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The central issue in these lyrics is the kind of righteousness God requires. Not the righteousness that satisfies religious men, but the righteousness that satisfies a holy God.
Let us look at what the Word of God says:
> “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
> — *Matthew 5:20 (NASB)*
Jesus is not speaking here to atheists, pagans, or open rebels. He is speaking to His disciples, and to the crowds who regarded the Pharisees and scribes as the most righteous people they knew. Yet Jesus says: *If your righteousness does not go beyond theirs, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.*
The song you have before you is structured around that statement. It presses one critical truth: God requires heart-deep righteousness. Not external compliance. Not religious performance. But an inner condition that aligns with His own nature.
We will see:
This is not a marginal doctrine. Jesus ties it directly to entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:20 appears in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). This is not a collection of random moral sayings. It is the King describing the ethics of His kingdom.
### Who is speaking?
Jesus, the Messiah, the King of Israel, the eternal Word made flesh. He speaks with an authority that surpasses Moses and the prophets:
> “You have heard that it was said… But I say to you…”
> — *Matthew 5:21–22, 27–28, etc.*
He does not *comment* on the law; He authoritatively interprets and fulfills it.
### To whom is He speaking?
The disciples have already responded to His call. They are not being told how to become Jews, but how to live as citizens of the kingdom of heaven.
### What was the situation?
In first-century Judaism, the scribes and Pharisees were the recognized experts in the law:
To the ordinary Jew, a Pharisee was the picture of righteousness. Their lifestyle was highly disciplined: fasting, tithing, prayer, dietary laws, and meticulous external obedience.
Into that setting, Jesus declares:
> “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees…”
This would have been shocking. Many would think, “If the Pharisees are not righteous enough, who can be?” That is exactly the point. Human religious effort, even at its best, cannot qualify a person for the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus then begins to unmask the kind of righteousness the Pharisees practiced:
The lyrics echo this line:
> “Their outward rules look good on the outside
> But God looks deeper, straight into the heart”
This is the main contrast: outward rules versus inward reality.
To grasp the depth of this statement, we will look at two key Greek words in Matthew 5:20:
> “Unless your righteousness (δικαιοσύνη / dikaiosýnē) surpasses (περισσεύσῃ / perisseusē) that of the scribes and Pharisees…”
### 1. “Righteousness” – δικαιοσύνη (*dikaiosýnē*)
The word *dikaiosýnē* has a legal background. It is related to díkē, meaning “justice” or “a judicial decision.” It speaks of what is right according to a standard.
Biblically, *dikaiosýnē* means:
This is not merely doing a few right acts. It is a condition of being aligned with the standard of God’s own nature.
Jesus is not saying, “Be a bit nicer.” He is talking about an entire order of righteousness that must be different from – and higher than – that of the Pharisees.
### 2. “Surpasses” – περισσεύσῃ (*perisseusē*)
This verb means:
It is the word used for:
> “The grace of our Lord was more than abundant (*perisseuō*)…”
> — *1 Timothy 1:14*
So in Matthew 5:20, Jesus is not talking about a thin marginal improvement over Pharisaic righteousness. He is saying:
This fits the lyrics:
> “We need a righteousness that comes from God
> Not from keeping rules, but trusting Christ”
The Pharisees had rule-based righteousness. Jesus requires overflowing righteousness—rooted in a changed heart and sourced in God Himself.
Now we will walk through the themes of the lyrics and connect them to Scripture.
### A. Outward Religion vs. Heart Reality
> “Unless your righteousness goes far beyond
> That of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees
> You will never enter the kingdom of heaven
> Their outward rules look good on the outside
> But God looks deeper, straight into the heart”
This stanza captures the fundamental contrast.
Jesus later exposes this same issue:
> “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”
> — *Matthew 23:27*
The Pharisees attended to what men could see, while neglecting what God sees:
> “For man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
> — *1 Samuel 16:7*
The problem is not that commandments are wrong, but that external conformity without internal transformation is hypocrisy. It is essentially a lie about who we really are.
