"Church-boy Righteousness" January 6 Readings: Genesis 13-14, Matthew 5:21-48, Psalm 5:1-5, Proverbs 1:16-19

  

Reading the Bible in 2025

Each day this year we will read a selection from the Old Testament, the New Testament, a portion of the Psalms, and part of Proverbs. By the end of the year, you will have read the entire Bible. We read this way to give you a bit of variety. 

NOTE: If you get behind, do not give up. Read today's readings and try to catch up when you have a chance. The goal is not to "accomplish a task" but to meet God in his word. Read the word. Also, if you are short on time, READ GOD'S WORD and skip my devotional!

Bible Readings: Genesis 13-14, Matthew 5:21-48, Psalm 5:1-5, Proverbs 1:16-19

    Scriptures linked to Bible Gateway in ESV version 

Daily Devotional: Church-boy Righteousness

I've spent my life in church. I started attending regularly about nine months before I was born and have missed only a handful of Sundays, generally with very good excuses, in the years since. I was a pretty good kid too. I can look you in the eye and tell you that I have never done most of the things that were considered big sins. I've never murdered anyone or robbed a bank. Never! I have not committed adultery (let's ignore Jesus' "in the heart" thing, for this purpose) before or after I said "I do" to my wife. I was raised with solid Christian values and have tried to live those out in my own life.

If it were not for Matthew 5:21-48, I could grasp my lapels with smug self-righteousness, set myself up as the judge and jury for the "sinners" of this world, and look down my nose at them in judgment. Jesus' words in that passage made that impossible. He took the wind right out of the sails of pharisaical self-righteousness when he told the people that their righteousness must actually exceed that of the Pharisees or they would never enter God's kingdom. That was shocking to those who viewed the Pharisees as the pinnacle of religious achievement.

Jesus would look at a good church boy like me and say, "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the good church boy, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Our works will never get us there. No matter how good we think we are, our goodness is not enough. Jesus would say:

Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the average American church-goer, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

That is because of the way that Jesus raised the stakes on righteousness in this passage. I've never murdered anyone, but I've held hate in my heart and Jesus said that gives evidence of the same guilty heart as murder. Obviously, the consequences are different between murder and anger. But they both come from a selfish heart, a heart of disdain and hatred. I can look my wife in the eyes and tell her that I have been faithful to her every day of our marriage, but if you ask me if I have ever "looked on a woman with lust in my heart" I might decide to plead the fifth amendment. Let's move on, please. I may never have robbed a bank, but is my yes always yes and my no always no? Do I love my enemies as Christ commanded?

Jesus took things beneath the surface, to the heart. On the surface, my life looks decent, but in my heart live the seeds of unrighteousness even if they have never sprung to the surface. My upbringing, my parents, my life in the church - all these things might have helped me to hide the filth in my heart but it is there nonetheless.

That is why I need Jesus. He does more than just whitewash the outside of our lives. He goes deep inside to cleanse us. By his blood, he purchased our redemption, and with that blood, he washes us whiter than snow - from the inside out. Only Jesus can do that.

Thank God that Jesus blew my self-righteous, lapel-grabbing, judgmental ways out of the water. That is the way of death because we can never be good enough to earn God's favor. Jesus provides a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees, that of the self-righteous "church boys" like me. He redeems us by his blood and clothes us with his righteousness, and that is our only hope of eternal glory.

Father, may I never be content with simply cleaning up the outside, with impressing others with my "church boy" righteousness. I thank you that your Son died for me. Cleanse me from the inside. Purify me. Give me true love, real joy, a pure heart, a passion for you. 

 

Consider God's Word:

Which of these four passages spoke most clearly to you today? 

Is there sin in your life that needs to be confessed and dealt with that was revealed in one of these passages? 

Is there something in your life that needs to change?

Is there a struggle in your life that one of these passages spoke to? 

Is your righteousness won by Christ at the cross, or are you infected with "Church-boy righteousness?" (or church-girl?)

Think about the difference.