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Jesus said: “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20

Jesus was making a strong point. There is a big difference between the kind of righteousness that comes from religion and the true righteousness that comes from the Father.

Absolute righteousness is not about following rules, doing duties, or putting on an outward show. It comes from a living relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ.

The Lord impressed this truth on my heart: righteousness is the gift of being made right with the Father through Jesus, and then living right through Him.

The Pharisees only had an outward righteousness. They wanted people to see their devotion and think they were holy. But their hearts were not right.

Jesus exposed this when He said: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” Matthew 23:27–28

The warning is clear: those who follow Jesus must have righteousness of the heart, the kind that pleases the Father.

For every believer, this must be settled—you stand right before Almighty God only because of Jesus. Your own self-righteousness cannot save you.

On the cross, Jesus took all your sin and failure, and in exchange gave you His perfect righteousness. That is the righteousness that goes beyond all human effort, and it alone opens the way into the kingdom of heaven.

You cannot enter God’s kingdom by religion, by good works, or by appearances. The Pharisees tried, and Jesus exposed their way as empty.

Only the righteousness of Jesus Christ can make you right with the Father. So do not settle for outward religion. Come to Jesus, and live by the righteousness that only He can give you.