Have you asked yourself whether you are in church or in the Kingdom of God?
Have you actually assessed yourself to see whether your life is in line with God or in line with the world?
Are you deliberately and consciously living a godly life?
Have you asked yourself where your soul will be if you die now?
Because whether you believe it or not, Hell exists and Heaven exists.
It is time you actually do what the Word of God says—you can’t run away from it.
Jesus gave some requirements for us to be in the Kingdom of Heaven.
While you still breathe, it is either you are living in the Kingdom of God or in the world, which is the kingdom of the devil.
You don’t have to be physically present in Heaven to be in the Kingdom. Once the Spirit of God is in you, then the Kingdom is also in you.
Here are a few requirements before one can actually enter into the Kingdom of God:
John 3:3 – Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:5 – Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
The “UNLESS” factor:
Matthew 5:20 – “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:3 – And said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
The UNLESS factor.
According to Collins Dictionary, “unless” is used to introduce the only situation in which something will take place or be true.
Conditions that must be met before one can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven:
- Unless you are born again
- Unless you are born of water and the Spirit
- Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees
- Unless you are converted and become as little children
So, you may be born again—but has your righteousness exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees? You may be born of water and the Spirit—but have you become as little children?
And in all the unless factors, Jesus makes it clear: You will by no means enter into the Kingdom of Heaven if the conditions are not met. And if you don’t enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, certainly the only place left for you is Hell or the lake of fire.
Have you also realized how He began the unless factor conditions?
He starts the statements with “Most assuredly,” which means He is saying it with 100% confidence, without doubt—certainly what He is saying will be so.
There is actually no way in Heaven or on Earth for you to enter Heaven if you don’t meet those conditions.
That’s why I asked whether you have done a self-examination to know your stance.
The journey to Heaven isn’t an easy task. If it were easy, everyone would be in it.
Remember what Jesus said in:
Matthew 7:14 – “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
THE WAY TO HEAVEN IS DIFFICULT. These are Jesus’ own words.
Truly, only a few will go into the Kingdom of Heaven. How many can boldly say their righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees? But you will find many saying they are born again. We just read Scripture and go our way without actually pondering over it and acting on it. We take it for granted; we don’t take the Word of God seriously.
We will only enter Heaven if our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees—it is non-negotiable. You can be in church and not be in the Kingdom of God.
So start taking the Words of God for what they really mean, and start living by them. Because if there is no difficulty in your Christian life, then something must be wrong somewhere. Examine yourself well and be on the right track to Heaven.
“Half loaf is better than nothing” philosophy does not apply to the Word of God. You go in fully or not at all. You have to give yourself wholeheartedly to the Word of God—no halfway. You are either in the room or out of the room. You can’t be standing at the gate, nor be in the room and open the door to see what’s outside.
The way some people will get to Hell is not by being in the world—it’s by just being in church because they are actually not in the Kingdom of God. They take the Word of God for granted. They practice lip service and profess to be Christians, but their heart is far from even being born again.
That’s why Jesus said in:
Matthew 21:31 – “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”
Prostitutes are going, while those who go to church and claim to know the Word of God are left behind.
We are being lukewarm and deceiving ourselves that we are righteous—but we aren’t.
The “Unless” Factor Continued
Matthew 5:20 – “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
How Bible Versions Render It:
- NIV – you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
- ESV – you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
- KJV – ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
- Amplified – you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Who are the Scribes and Pharisees?
The Scribes were writers of the Law. The Greek word grammateus, translated scribe, means “writer.” The scribes were the ones who drew up legal documents. They also copied the Old Testament Scriptures. They were teachers of the Law and devoted themselves to the study of the Law and the determination of its application to daily life. They also studied the Scriptures with respect to doctrinal and historical matters. Many of the scribes were members of the Jewish council. They held various important offices in the public affairs of the nation and discharged various other significant public duties as men of high authority and influence in the affairs of the state.
In Acts 4:5, the scribes are mentioned among the rulers and elders of Israel who were considering the persecution of Jesus’ disciples:
Acts 4:5 – “On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.”
The scribes were, in large part, responsible for Jesus’ death:
Matthew 16:21 – “From that time on, Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law [scribes], and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Scribes in ancient Israel were learned men whose business was to study the Law, transcribe it, and write commentaries on it. Ezra, “a teacher well-versed in the Law of Moses,” was a scribe (Ezra 7:6). The scribes took their job of preserving Scripture very seriously; they would copy and recopy the Bible meticulously, even counting letters and spaces to ensure each copy was correct. They were teachers of the people and interpreters of the Law. They were widely respected by the community because of their knowledge, dedication, and outward appearance of law-keeping.
