The Righteousness That God Requires
“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” - Matthew 5:13-14
Jesus was sitting on a hillside when He preached what we now call the Sermon on the Mount. He looked at a group of ordinary people, His disciples and a crowd gathered around, and gave them a brand new identity. He said, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world.” Those weren’t compliments. They were assignments.
Salt was used to preserve things in a time before refrigeration. It kept meat from rotting. And Jesus used that image to say, “Your life should help preserve the goodness of God in this broken world.” He also said that salt does no good if it stays in the shaker. In the same way, a Christian who never steps out in obedience will never make an impact for the Kingdom of God.
Then He called them the light of the world. That’s not because they were the source of light. It’s because they knew the One who was. Jesus is the sun. We’re the moon. Our job is to reflect Him into the darkness. And when we do that, when we live as bright and salty disciples, our lives can make a real difference.
But right after those verses, Jesus went even deeper. He told them something that might have surprised them. In Matthew 5:17-20, He said, “I didn’t come to abolish the law or the prophets. I came to fulfill them.” In other words, following Him didn’t mean abandoning holiness or ignoring righteousness. It meant stepping into a new understanding of it.
Jesus made it clear. If you want to live in the Kingdom, your righteousness must surpass that of the religious leaders of the day. That doesn’t mean pretending to be better. It means letting Him change you from the inside out. True righteousness is not about rule-following. It’s about heart transformation.
Kingdom Culture is not about fitting in with this world. It’s about standing out for the right reasons. And Jesus says if you’re serious about following Him, you won’t settle for the world’s standards. You’ll pursue the righteousness that only He can produce in you.
Jesus was sitting on a hillside when He preached what we now call the Sermon on the Mount. He looked at a group of ordinary people, His disciples and a crowd gathered around, and gave them a brand new identity. He said, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world.” Those weren’t compliments. They were assignments.
Salt was used to preserve things in a time before refrigeration. It kept meat from rotting. And Jesus used that image to say, “Your life should help preserve the goodness of God in this broken world.” He also said that salt does no good if it stays in the shaker. In the same way, a Christian who never steps out in obedience will never make an impact for the Kingdom of God.
Then He called them the light of the world. That’s not because they were the source of light. It’s because they knew the One who was. Jesus is the sun. We’re the moon. Our job is to reflect Him into the darkness. And when we do that, when we live as bright and salty disciples, our lives can make a real difference.
But right after those verses, Jesus went even deeper. He told them something that might have surprised them. In Matthew 5:17-20, He said, “I didn’t come to abolish the law or the prophets. I came to fulfill them.” In other words, following Him didn’t mean abandoning holiness or ignoring righteousness. It meant stepping into a new understanding of it.
Jesus made it clear. If you want to live in the Kingdom, your righteousness must surpass that of the religious leaders of the day. That doesn’t mean pretending to be better. It means letting Him change you from the inside out. True righteousness is not about rule-following. It’s about heart transformation.
Kingdom Culture is not about fitting in with this world. It’s about standing out for the right reasons. And Jesus says if you’re serious about following Him, you won’t settle for the world’s standards. You’ll pursue the righteousness that only He can produce in you.
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1 Comment
Thank you Pastor for offering these daily verses and encouragement. I have enjoyed adding this to my morning routine. Have you ever thought of adding and audio feature with it?