Perhaps you have seen it. It is a bumper sticker which displays the slogan: “Christians Aren’t Perfect, Just Forgiven.” It is a catchy phrase, the only problem is that it misrepresents the Christian life. Is that all we are, “just forgiven”? Is there no more to it than that? Do we, in the end, just “get saved” and then sit back and wait till Jesus comes? Is there nothing in between? Then what do we do with Jesus’ statement: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48)? Do we dismiss Jesus’ words as an unattainable ideal? Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “Most people really believe that the Christian commandments. . . are intentionally a little too severe — like putting the clock ahead half an hour to make sure of not being late in the morning.” So is this what Jesus was doing — putting the standard beyond what we can possibly reach so that we will at least come closer to what we should be than if the standard was more realistic?
Jesus befuddled his disciples so that they sometimes asked, “Then who can be saved?” To which Jesus responded: “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:26-27). At another time he said: “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). The disciples could not imagine anyone more righteous than the Pharisees, so this too seemed impossible. Obviously, Jesus is talking about a new kind of righteousness. It seemed like an impossible righteousness, and it is on our side, but not on God’s side. Let’s examine what Jesus is saying.
I want to offer a few observations that I believe may help to understand this new kind of righteousness. The first is: It is based on internals rather than externals. The reason that it seemed impossible to surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees was that they had a million rules to follow. They never saw a law they didn’t like. They developed an oral tradition that they claimed was as divinely inspired as the Scriptures. The Talmud contained the oral tradition which was developed over many years of time. It explained and added to the scriptural injunctions. Their favorite additions to the law surrounded the Sabbath law where God commanded us to have a time of rest and refreshment at least on a weekly basis. Dr. Abraham Cohen, in his book Everyman’s Talmud explains one of the hundreds of extrapolations concerning the Sabbath: “The beggar, for example, stands outside and the householder inside, and the beggar stretches forth his hand into the interior and. . . takes [something] from his hand and draws it outside. In that event the beggar is guilty and the householder is free of guilt. If the householder stretched forth his hand and put something into the beggar’s hand. . . then the householder is guilty and the beggar is free of guilt.” Stretching out the hand was considered work, so it was essentially unlawful to help someone in need on the Sabbath. And there were countless laws like this. Jesus said of them: “You experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them” (Luke 11:46).
The Pharisees allowed rules to become the center of their religion, and they forgot human need. For example, one Sabbath Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, and a woman was there who had been crippled for eighteen years. Jesus called her to come to him so that he could heal her. The Bible says, “Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God” (Luke 13:13). But the synagogue ruler was indignant and said, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” Imagine it A miracle had taken place, and all they could see was a broken rule.
I had a friend who was a pastor in another town where I also served. He had developed a ministry with the Sheriff’s Department and made himself available to the deputies to talk with them, or to go on difficult calls where someone needed counseling. As a result, the Sheriff made him the chaplain of the department. The Sheriff also gave him a uniform and there was an article in the paper along with a picture of him in his uniform. He was the pastor of a very conservative denomination, and when the church officials saw his picture in the paper with a short sleeve shirt, they brought him up on a morals charge. Forget the fact that he had an effective ministry outside the church; he was wearing a short sleeve shirt, and that was all they could see.
This is what happens when we make rules the center of our faith — rules become more important than people. Jesus was proposing a righteousness that goes beyond rules. Rules have to do with what we do on the outside, but the righteousness that Jesus preached had to do with the person we are to become on the inside. It had to do with character, integrity and virtue. He would say things like: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder. . .’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:21-22). He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). Most of us here don’t have a problem with murder or adultery. But who among us has not been angry with someone or entertained lust in their heart? Which is easier, not to murder or commit adultery, or to be free of hatred and lust? Which is easier, to obey outwardly or inwardly? The righteousness that Jesus was talking about was much more demanding and much more far reaching than the outward rules of the Pharisees. I would find it much easier to not watch R-rated movies, drink alcohol, go to dances, or smoke cigarettes than to stop being envious of someone who is more talented, better looking, or has more friends than I do. It is much easier to give up playing cards or gambling than it is to stop resenting someone who has done something to me. Anything is easier than turning from selfishness and putting others before myself. But those are exactly the things Jesus is asking me to do — or should I say that is the person he is asking me to become.