The Pharisees – meaning “set apart” – were religious and political elites; educated men. They were a group that held to the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the dead, and punishment in the future life. They believed that punishment was based upon how one behaved in this life. The souls of the wicked would be in prison forever under the earth, while those who were righteous would live again.
Acts 23:8 – “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.”
The Pharisees were members of a party that believed in legal traditions that were not ascribed to the Bible but to “the traditions of the fathers.” They were also legal experts like the scribes.
Look at the question they asked Jesus. They were more concerned with tradition:
Matthew 15:2-3,6 – “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?… And by this, you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
The Pharisees were upholders of the Law and tradition of the fathers. They even plotted Jesus’ death over His breaking of the Sabbath:
Matthew 12:14 – “But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.”
Matthew 22:15 – “Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.”
For someone to plan to kill Jesus because His teachings contradicted theirs, then they were powerful and knowledgeable of the Word of God. Remember, they weren’t planning to kill Jesus for stealing or lying—but over what they believed was the wrong interpretation of the very Bible Jesus quoted from. These Pharisees were influential and held powerful positions, including chief priest and high priest. They knew the Bible inside out.
John 3:1 – “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.”
Acts 5:34 – “Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the Law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space.”
A doctor of the Law and of good reputation, while Nicodemus too was a ruler of the Jews—all being Pharisees.
And these are the people whose righteousness Jesus wants ours to exceed.
Going into the Kingdom of Heaven is a deliberate, conscious effort.
All you need to do to go to Hell or be thrown into the Lake of Fire is to sit still and do nothing. You don’t need a great sin or small sin to go there. Have you seen how the woman with the issue of blood touched the garment of Jesus? She did it consciously and deliberately. Remember that Jesus was in a crowd—so definitely someone would touch Him.
But this particular touch was different: a touch with the faith to be healed.
Mark 5:30 – “Who touched my garments?”
And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing around You, and yet You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”
Because a lot of people were touching Him—so why ask who touched you? That is how you get into the Kingdom of Heaven: You go there deliberately and consciously, by having faith in Jesus. And this faith comes with work. The woman believed in Jesus and acted upon what she said.
Mark 5:28 – For she said, “If I touch even His garments, I will be made well.”
She acted upon what she said.
If she hadn’t touched the garment, nothing would have happened—even though she believed. Faith and work go hand in hand. You must certainly and definitely do something to get into Heaven. You can choose to sit still and do nothing and end in Hell, or make the effort to go into Heaven by putting your whole self in Jesus and doing exactly what He says you should do.
Faith + Works
Believing in your heart that Jesus is Lord is not enough.
You must proclaim it with your mouth.
Proclaiming with your mouth that He is your Lord and Savior is also not enough.
You must live according to every word of God.
If Jesus is Lord over your life—if you have faith that in Him you have eternal life—you must live that life.
What you believe must be exercised.
Your faith in Jesus should be complemented with works.
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We Are Saved by Faith
We are living by every Word of God.
Faith alone is not enough.
Works alone is not enough.
What God requires from us is Faith + Works.
Ephesians 2:8–9 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
In this verse, our righteous life in Christ is by faith in Jesus.
You have to have faith before you can proceed to possess the gift of God, which is eternal life.
Romans 1:17 – For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
What About Works?
Believe it is yours—and it will be yours. But how can it be yours if you don’t make the step to take it? Now let’s look at what He says about works:
James 2:14–17 – What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
We are saved by our faith in Jesus, which is not by works.
At the same time, James asks a rhetorical question:
If we have faith without works—can that faith save us?
No. Never. Our faith is dead when there is no work to show for it.
If there is faith, then there should be work to show for it. James gave a perfect, self-explanatory analogy to support the fact that our faith must be demonstrated. Living by faith alone won’t save you. Living by works alone won’t save you.
What will save you is:
- First, faith,
- Then you proceed with works.
Works are a byproduct of faith.
Works do not justify us or make us righteous before God, nor are they the means to salvation.
Rather, our works are the fruit of one who has faith and is obedient to God’s commands and transformed by His grace.
Titus 3:14 – And our people must also learn to devote themselves to good works, so that they will not be unfruitful. Why shouldn’t we be unfruitful or show any works?
John 15:2 – He [God] cuts off every branch in me [Jesus] that bears no fruit…
Jesus is the tree, and we are the branches. The fruits are our good works.
