Posts with the tag “righteousness”

“But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name.” – John 1:12 Some people just look the part. You know who I mean. The ones who are always upbeat, always quoting Scripture, always volunteering at church, and never seem to break a sweat. And honestly, that’s not a bad thing. We need examples of joy and faithfulness. But we also need to...  Read More

“But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed… The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction.” – Romans 3:21-22 The Pharisees had rules for everything. And I mean everything. They were so committed to avoiding any chance of offending God that they wouldn’t even say His name out loud. When they wrote it, they r...  Read More

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:20 When Jesus said what He said in Matthew 5:20 out loud, jaws would’ve hit the ground. The crowd had been raised to believe the scribes and Pharisees were the pinnacle of righteousness. If anyone was getting into Heaven, it was those guys. So for Jesus to ...  Read More

“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. T...  Read More

"The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters." - Revelation 1:14-15 When we picture Jesus, we often imagine Him as compassionate and gentle, extending mercy and love. However, in Revelation, we are given a strikingly different image of Jesu...  Read More