Matthew 5:17–26 < The Fulfillment of the Law: Righteousness That Begins in the Heart >

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📖 Matthew 5:17–26 < The Fulfillment of the Law: Righteousness That Begins in the Heart >

20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

✨ Jesus Came Not to Abolish the Law, but to Fulfill It

Jesus did not come to tear down the Law. He came to reveal its true purpose. The Law is a mirror that shows the direction of the righteous life God desires. Yet human beings may appear to keep the Law outwardly, while remaining unable to fulfill its deepest meaning by their own strength.
That is why Jesus came as the fulfillment of the Law, accomplishing perfectly the righteousness we could never attain. This is a call to abandon every attempt to stand before God by our own works and to rely wholly on Christ.

✨ Beyond External Righteousness to Righteousness of the Heart

When Jesus speaks about the commandment against murder, He exposes anger and hatred within the human heart (Matthew 5:21–22). Sin begins in the heart long before it appears in action.
The Pharisees looked morally flawless on the outside, yet pride and judgment filled their hearts. Jesus demands not mere external morality, but honesty before God. He confronts self-righteousness so that we may come to God by grace alone.

✨ God’s Heart That Prioritizes Reconciliation

Jesus teaches that reconciliation comes before worship. An offering given while a relationship with a brother or sister is broken cannot truly please God (Matthew 5:23–24).
The gospel restores not only our relationship with God, but also our relationships with others. Anger and resentment destroy community, but the gospel builds new relationships through forgiveness and reconciliation. This is the new order of life given to us in Christ.

✨ A Greater Righteousness—Found Only in Christ

The “greater righteousness” Jesus speaks of is the righteousness of Jesus Christ credited to us by grace. Our hearts are not pure, but Christ fulfilled the Law through perfect obedience. That righteousness is given to us through faith.
This is the gospel of grace alone, through faith alone. These words are not meant to condemn us, but to draw us to cling more firmly to Christ.

🙏 Prayer

Righteous God, shine Your light on our hearts that have been satisfied with outward faith. We confess that we cannot stand before You, who knows even our anger and hatred.
Teach us to rely not on our own righteousness, but on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Give us new hearts by Your grace. Lead us on the path of forgiveness and reconciliation, and use our lives to build Your community through the gospel.

🔍 Application

• Examine not only your actions, but the condition of your heart before God’s Word.
• Decide today to take a step toward reconciliation you have been postponing.
• Confess daily that you stand before God clothed not in your righteousness, but in Christ’s.

💡 Meditation Point

Matthew 5 invites us to depend more deeply on Christ. The Law exposes and condemns us, but the gospel gives us life.
Today, lay down your own righteousness and enjoy true freedom and peace in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.

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