So if we don’t bear fruit or show any good works—we will be cut off.
If you believe Jesus has saved you, then you must demonstrate the power of His saving grace. If you have faith that our righteousness is in Jesus, then that righteousness must be seen in your outward appearance.
God says He loves us. How did we know that He loves us? Through works — He demonstrated it. He didn’t hide it in His heart.
1 John 4:9 – In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
His love for us was demonstrated by sending His only begotten Son so we might have life through Him. Even God shows works — and how much more you, the creature?
Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God’s love isn’t hidden, nor just said with the mouth or written that He loves us. He demonstrated His love with works. He made sure Jesus died for our sins so we may have life. Saying He loves us wasn’t enough — He made sure Jesus was crucified just so sinful beings like you and me could have life.
So why shouldn’t you also demonstrate the faith you have?
Proclaiming with your mouth or conceiving something in your heart isn’t enough — but it is needed. If truly we have faith in Jesus, then His words must be followed accordingly.
John 14:15 – “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
Saying you love alone is not enough — it must be demonstrated. If you keep the commandments of God, that means you love God. If God says we shouldn’t fornicate, and you also make sure you don’t fornicate, then you love God.
We love Him by keeping every commandment of His, by living exactly by His Word — no lukewarmness or hypocrisy. Faith must always be demonstrated with its corresponding works.
Matthew 7:19 – “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Every man that does not bear fruit will be cut off, and every man that does not bear good fruit will be thrown into the lake of fire. You must demonstrate your faith with works — that is your fruit. If you don’t bear good fruit, then what is your use?
Luke 13:7 – “So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’”
James 2:20–24
But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
If indeed Jesus is your Lord, then don’t hide Him in your heart. Let us see the outward evidence of what is truly in you. Let us see the righteousness in your outward appearance. Let us see holiness.
Jesus — who lives in the heart — is not there just to drive away family witches and wizards. He is not there just to overcome the demons in your life. He is in you so you can demonstrate His holiness, His righteousness, His love, His peace — to take you into the Kingdom of Heaven. Which is exactly what the Kingdom of God is about.
Romans 14:17 – “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
1 Timothy 6:11 – “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.”
Romans 14:18 – “For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.”
Righteousness: Faith + Works
What Is Righteousness About?
Righteousness, according to the dictionary, means the quality of being morally right or justifiable or acting in accordance with divine or moral law; free from guilt or sin. Or been morally right or justifiable.
Righteousness is the perfect holiness of Christ. It is an essential attribute of the character of God; quite literally meaning “One who is right”. Think of it as the polar opposite of sin. To commit sin is to go against God’s design for our lives; therefore, righteousness is the only living standard that is acceptable for us to stand before the Father. The wages of sin is death, but in the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death (Proverbs 12:28).
Righteousness requires you to do what God requires of you. In simple terms… doing what He says.
To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice (Proverbs 21:3).
That’s why Jesus said:
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
Seeking to do the right thing before God in every situation you find yourself in is what righteousness is about. There is a will of God in every circumstance; that will must be known, obeyed, and acted upon.
What is acceptable to God must not necessarily be acceptable to man. One is the creature and the other is the Creator. It is what God says that matters. What God requires of us is to walk with Him because if we don’t, how are we going to know His will in what we face every day?
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
He created us as righteous beings, but we sought our own ways, which is contrary to God.
Ecclesiastes 7:9
“Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
We were made upright men until sin entered the world; as a result, we became unrighteous beings.
As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;” (Romans 3:10).
There is no upright man before God unless God Himself imputes it to you that you are righteous. Abraham was imputed with righteousness because he believed in God and did what God asked him to do. It is God Himself who credited righteousness to him.
You know the story of the two spies and Rahab. Rahab actually lied that the two spies were not in her room. But this work was imputed to her for righteousness.
Rahab was a prostitute oo, and what she did wasn’t good works oo… She lied and was a prostitute as well, but God justified her as righteous because she did something for the people of God.
James 2:25
“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?”
Likewise, you and I—our righteousness is given to us by God through Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21
“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Because we lost our righteousness in the Garden of Eden, and without righteousness there is no way we are going to Heaven. God requires upright men—men who abhor evil, men who fear Him—to be in Heaven. The kind of righteousness God requires from us is no sin at all… Who in this world can achieve this but JESUS CHRIST?
True and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own; the standard is simply too high. Just remember that in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve became sinners by disobeying God once—not twice oo… just one sin and all righteousness vanished. True righteousness is no sin at all—zero occurrence of sin. True righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves except through Jesus.
