The second kind of righteousness that Jesus talked about in Matthew 5-7 is the righteousness of the Law. In describing how the Pharisees fell short, Jesus also gave us a glimpse into the pristine standard of the Law (see Matt 5:20-48). It’s all summed up in the last verse, Matthew 5:48:
Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (NKJV)
Jesus was saying that the demand of the Law is that we be like God. It is non-negotiable, period. Anything short of that is not acceptable. God in essence is all good; not only His actions are good, His spirit and intention behind all His actions are also holy and pure. There cannot be a higher standard. To have the righteousness of the Law, one is required to meet this standard. One thing about Law is this: it always requires the greatest effort from us.
There is no doubt that anyone who possesses the righteousness of the Law can enter the kingdom of heaven, but the problem is whether anyone can be that good. You may ask, “Didn’t Jesus say we are to be perfect like God? That means He asked us to achieve that standard. Would He ask us do something that’s impossible for us to do?” But you are jumping the gun here. Jesus did say that if we want to enter (i.e. by our self-effort, through the righteousness of the Law) the kingdom of heaven, we must be like God. In fact, this is what Matt 5:20-48 says in essence. However, He didn’t say here that we can be like God. We must read everything in context. In fact, if you recall, that’s exactly what the devil says! (Gen 3:1-5)
In Eden, Adam and Eve were conned by the devil. He tempted them with the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, saying that if they partook of it they would be like God. What is the Knowledge of Good and Evil but the Law! We know what happened to Adam and Eve. Do you think that we are in a better position than Adam and Eve, that we might achieve the righteousness of the Law?
My point is this: the Lord Jesus could not and cannot mean that we shall achieve the righteousness of the Law. He will not tempt us like the devil does. Quite the opposite, His purpose in saying all these is to point to our deficiency: that we cannot achieve the standard of the Law. Why, so that we know that we need Jesus, and His righteousness.
… for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Gal 2:21, NIV2011)
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