Quote:
Originally Posted by aegsm76
Did the Pharisees have any righteousness?
The Bible implies that they had some, for it says, "except your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees"
THoughts?
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Yes they had righteousness: self righteousness. The context of that statement is
Matthew 5 in which Jesus deconstructs the theology that it was humanly possible to achieve righteousness through obedience to the law. Jesus then begins to declare how the Pharisees defined righteousness: "You have heard it was said...". After declaring the righteousness of the Pharisees, He then declares the righteousness of God: "By I say to you...". After Jesus destroys the Pharisaical definition of righteousness He makes this statement at the end of
Matthew 5, "Be ye perfect even also as your Father in heaven is perfect." In other words, the righteousness of God demands perfection. The definition of righteousness according to the Pharisees was achievable. According to God it was humanly impossible. Ultimately Jesus is subtly pointing the way to Himself. He prefaced the discourse by saying, "I did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it." Jesus was the perfect man who fulfilled God's definition of righteousness. The righteousness of the Pharisees and every other human being at best is a filthy menstrual cloth before our Holy God.
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