Like the way righteousness was imputed to Rahab the prostitute, the same way righteousness is imputed to us through Jesus.
On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
This means that we are made righteous in the sight of God; that is, we are accepted as righteous and treated as righteous by God on account of what the Lord Jesus has done.
He was made sin; we are made righteousness.
1 Peter 2:22, 24
[22] “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
[24] “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—”
What is described in the previous paragraph is faith-based righteousness: that our righteousness comes from God. That is, God imputes His righteousness on us when we have faith in Jesus to save us.
This is the inward aspect of man, where you are given a new heart and spirit that is of Christ.
Ephesians 2:8
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
What happens then to our works if we are already righteous through faith?
1 John 3:10
“In this, the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”
When it comes to godly living… there is no compromising. God doesn’t compromise on His holiness. There is no way you will enter Heaven without righteousness. You are to present yourself holy and blameless to God—no wrinkles, spot, or whatsoever.
Philippians 2:14–15
[14] “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”
A generation of lukewarm Christians who are focused more on going to church than going into the Kingdom of Heaven. We believe it is possible to accept Christ without forsaking the world. We have faith in Jesus to be our Savior, but our thoughts and works alone say otherwise. Many Christians prioritize going to church over going into the Kingdom of God. We believe we can accept Christ without forsaking the world. But:
Matthew 7:13–14 – For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction… For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
The Kingdom of God is not just about hearing or meditating on the Word. It’s about demonstrating the power of that Word in our daily lives.
1 Corinthians 4:20 – For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
Through faith in Jesus, we are all righteous. It is a gift of God—that when the prostitute, the murderer, the unbeliever, the atheist, the fornicator has faith in Jesus to save their soul, then God gives them a free righteousness. They automatically become righteous before God regardless of their sin. But what happens next? Now that you are righteous, are you going to live the way you used to live because righteousness is through faith? How do you live your life when righteousness has been imputed to you by God? Are you going to practice the worldly lifestyle you used to practice because righteousness is through faith?
When righteousness is imputed to you, that righteousness must be demonstrated in your life. Faith-righteousness alone is not enough; you need works-righteousness as well. It is always from the inward to the outward. Works must accompany the faith in you. So the righteousness in us must be practiced on a daily basis. We must be upright in all our dealings. The seed of righteousness must bear the fruit of working righteousness in our lives. If we don’t practice righteousness, it means it wasn’t in us in the first place.
The power to transform an atheist into a believer who wins souls for Jesus is what we want to see. A demonstration of genuine righteousness must be seen in our daily lives. The words we believe alone become useless when they are not demonstrated. If indeed we are righteous, let it be seen in how we talk, let it be seen in our jokes, let it be seen in how we treat the weak and poor, let it be seen in how we dress—let righteousness be seen in who we associate with.
Demonstration of what is in us is a necessary requirement.
1 Corinthians 2:4 – “My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.”
Righteousness is an action that, by faith, should come forth in our day-to-day lives.
1 John 2:29 – “If you know that He [God] is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.”
Emphasis on the word practices—if you don’t practice righteousness, then you are not of God. That’s why I said your faith should be accompanied by its works. Your faith is in you, while your works of faith are seen in your outward appearance. Don’t prioritize one over the other; both move together.
Peter also said in Acts 10:34–35, “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.’”
Did you see faith? He specifically said works of righteousness because faith alone won’t save you, even though faith is required before you can proceed to show your works. In essence, those who practice righteousness with faith are those accepted by God.
We know who is a child of God and a child of the devil based on the righteous life they live. If someone doesn’t practice righteousness, that person is not of God but of the devil. It doesn’t matter if you are the prayer warrior or the choir master. Even if you can heal people and don’t practice righteousness, then you don’t belong to the Kingdom of God but the devil. After all, the Kingdom of God is about righteousness.
1 John 3:10 – “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”
When you step out, let righteousness be your lifestyle. When you are locked in a room alone with no one watching, let righteousness prevail. In everything you do, let the fruit of righteousness be seen. Don’t hide behind “we are saved by faith” to sin, because when you do that, you abuse the grace God has given us.
This is what the grace of God is about:
Titus 2:11–12 – “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.”
We are still on “Unless Factor” – 1
If you don’t meet this requirement you will go to hell or be thrown in the Lake of Fire.