The song phrases it:
> “God looks deeper, straight into the heart”
This is a frightening reality for the flesh, but liberating for the honest soul. We are not dealing with a God who can be deceived by performance.
### B. Anger, Contempt, and the Spirit of Murder
> “It’s not enough to say you’ve never killed
> Anyone who stays angry with a brother or sister
> Is just as guilty before God
> Anyone who curses another in their heart
> Already stands in danger of the fire of judgment
> Make peace quickly—reconcile while there’s time”
This stanza echoes Matthew 5:21–22, 23–26:
> “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’… But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court… and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”
> — *Matthew 5:21–22*
Jesus goes to the root of murder: sustained, sinful anger, contempt, and inner cursing.
Several key truths:
1. Sin begins in the heart, not in the hands.
2. God judges the root as truly as the fruit.
> “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
> — *1 John 3:15*
3. The command to “make peace quickly” reflects Matthew 5:23–25:
In spiritual warfare, unforgiveness and unresolved anger give Satan a foothold:
> “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.”
> — *Ephesians 4:26–27*
The lyrics rightly call for urgency:
> “Make peace quickly—reconcile while there’s time”
Many believers remain in bondage, not because of demons alone, but because of cherished anger and nurtured bitterness. That inner climate is incompatible with the righteousness of the kingdom.
### C. Lust, Purity, and the Inner Adultery
> “You’ve heard ‘Do not commit adultery’
> But I say anyone who looks with lust
> Has already committed it deep in the heart
> Be pure inside, not just on the outside
> Guard your thoughts, keep your heart clean
> True righteousness starts within”
This stanza almost quotes Matthew 5:27–28:
> “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
> — *Matthew 5:27–28*
Note the pattern: Jesus takes the letter of the commandment and applies it to the inner life.
Again:
The call here is not merely: “Do not sleep with someone you are not married to,” but:
“Do not entertain and cultivate lust in your eyes and imagination.”
Proverbs gives the same emphasis:
> “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”
> — *Proverbs 4:23*
The lyrics say:
> “Guard your thoughts, keep your heart clean
> True righteousness starts within”
Many think purity is about rules on the outside. Jesus shows that purity begins in:
If your mind is a playground for lust, your body is not far behind. In spiritual warfare, the battlefield of the mind is critical. Thoughts entertain spirits. Repeated fantasies create pathways for bondage.
The righteousness of the kingdom is not satisfied with avoiding scandal. It demands inner purity.
### D. The Function and Limit of the Law
> “The law pointed to holiness we couldn’t reach
> But Jesus came to live it perfectly for us
> He fulfilled every demand, paid every debt
> Now His righteousness covers us by faith
> Not by works, but by grace we stand clean
> Yet we live it out—changed hearts, new lives seen”
Here we move from exposure to solution.
The law, in itself, is holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). Its problem is not in its content but in its diagnostic function. It reveals sin, but it does not impart power to overcome sin.
Paul says:
> “By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”
> — *Romans 3:20*
The law says, “This is God’s standard.” It does not say, “Here is the power to meet it.”
Jesus, however, says:
> “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
> — *Matthew 5:17*
How did He fulfill it?
1. By living a perfectly obedient life.
2. By bearing the curse of the law on the cross (Galatians 3:13).
3. By satisfying its righteous requirements for all who are in Him.
Hence:
> “He fulfilled every demand, paid every debt
> Now His righteousness covers us by faith”
This is the heart of the gospel:
> “…that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.”
> — *Philippians 3:8–9*
Righteousness is no longer something we construct by effort. It is something we receive by faith:
> “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
> — *2 Corinthians 5:21*
But notice: the lyrics wisely add:
> “Yet we live it out—changed hearts, new lives seen”
This preserves the biblical balance:
This is exactly James’ teaching:
> “Faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”
> — *James 2:17*
Saving faith unites us to Christ in such a way that His life begins to be expressed in us. The righteousness we receive by faith becomes a righteousness worked out in our conduct by the Holy Spirit.
