What Does It Really Mean to Be Righteous

Jesus Answers the Question: What Does it Really Mean to be Righteous?

Posted on by Michele Morin

I’ve lived through a good many phases of interpreting the Christian life, and maybe you remember some of them, too. In the 80s, young Christian women like me were encouraged to be fervent and verbal about our faith. It helped if somewhere along the way you’d experienced a Damascus Road turnaround with a gripping story. (I hadn’t…)

Then later it became popular to be a mess and proud of it. The lyrics to that song were heavy on “seen and known” and blog posts abounded confessing to laundry overwhelm and parenting fails.

To be honest, I’m not sure about the current boilerplate for the testimonies of grandmothers, empty-nesters, or long-time church women who aren’t “deconstructing.” I’ve been criticized for being “too much” and also, ironically, for being “not enough.” My heart resonates with the desire Eugene Peterson expressed in his journals: “I want to be a saint.” And I’m learning that the only trustworthy guide for following Christ is his own words in scripture and the faithful words of his forerunners and followers in our sacred text.

My heart resonates with the desire Eugene Peterson expressed in his journals: “I want to be a saint.”

Jesus lived in an era when righteousness had become a very visible and measurable goal—at least from the perspective of the religious elite of the day. In his Sermon on the Mount, he pushes back—not against the law, because he was clear in his role as Law Fulfiller, not Law Abolisher. His objection is not with the Law but with the hypocrisy of outward obedience that masked a heart that was far from the God who gave us the Law.

In six discrete units starting with the words “You have heard that it was said,” Jesus cites a commonly held standard of right living and then goes on to explain true Christian righteousness that surpasses or “exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees” (Matthew 5:20).

What Does the Righteousness of a Christ-Follower Look Like?

Jesus turned his attention to points of the Law that were being taught in harmful ways: murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and loving our neighbor. His focus in all of his teaching is right actions for right reasons, with the chief right reason being the goal of glorifying God. In his world where the appearance of righteousness was most valued and sought after, his words would have been startling, but maybe we understand that better than we’d like to admit…?

For example, we’d all agree that murder is wrong and a breach of the sixth commandment, but anger has been elevated in our culture to the point of being a virtue! Jesus pronounces stern judgment against anger (Matthew 5:22) and urges quick and clean reconciliation between “brothers”—even if it means delaying worship at the altar (Matthew 5:23). Sleazy gazes, reckless divorce, frivolous words, keeping score, and pandering to the in-crowd are condemned as unworthy behavior for a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus has called us to a deeper obedience.

Praying Together

Lord, deliver us from the spirit of bare-minimum obedience and instill in our hearts a desire to live as a true saint and citizen of your Kingdom. Give us supernatural love for the people who would naturally make us angry or invite our scorn. Teach us the meaning of purity. Give us the courage to take the low place in order to lift up others. We know this is how you lived, and in our deepest heart of hearts, we want most of all to live with your surpassing righteousness.

Let’s continue this conversation:

  • Read Matthew 5:21-48 with this question in mind: How is getting right with God connected with getting along with each other?
  • Based on our reading of the Sermon on the Mount to this point, how would your definition of righteousness be impacted by Jesus’s rejection of bare-minimum obedience?

Holding You in the Light,

What does it really mean to be righteous? Lord, deliver us from the spirit of bare-minimum obedience and instill in our hearts a desire to live as a true saint and citizen of your Kingdom.

This is part four of a series about Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. You’ll find part one on the Beatitudes HERE, and part two on Salt and Light HERE. Last week, in light of Jesus’s warning to teachers, we wondered what motivates teachers to take on the heavy responsibility of communicating the truth. I invite you to join me each Sunday for the next few weeks as we sit under the teaching of Jesus together and consider how his words and his life should be impacting the way we live, work, think, and pray.

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four married sons and a growing fleet of adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

32 thoughts on “Jesus Answers the Question: What Does it Really Mean to be Righteous?”

  1. I cannot believe you have been accused of being not enough. But, then, again, I know how the world of diverse personalities works. Which might be one underlying reason for me to be an outlier. I have never ‘fit in’ and as I have aged I find this to be a distinct advantage. I am not called to be acceptable to the world, but only Christ. That is my focus and if the world doesn’t like me for it, well, I guess that’s a good sign. You stay the course! 🙂

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  3. Michele, a friend I was with is studying the Beatitudes, and I’m studying 1 Peter. I was struck by the parallels of these passages. Believers are called to an impossible level of humility and love that shows us we must allow Christ to express His life through us. He is not only our example, but the source of our righteousness.

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  4. So many good points here. I’ve heard people say Jesus’ actions indicate that “love trumps law.” That so misses His point about fulfilling rather than abolishing the law. And amen that “the only trustworthy guide for following Christ is his own words in scripture and the faithful words of his forerunners and followers in our sacred text.”

    We’re so prone to “bare-minimum obedience” or even just the appearance thereof. May God give us true hearts toward Him.

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  5. I’ve been listening to The Bible Project’s podcast series on the Sermon on the Mount and just finished their discussion of this passage of “you’ve heard it said – but I say to you” sayings of Jesus. The kind of righteousness Jesus wants us to have is challenging, and impossible without him changing our hearts. It’s definitely whole-hearted righteousness and not bare-minimum!

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    1. Imagine how a call to a righteousness exceeding that of the Pharisees landed on the ears of the average person listening to Jesus! It is totally impossible if you’re keeping score like the religious elite did. How wonderful that. Jesus set a higher standard and then gets down low to lift us up!

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  6. Michele, I am not sure I ever fit in anywhere. When I was younger, it bothered me some but now, not so much if at all. Perhaps as believers, we were never meant to fit in but meant to be different or should I say, live differently. “Lord, deliver us from the spirit of bare-minimum obedience and instill in our hearts a desire to live as a true saint and citizen of your Kingdom.” Amen.

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    1. I’m rereading Eugene Peterson’s recent bio, and he also spent most of his early life feeling like an outsider. I think we can learn a lot from our perception that we don’t fit in. Actually, I would argue that we’re not supposed to!

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  8. “In our deepest heart of hearts, we want most of all to live with your surpassing righteousness.” AMEN to that, Michele! Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ who took our sin upon himself and made it possible for us to “become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Hallelujah!

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  10. A very insightful post, Michele. We too often settle for outward obedience to the law, when what Christ wants is a heart that loves and obeys Him.

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  14. After reading Matthew 5:21-48, I think that by living with these principles, Jesus teaches that we are not just following rules, but reflecting God’s character of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. I think focus on inner transformation and treating others well is directly connected with getting right with God. True righteousness goes beyond outward actions and extends to our hearts and how we interact with the world around us.
    Thank you for sharing this blessed lesson with Sweet Tea & Friends this month.

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