It is so easy to condense the Christian life into a list of do’s and don’ts. And the reason for that is so that we can keep the outward rules and remain the same person inside. If you stop drinking and smoking and watching X-rated movies then you may feel you are a good Christian. You can even judge other people for doing those things and feel superior to them. It is comfortable to have the Christian faith codified and measurable. But the Christian faith is not a list a rules which deal with external behavior. Jesus is talking about something else — something more. It’s an inside job.
But this rule mentality prevails even today. For instance, the Bible does not teach total abstinence regarding alcohol, it teaches moderation and temperance. Drunkenness is definitely spoken against in the Bible, but total abstinence is an addition from our own oral tradition. I greatly respect those who choose to never touch alcohol or tobacco. I respect those who do not watch certain kinds of movies. But which is more difficult, to totally abstain from those kinds of things, or to practice moderation? If a person cannot have just one drink, then they need to avoid alcohol altogether. If we are around people who have a problem with alcohol, then it should be clear that we do not use it in their presence. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9). He also said, “‘Everything is permissible for me’ — but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me’ — but I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12). If an R- rated movie is going to make you stumble, then you should avoid them altogether — and many of the PG-13 movies as well. And obviously pornography in any form should not be a part of a Christian’s life. People in our church have told me that they have to avoid certain movies completely because of things in their past, and I agree that they have made the right choice. If alcohol is causing a problem at work or in your family; if it is interfering with your relationship with your spouse, then for their sake, and heaven’s sake, stop. And if you are under age, using alcohol is illegal and therefore wrong. This should be obvious. But we want to be careful about judging other Christians who see nothing wrong with some of these things and do not use them in excess. Obviously, it is a health issue when someone is smoking a lot, but I am not sure it should become a moral issue. We are quick to quote the scripture that says that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), but it has always been interesting to me that we do not have the same fervency when it comes to gluttony, or not getting enough exercise because we are parked in the easy chair in front of the TV. I am not trying to promote these things, I am simply trying to say that these are not how we define whether a person is a Christian or not. If you are worried about having to give up having a glass of wine or smoking an occasional cigar in order to become a Christian, you should know that there is something much more difficult that you must give up. There is a much more radical surrender that is before you — the surrender of self: self-centeredness, self-determination, self-aggrandizement, self-righteousness.
We do have freedom as Christians, but we do not want to use our freedom in such a way that it is an excuse for doing something that we know is wrong, for the Bible says, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16). But there are always those who want to impose a list of rules on others. We know that the early church faced this, because Paul wrote to the Galatians saying, “This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves” (Galatians 2:4). There are always people who decide what is wrong not only for themselves, but for others as well. But Jesus is not about a list of rules for external behavior, he is about an inner change which affects our attitudes, our motives, our reactions as well as our actions.
The second thing about this new kind of righteousness that Jesus taught is: It is based on transformation rather than avoiding transgressions. This is the best part. If we have only had a change in our outward behavior and not our inward character, then we have essentially been unaffected by the work that Christ wants to perform in our lives. It means that we are behaving differently, but that we are not any different on the inside. We are putting on a front, and that is hypocrisy. We may be able to change a few things on the outside, but we are helpless to change ourselves on the inside. This is the work of God. God’s work is a work of transformation — a renovation of who we are. We are not focused on “not sinning,” we are focused on becoming new people — being transformed into the likeness of Christ. When that happens, the real sin in our lives will begin to naturally disappear. C. S. Lewis writes: “The real Son of God is at your side. He is beginning to turn you into the same kind of thing as Himself. He is beginning, so to speak, to ‘inject’ His kind of life and thought. . . into you; beginning to turn the tin soldier into a live man. The part of you that does not like it is the part that is still tin.” He goes on to say, as only he can: “And that is precisely what Christianity is about. This world is a great sculptor’s shop. We are the statues and there is a rumor going round the shop that some of us are some day going to come to life.”
