Righteousness is an Internal Heart Matter

In the early days of my walk with Christ I was stumped by a statement Jesus made in The Sermon on the Mount. He said unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and the Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. I was caught unprepared by that statement.  As a young believer I was taught that the Pharisees were some of the most righteous people at the time of Christ. How could one have a righteousness that surpassed their righteousness to enter the kingdom of heaven. It was only as I grew in the Lord Jesus  that I gained a greater revelation and clarity of the truth taught in The Sermon on the Mount.

The Sermon on the Mount is far more penetrating and  demanding than the law of Moses given on Sinai. The law of Moses required only external obedience. The Sermon on the Mount requires internal obedience. And that is a righteousness that comes from the heart.

This is particularly Illustrated when Jesus tells the Pharisees that you were taught that you should not commit adultery. But I say that if you look upon a woman with lust in your heart you have already committed adultery. I remember when I first read that statement I was pierced in my heart 

The righteousness that Jesus requires of His people is found in Matthew 5 - 7.  The righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees is a righteousness of the heart. It is a righteousness that could only be worked out through being a new creation in Christ and having the Holy Spirit transform and work through one's heart. It is a righteousness that is characterized in the fruit of the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness gentleness, and self-control.  Against these virtues wraught by the Spirit in the heart of the believer there is no law.

We must realize that our walk with Christ is characterized by an internal relationship of Him dwelling in us.  It is not characterized  by an external regulation to a code or religious practices.  

Recently I have seen some post in this forum that argue for external righteousness.  It is argued that such things as the making of the sign of the cross and the wearing of the head vail will work righteousne from the outside in. When the Holy Spirit is working our righteousness from the inside out.

The making of the sign of the cross is absolutely nothing. What Jesus requires is that we take up our cross to follow Him and that out of a surrendered heart to him alone.

The wearing of the head vail will not cure divorce. Only through the working of Christ in one's heart will divorce be cured. Again this is not arguing against the use of the head covering as I understand it to be biblical. But I would reason that if a sister truly has had a heart conversion in the wearing of the head vail. Then it will only enhance her holiness.  But again only because she has been transformed by a relationshio to the Lord Jesus Christ dwelling in her heart.

it is sad that it is sad that many of those in Amish and Mennonite circles have forgotten their Anabaptist roots. The early Anabaptist radicals saw that their relationship with Christ was characterized by the new birth. And that manifested through baptism of being dead to this world and alive to Christ.   Now it would seem that the Mennonites and Amish of today have evolved into a system of external religious works.  With no heart change of Christ.

But then you have the Church of Christ who practice baptism. They will even dunk you. But again this is an outward religious observance. Characterized by no internal heart change of Christ.

Brothers and sisters our approach to practical righteousness must be gospel centered focused on Christ. We must realize that our internal righteousness is worked out by the Holy Spirit through Jesus dwelling in our hearts. It is only through a heart transformed by the grace of God can one truly have that righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees.

Jesus said apart from Me you can do nothing. Apart from Jesus living in us we cannot truly be righteous in Him. Only by Him dwelling in our hearts can we truly have the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.  Only through Jesus living in us can we truly obey Him from the heart.

My thoughts.

Posted by Blaine Scogin 

Amen. Praise the Lord!

Amen bro Blaine, that is a good word.......bro Frank

it is sad that it is sad that many of those in Amish and Mennonite circles have forgotten their Anabaptist roots. The early Anabaptist radicals saw that their relationship with Christ was characterized by the new birth. And that manifested through baptism of being dead to this world and alive to Christ. Now it would seem that the Mennonites and Amish of today have evolved into a system of external religious works. With no heart change of Christ.

Brother,

Though I agree some can have an external look but no inward change. But the truth is someone who has an inward change is fighting God who will not change the outward at all.

Christian life is practical and God calls us to practical holiness. An inward faith must have outward works. A new birth must have outward growth and maturity.

The anabaptists held to this fact that faith without works is dead. They believed faith will result in works and outward godliness.

The protestants said faith alone, catholics said works alone.

For sisters, head covering and godly modest dress was practiced by early believers, anabaptists and all like groups throughout history.

godly convictions on areas of obedience to the Lord, ie no drinking, no swearing oaths, no divorce or remarriage, no stealing, no lying or untruth. They are simply following the teachings of Jesus, especially in Matthew 5-7.

