“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

The righteousness practiced by the religious leaders in Jesus’ day further displeased God because it was partial, falling way short of His perfect standard. Again, in Matthew 23, Jesus illustrates this phony righteousness: “You tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness, but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others” (vs. 23).
The Jewish leaders were conscientious about making non-essential tithes of the smallest plants and seeds, yet they totally neglected showing justice and mercy to others or having heartfelt faithfulness to God.
To a large degree, the sin of partial righteousness flows directly from externalism. Unregenerate people disregard justice, mercy, and faithfulness because those traits basically reflect a divinely transformed heart. Without a new heart, no one can accomplish “the weightier provisions of the law.”
In a separate encounter, the Lord quoted Isaiah and further warned the Pharisees of their empty and misdirected religion: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Mark 7:6-7). Like the religious leaders and many of the people of Jesus’ day, professing believers today can be constantly exposed to Scripture but only superficially responsive to it. Their watered-down, partial obedience to God’s commands, demonstrates their failure to grasp the profound spiritual intent of God’s law and their probable unsaved condition.

Ask Yourself:
Realize afresh today that the only obedience which interests God is total obedience — the kind that can only be accomplished through Christ’s righteousness, given to His redeemed children. What instances of partial obedience need to be converted to full obedience in your life? (BEF)

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