### E. Righteousness From God, Lived by His Power Within
> “We need a righteousness that comes from God
> Not from keeping rules, but trusting Christ
> He makes us right, then helps us live right
> Heart-deep change that honors the King
> Surpassing the old way—by His power within”
This stanza captures the three stages:
1. We need righteousness from God – not human, religious, or self-made.
2. Not from keeping rules, but trusting Christ –
3. He makes us right, then helps us live right –
> “For what the Law could not do… God did: sending His own Son… so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Notice: The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, not by our efforts, but as we walk by the Spirit. That is “His power within.”
This is how our righteousness truly surpasses that of the Pharisees:
> “I will put My laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts…”
> — *Hebrews 8:10*
That is heart-deep righteousness.
We must ask: How do we respond to Jesus’ demand for a surpassing righteousness?
### Step 1: Renounce Confidence in Your Own Righteousness
First, we must abandon all trust in our religious performance, background, discipline, or morality as a basis for acceptance before God.
Like Paul, we must count every natural advantage as loss:
> “…not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ…”
> — *Philippians 3:9*
Practical action:
### Step 2: Receive the Gift of Righteousness by Faith
Second, we must receive what Scripture calls “the gift of righteousness.”
> “…those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
> — *Romans 5:17*
Righteousness is not earned; it is received.
Practical action:
You may not feel different, but the Word says you are justified. You must stand on that.
### Step 3: Submit Your Heart to the Searchlight of Christ’s Words
Third, we must allow the teaching of Jesus to expose our inner life: anger, contempt, lust, bitterness, hidden sin.
> “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.”
> — *Psalm 139:23–24*
Practical action:
Where God exposes, do not argue. Agree and repent.
### Step 4: Walk in the Spirit, Guarding Your Inner Life
Fourth, we must live in dependence on the Holy Spirit, who writes God’s law on our hearts and empowers us to walk in newness of life.
> “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
> — *Galatians 5:16*
Practical action:
> “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.”
> — *John 17:17*
Let the Word define what is acceptable in the heart, not your culture or your feelings.
### Proclamation (Say Aloud)
“I proclaim that Jesus Christ is my righteousness.
I do not trust in my own goodness, my religious efforts, or outward appearances.
God has made Him who knew no sin to be sin for me,
that I might become the righteousness of God in Him.
I affirm that the righteousness God requires
is a heart-deep righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees.
By faith I receive the gift of righteousness,
and I stand cleansed, accepted, and justified before God in Christ.
I renounce anger, hatred, contempt, and unforgiveness.
I renounce lust, impurity of thought, and secret sin.
I choose to guard my heart and my mind,
to walk in the light, and to pursue peace with others.
The Holy Spirit writes God’s law on my heart.
His power within me enables me to live a life that honors the King.
My righteousness is not from rules, but from trusting Christ.
He makes me right, and He helps me live right.
My righteousness in Him surpasses the old way,
for it is the righteousness of God, received by faith,
worked out in a transformed life, to the glory of Jesus. Amen.”
### Prayer
“Lord Jesus Christ, I bow before Your words in Matthew 5.
I acknowledge that in myself I do not have the righteousness God requires.
I confess that my heart has been stained by anger, contempt, lust, and pride.
I ask You to forgive me and to cleanse me by Your blood.
Thank You that You fulfilled the law I could not fulfill.
Thank You that You bore the judgment I deserved.
I now receive Your righteousness as a gift.
Write Your law on my heart by the Holy Spirit.
Expose every hidden area that does not please You, and give me grace to repent.
Deliver me from outward religion and hypocrisy.
Make my inner life true, clean, and aligned with Your will.
Teach me to guard my thoughts, to keep my heart pure,
to seek reconciliation quickly, and to walk in love.
I yield myself—spirit, soul, and body—to You.
Let Your righteousness be displayed in my daily conduct,
that my life may bear witness to the power of Your kingdom.
I ask this in Your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.”
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