Bible Study

with Prof Maxwell Barson

This being the first week of the year, lets pray that God makes us more like His son Jesus Christ as we conform to Him through disciplined bible study, prayer and service.

DOCTRINE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Text: _Matthew 5:17-48._ 

Jesus explains that true righteousness goes beyond external behavior to include purity in someone’s thoughts and intentions of the heart

Righteousness means being right before God, measured by His perfect standards, not comparison to other similarly flawed people. God, in His perfection, requires absolute purity of thought, word, and deed. 

In our sinfulness, we cannot measure up to God’s standards of righteousness.

 There are four main truths we will explore:

• God is righteous.

• I am not righteous.

• Christ’s righteousness is _imputed_ to every sinner who trusts Him for salvation.

• Practical righteousness is _imparted_ to every believer through the Holy Spirit.

 The Absolute Righteousness of God

By definition, righteousness is “right-ness,” or to sound more like a dictionary, the quality of being “morally right or justifiable.” 

The gap between who God is and who we are is where the conversation about righteousness starts.

God is righteous

God’s righteousness is linked closely to His holiness. 

His holiness speaks to His intrinsic character and incorporates His absolute purity and glory. 

Holiness also captures the idea that God is distinct from or separate from what is common or ordinary. 

Righteousness incorporates the idea of conforming to a standard. 

God sets and upholds the highest, most righteous standard in His being – who He is (James 1:17) – and in His ways, everything He does. He is righteous and He acts in righteousness.

Mankind’s Lack of Righteousness

The Bible is clear, _“there is no one righteous, not even one”_ (Psalm 143:2; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 59; Romans 3:10; Revelation 5:1-5). 

Jesus explained our problem in the Sermon on the Mount. 

Even if our external actions uphold a code of behavior that we deem acceptable, our hearts long for things that do not please and honor God.

We cannot produce the kind of righteousness God requires.

Christ’s righteousness is _imputed_ to every sinner who trusts Him for salvation.

God is absolutely righteous. Not only are all people not righteous, they foolishly and even proudly rely on the inadequate solution of self-righteousness. What is the answer? 

Only a solution from God could solve our problem with God* 

Through Christ, God provides what human effort cannot.

By faith in Christ alone, believers are declared righteous before God.

This immutable reckoning by God transfers the unchangeable perfection of Jesus to all who receive Him.

Believers also grow in their righteousness before people.

By trusting God and walking in His Spirit through daily life, the new nature that God puts within believers increasingly produces practical righteousness (See Romans 3:21-24; 5:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

PRINCIPLE 1: For the believer, the righteousness of Christ is our solid foundation and eternal hope

The Righteousness Imparted by the Holy Spirit: Sanctification – Practical Righteousness

(See Romans 6:1-4; 8:4; 2 Peter 3:11.)

Righteousness gives us security in Christ Alone. 

God’s character, plan, and truths weave together in an amazing way. 

The doctrines of the Bible intersect, support one another, and uphold God’s attributes with perfect balance, consistency, and beauty. 

As we are studying the concept of righteousness, the connection to God’s holiness and many other important doctrines become evident.

PRINCIPLE 2: True righteousness is not defined by the quantity of deeds but by the quality of life God provides for you in Christ

A Call to a True Righteousness – Mat 5:19-20

Jesus warned that no one would enter the kingdom of heaven unless their righteousness exceeded that of Israel’s Pharisees and other teachers of the law. What does this mean? 

God requires absolute perfection, not just of external behavior but also of motives and desires. 

It is not good enough to be better than everyone else; the standard required is to be as good as God. 

Outward observances and external conformity alone ignore the internal holiness that God requires. 

Like the Pharisees, we can feel self-satisfied by evaluating ourselves by what we do or refuse to do. 

Downsizing God’s requirements to make them achievable will not work.

Six examples Jesus cited to expand the concept of true righteousness beyond external conformity

1. Anger – Mat 5:21-26

Anger, envy, contempt, and hatred are inward sins which can give birth to the outward sin of murder. 

Broken relationships must be mended. No matter who is in the wrong, the believer should make the first move to settle the issue.

A refusal to forgive another’s sin means the person is unaware of their own sinful state before God. 

Clinging to anger and self-righteousness ignores Christ’s response of love and self-sacrifice on our behalf. 

