Justifying Righteousness

Jesus began His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–7:29) with an emphasis on blessing, the fruit of grace. Yet, He also emphasized that grace does not excuse one from the righteous standards of the law. The blessed man is privileged to obtain citizenship in the kingdom of heaven; on the other hand, privilege must not make him pridefully independent. Rather, he is to be characterized by the true recognition of his condition as a Spirit-enlightened sinner. He will express true sorrow for his sin as revealed by the law and genuine humility in submission to God’s gracious covenant promises. This work of the Spirit will also result in the desire to be righteous (v. 6; 1 John 3:7). The evidence of such an alignment will be opposition and persecution from the unregenerate (vv. 10–12).

Persecution results from the greater purpose of God, which is set forth in verse 13, “You are the salt of the earth.” The declaration is given with a warning that when salt loses its effectiveness when corrupted, it is good for nothing. What keeps it pure? The answer is the law: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law” (v. 17). Paul argues that the gracious work of God in saving His people required establishing a gracious covenant, beginning with Abraham. Abraham was justified, not by the law, but by faith in God’s promise (Galatians 3:6, 7). There is no way that Abraham or his spiritual descendants could be justified by keeping the law because it demanded perfect obedience, which no one can do. Neither is law-keeping of faith (Galatians 3:11, 12).

The error of many is to think that Jesus was contrasting law and grace in the Sermon on the Mount. However, A. W. Pink rightly observes that such a view “pits the Son against the Father.” Rather, Jesus argued that the righteousness of His followers must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees who thought their self righteousness satisfied the law. Only the imputed righteousness of Christ satisfies perfectly. Again, Paul reveals that those justified by faith alone through the promised work of Christ stand with faith-justified Abraham (Galatians 3:13, 14). The law was added to the promise given 400 years earlier (Galatians 3:19). It was added because of transgressions “until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made.”

Although no one is saved through law-keeping, the law is necessary to reveal the moral standard of the kingdom as based on God’s character and to support His government. The authority of His law was made clear in His preface to the commandments: “And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the Lord (Yahweh, His covenant name) your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me,’” etc. (Exodus 20:1–3). Thus, Jesus made it clear that He came, not to annul the law, but to fulfill it. It should also be noted that in illustrating the need for His peoples’ righteousness to exceed that of scribes and Pharisees, it is the errors of the latter that are the focus of His teaching.