It is a strange thing to say that my faith is just inward and does to change my outward man in anyway. A Pilgrim and Sojourner, looks different and acts different then the world around him. He shuns the vain pomp and display of the world and seeks to live simply and with an eternal perspective. The protestants many of them still went to taverns to drink and acted and looked just like the world.

Elibeth writrs

ӢӢӢ believe that when God, ...through His Spirit works this in us,...we do not need a 'law',..because His will, is working His Ways in us....ӢӢӢ

Well said my sister. Very profound insight that resonates in my spirit. For our brother Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians,

ӢӢӢ So then, my beloved, just as you have obeyed not as in my presence only, but not much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.ӢӢӢ Philippians 2:13-14

Just as God works his Spirit in our lives to will and work for His good pleasure. So we work out His salvation in His power to do His will and to work for His good pleasure. In other words it is from the inside out.

Blaine

Greg writes........

"It is a strange thing to say that my faith is just inward and does to change my outward man in anyway."

So strange that no one I have ever known has said such a thing. It is not that difficult a subject that is being explained on this thread. True external change is originated by internal renewal. Unless change flows from the internal relationship with Jesus it will have a relatively short half life. It is beyond the religious mind to grasp such a truth.

We could share all day long what an apple tastes like. People could become experts and get degrees in the apple and have their heads filled with knowledge about the apple, create websites about it and highlight other apple experts, but unless one has actually consumed an apple they can never know what it actually tastes like..........bro Frank

Frank writes...

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True external change is originated by internal renewal. Unless change flows from the internal relationship with Jesus it will have a relatively short half life. It is beyond the religious mind to grasp such a truth.

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Well said my brother. Amen!!!

Blaine

Sister Frannie wrote...

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What is important I believe is JESUS in our hearts
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So true my sister. Our brother Paul prays for the Ephesians and consequently for us also...

ӢӢӢ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ May dwell in your hearts through faith and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth the length and the height and the depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge that you may be filled up in all the fullness of God..ӢӢӢ Ephesians 3:14-19

Paul was praying that the Ephesian believers would come to know that Jesus dwells in their hearts. Also that they would be able to comprehend the all-embracing love of Christ that God has for his children.

And by implication Paul would want us to know this too.

Blaine

Mary Jane writes...

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JESUS is a person, HE wants relationship with us daily. Only by remaining in HIM can we hope to submit and live daily on to HIM.
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Amen dear sister. One if my ministry partbers will often say that truth is found in a person and His name is Jesus.

Blaine

Brother Mike writes...

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Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." (Ezekiel 36 (25-27)

"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (Jeremiah 31:33).
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Amen my brother. Only buy a new creation in our hearts worked out by the Holy Spirit can we truly walk in His will and His ways.

In effect we have received a new heart transplant through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blaine

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing....John 15:5

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindbess, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law. 5:22-23

having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God...Pholippians 1:11

As I read and meditate through John 15 about the vine and the branches I see an organic life that takes place.  This is portrayed in the organic Life of Christ through His Spirit in the life of the believer. Jesus says that He is the vine and we are the branches. As a branch clings to the vine and receives life to bear fruit. So we cling to Christ and receive His life to bear the fruit of the Spirit.

This is an organic union with Christ. And organic life-giving union with Jesus Himself.  It is Jesus living in us the believer by His Spirit.  And it is us living in Jesus Himself. Again by His Spirit. We in Jesus and Him in us.

Also this union is organic.  I remember from my basic biology that organic means life. We are an organism in Jesus. We are His life being lived out in us.  We are not an organization. We are in organism in Jesus.

His life lived out in us will certainly manifest the fruit of the Spirit.  The nine fruit are characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fathfulness gentleness, self-control.  Against these internal virtues of the Spirit there is no law.  There is no written code.

Thus the believer is not governed by an external code of law or religious observance.  But rather the believer in Jesus is governed by the indwewilling Spirit of Christ who lives in His heart.  It is through the Holy Spirit by which we live out the righteousness of Christ. A heart righteousness that comes through Jesus Himself.  Primarily manifested through the fruit of the Spirit.

Simply my thoughts.

Blaine

David write...

A divine exchange took place at the cross. Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness so that we may be made righteous with His righteousness. Our righteousness is always a "alien righteousness" coming always from outside ourselves. The new man was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24). Not just saved but justified - just as if you had never sinned. Acquitted, made just, "made righteous."

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But was it just a Judicial, positional righteousness. Or did something happen on the inside of our hearts?

Actually that begs another question. Can one be justified or declared not guilty before God and not show a change in their behavior?

Blaine