God seeks to purify our hearts not just from committing overt acts of sin but also to cleanse the innermost desires that cause us to sin.

2. Lust – Mat 5:27-30

Jesus condemned not only the physical act of immoral sex, but also the indulgence of impure sexual imaginations. Sexual temptation surrounds us in our sex - crazed world. 

God’s standards governing sexual purity seem impossible to obey in today’s culture. 

God cares about the desires of the heart, not just external acts of sin. 

Jesus’ stated that if your right eye or right hand causes you to stumble, it should be removed and thrown away. What did He mean? 

Take sexual sin seriously and do what it takes to avoid temptation and refuse to indulge sin. 

In a world that sees sexual freedom as a personal liberty, believers are called to purity of mind and body. 

Only the Spirit can deliver the mind from evil and purify our hearts.

3. Divorce – Mat 5:31-32

God instituted marriage as a lifelong commitment between one male and one female. He allowed an exception for divorce only in the situation of marital unfaithfulness. 

Even then, divorce was not commanded or even desirable. 

Jesus spoke these words into a society that had made divorce a viable option, much like today. Jewish law allowed a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce for trivial reasons.

Jesus’ teaching here on divorce exposed the sinful desire to indulge selfish desires and ignore the self-sacrificial love and commitment marriage requires. 

He raised the seriousness of this offense. In a world where divorce is common, we must recognize both its damage and God’s grace on those who have experienced its pain. God’s people should reach out to comfort and help those hurt by divorce.

4. Oaths – Mat 5:33-37

Jesus recounted that the law taught that an oath made should be an oath kept. 

Jesus was not condemning formal promises but calling for honesty of speech that did not require an oath for validation. 

Every word we speak is in the presence of God, who will judge every careless word. God Himself is the source of truth. 

God calls His children to more than just to stop lying. We are to so love truth that our thoughts and words reflect the purity God desires.

5. Retaliation – Mat 5:38-42

Old Testament law limited retribution so that the response fit the offense. 

The an “eye for an eye” and a “tooth for a tooth” guideline was given as a basis for law in human government, not a standard for retribution in personal relationships. Jesus obliterated any justification for seeking painful revenge on one’s enemies. 

Instead of responding to violence with violence, God’s children are called to respond in love when experiencing injustice. 

But the self-sacrifice of personal rights for someone else goes far beyond a natural human response. 

God calls believers to surrender their rights for the sake of the greater good and God’s glory. 

Jesus Himself set the highest example as He willingly endured intense suffering unto death for the benefit of His children.

6. Love for Enemies – Mat 5:43-47

Jesus invited His children to a very different response than hatred toward their enemies. He enlarged their understanding to declare that the law of love followed the perfect example of God, who loved freely and without restrictions. 

Love and prayer are supreme gifts and are especially powerful when extended to our enemies. It is easy to be nice to those who treat us well. 

We can effortlessly pray blessings on those who demonstrate their love for us. 

Even unbelievers can do this! God calls His children to a standard of righteousness that far exceeds the dictates of this world.

PRINCIPLE 3: Jesus’ expanded definition of true righteousness pleases God and exceeds human capacity.

PRINCIPLE 4: God credits believers with His perfection – Jesus’ righteousness (Mat 5: 48)

Our Response?

• God’s standards of righteousness should send us to His perfect Son for rescue. Jesus provides for us what we can never accomplish for ourselves.

• The Holy Spirit, living within each believer, produces God-pleasing righteousness. Nothing we do earns God’s favor; anything we do that pleases God comes from His work within us.

• When I do not believe in God’s standards for righteousness, I feel better about my behavior only because I compare myself to others. I try to monitor what I say and do but never know if I have been good enough.

• When I believe that I offer God nothing truly righteous on my own, I turn to His Son and rely on His Spirit to transform my heart and mind. The Holy Spirit produces God - pleasing righteousness as I trust and obey God.

PRINCIPLE 4: God credits believers with His perfection – Jesus’ righteousness (Mat 5: 48)

Thank you for following this study, hoping that it will produce the fruit of righteousness. Next week we will look at the 

Doctrine of Prayer focusing on Matthew 6: 5-15. Till then, good day!

*Prof Maxwell Barson is with the University of Botswana