Matthew 5:17-26 – Christ’s Righteousness in Scripture

Jesus teaching in this section of scripture describes the inability of sinners to obtain perfection by their own efforts. We evaluate our self-efforts to achieve God’s standards by what we don’t do that is sinful. However, Jesus says it’s not only the act of sin, but the thought of sin that is harbored within our hearts that declares us guilty of breaking His law. Jesus never said the law had no bearing upon human responsibility, but that we had to exceed by action our personal commitment to the law. Thank God only Jesus could fulfill the law perfectly, and by trusting in Christ, and His life, we through Him have the law fulfilled within us. He took our sin, all our breaking of His Commandments upon Himself; to forgive us and impute to us His perfect righteousness.