In other words, Christianity is not about obeying new laws, it is about becoming new people. I don’t mean to imply that we can just forget all the moral laws. That would be absurd. Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. The laws of God are meant for our good. They promote our personal welfare and happiness. If you think that is not so, just observe the lives of those who flagrantly disregard God’s laws. But the point is that it is more than that — it is something much deeper and more profound. This is what Jesus was talking about when he said that our righteousness must surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees. They had the external code down pat. No one obeyed the external dimensions of the law better than they, but they missed the part about an inner transformation. Jesus said to them: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:23-24). And there are many today who miss the concept of an inner transformation as well. For them Christianity is all about rules, and they have missed the part of a changed heart that is full of love, readily forgives, does not hold grudges, does not envy or lust, is not proud or rude. Some of the strictest people I have known were also some of the most mean spirited and disagreeable people I have known. They failed to see that it is not about the fact that they must obey the laws of God, but that they can have a love for God that changes their heart so that they want to obey God. They want to please their heavenly Lover.
C. S. Lewis helps us to see that this is all about trusting God. He says, “To trust [God] means, of course, trying to do all that he says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to him, it must follow that you are trying to obey him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because he has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.”
The third thing about this new kind of righteousness that Jesus taught was: It is based on a relationship rather than rules. Let’s go back to the part where Jesus says we are to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. The point of his teaching is that we are to be like God. We are to be imitators of his character. We are not to settle for being an “average” Christian. We want our heart to be like his heart. And the only way we can do that is by being with him. We must develop a relationship with God. We have to spend time in his Word, the Bible, because that is how he has chosen to communicate with us. His words and his heart are found there. The righteousness that Jesus called for can only come as a result of nurturing that relationship.
Dallas Willard is helpful here when he writes in his book Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ: “The revolution of Jesus is in the first place and continuously a revolution of the human heart or spirit. It did not and does not proceed by means of the formation of social institutions and laws, the outer forms of our existence, intending that these would then impose a good order of life upon people who come under their power. Rather, his is a revolution of character which proceeds by changing people from the inside through [an] ongoing personal relationship to God in Christ.”
The Bible says, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:20-22). Because of what Christ has done for us, our hearts are changed. We have fallen in love with God and we want to please him. But we understand that God is primarily interested in our character. The Christian life is not primarily what you do, but who you are. It is not about trying harder to be a better rule keeper, it is about being changed from the inside out. Jesus talked about those who honored him with their lips, but their hearts were far from him (Matthew 15:8).
The point of all this is that the Christian life is far more difficult and costly than we imagine. As we move from self-righteousness into the righteousness of Christ we are shocked by the enormity of what Jesus is demanding of us — giving up our lives and taking up the cross. Dietrich Bonhoeffer talked about getting away from the idea of cheap grace and understanding the “cost of discipleship.” But Dallas Willard helps us to understand an important point when he writes: “The impression gained by most who hear about ‘counting the cost’ of following Jesus is one of how terrible and painful that cost is. But to count the cost is to take into consideration both the losses and the gains of all possible courses of action, to see which is most beneficial. . . The cost of non-discipleship would then be seen for what it is — unbearable.”
Rodney J. Buchanan
January 30, 2005
Mulberry St. UMC
Mount Vernon, OH
www.MulberryUMC.org
Rod.Buchanan@MulberryUMC.org
A New Kind of Righteousness
(Questions for January 30, 2005)
1. Briefly share how you have been affected by those who, like the Pharisees, saw the Christian life as primarily about keeping rules?
2. Why is the inner righteousness that Jesus spoke of harder than following external rules? What is necessary for this to take place?
3. As you think about the new kind of righteousness which Jesus talked about, what do you find most difficult?
4. Read Matthew 15:8. How is it possible to appear to be righteous, but have a heart that is far from God? How can this change?
5. Read 1 Corinthians 10:28-30. Eating meat offered to idols was the big “external obedience” issue at this time. What do these verses have to say to us today?
6. Read 1 Corinthians 8:9 & Galatians 5:13. What cautions are given here regarding our freedom in Christ?
7. What happens when we focus on “not sinning”? What happens when we focus on being transformed into the likeness of Christ.
8. Read Matthew 5:48. What did Jesus mean by this?
9. Read Matthew 5:20. What was the righteousness of the Pharisees like? How can we surpass it? Why is this important?
