel they would teach this truth, a truth that would lead others to Christ by faith in God provision to redeem mankind once for all time by a superior righteousness, the Christ!

Romans 3:28 We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

Romans 5:20 The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;

Yes, don't become quickly offend God has provided two righteous for his people, one is a mundane earthly shadow of the superior righteous of God, Christ Jesus. Hence, for a person to enter into the heavens as a anointed son of God, they must be in Christ righteousness, and not their own righteousness through any work of law. They must receive the life force of Christ Jesus indwelling them by God's Holy Spirit, which gives them the righteousness of Christ, his living life, incorruptible eternal life sanctifying them to have God's Holy Spirit as the temple of the living God.

1Cor.1:30 But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: 1:31 that, according as it is written, "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord."{Jeremiah 9:24}

This is the truth the context of Christ words, becoming offend as do many, implies the person is foolish because they are of the fleshly mind that is of no value at all in knowing God. Hence, their thinking is dead and foolish to those made alive by God's Spirit.

1Cor.1:18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.
1:19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing."{Isaiah 29:14}
1:20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn't God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

1 John 2:29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him.

James 1:20 for the anger of man doesn't produce the righteousness of God.

Ephesians 2:15 having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace.

1 Timothy 1:7 desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm.

Titus 3:9 but shun foolish questionings, genealogies, strife, and disputes about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

See also: www.nu-truth.com