Matthew 5:20 – For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
The essence of God’s word is for you to be perfect or complete for God. Even though faith comes by hearing the word of God and we are also saved through faith in Jesus, that faith becomes incomplete when there is no good works to show for it. Our faith in the Word equips us with the power we need to demonstrate good works. It is when we live good works that our faith becomes complete.
2 Timothy 3:16 – All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Our righteousness in Christ equips us for righteous works. The seed of righteousness sown within us must definitely bear good fruits of righteous acts. There is no way you will sin when you are truly born of God. So instead of sinning, you will rather be living a righteous life as the Spirit in you equips you with the strength to do so. On our own, we can’t please God; we can only please Him through Him.
1 John 3:9 – Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
Those who practice righteousness are in essence the doers of the Word. Even though faith comes by hearing the word of God, you need to be doers of it. We only deceive ourselves when we become only hearers of the Word, as faith alone cannot save you.
James 2:14 – What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
James 2:24 – You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
1 John 2:9 – If you know that He [God] is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
Romans 10:17 – So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
James 1:22 – But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
After hearing the word, go out there and practice it. When you have faith in the word, go out and demonstrate it.
Don’t be a Christian in your heart only. Don’t be a Christian on Sundays only. Be a 24/7 Christian. Be a demonstrator of faith. Let the world see your good works. Or don’t you understand what Jesus meant when He said:
Luke 11:33 – “No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.”
Matthew 5:14-15 – “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Righteous living is deliberate. That’s why Jesus said “Let your light shine…” because you are at will to let it out or not.
Revelation 14:13 – Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”
He didn’t say their faith will follow them but rather their works.
1 Corinthians 3:13 – Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
When it’s time for each one’s work to be tested through fire, then you tell God that “I thought we are only saved through faith.” You tell God, “I thought what’s in the heart is what matters oo…” Then God will reply you:
“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” – James 2:24
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
This is why you were created: for good works. You were made for good works before you were even born. You are living as a result of God’s work. So why don’t you show good deeds?
Let’s see the life of the Pharisees from some verses. Then you judge for yourself whether they were living an inward or outward righteousness.
The Pharisees and Scribes were always condemned by Jesus, as they focused more on the outward but had evil hearts. They were living a double life – hypocrisy.
Matthew 3:7 – But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance.”
Matthew 12:34 – “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
The Pharisees were hypocrites. What’s in them is totally different from what they practice. You see them practicing a righteous lifestyle, teaching and enforcing the Law of God on people, but they themselves don’t do it. What is seen outside is just for the glory of it. What they say is just lip service. They were evil men with good intentions on the outside, but inside them is where the evil dwells.
There is no way a mango tree will bear orange fruits. There is no way a crocodile will give birth to a tortoise. No way. So there is no way evil people like the Pharisees will be living a righteous lifestyle with evil or bad hearts. That’s why Jesus asked them “How can you, being evil, speak good things?” And He continues this way:
“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” (Matthew 12:34)
It is impossible for good to produce bad and bad to produce good. If that happens, we say it is hypocrisy.
Mark 12:38-40 – And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
This is the life of the Scribes and Pharisees. Despite their knowledge of the Law of God, they live a pretentious lifestyle. These days, someone will go to church, listen to the word of God, even make notes of the teachings and preaching, but as soon as they go into the world, same old lifestyle — the lifestyle of fornication, stealing…
We claim to be born again and love God but our actions say otherwise. This is hypocrisy. A pretentious lifestyle. We make people see we are holy and righteous as a cover for our unrighteous lifestyle. That was the life of the Scribes and Pharisees.
Jesus said after all the evil things they do, they then make a list of long prayers. Like, who should listen to you? You cannot mock God. Whatever you sow, you shall reap.
Matthew 23:1-5 – Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. Everything they do is done for people to see.”
Jesus himself will tell the people to do what the Pharisees and Scribes teach them, but they shouldn’t in any way practice what they do — as they are hypocrites.
Matthew 23:25-26 – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”
You see what Jesus is telling them? They were focused only on the outside, ignoring what’s inside. But here Jesus makes it clear that what’s outside reflects what’s inside. So if you are righteous inside, definitely righteousness is what will be seen outside.
Matthew 23:27-28
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
For the outside, Jesus will even affirm it — that they act righteously — but condemns them for what’s inside them.
What I want you to know is the kind of righteousness the Pharisees exhibited—it was all about the outside. It was a works-based righteousness, as they lived for people to see, doing what the Law required of them. But what was inside them was evil. And God requires that what’s inside us be pure, because what comes out of us depends on what is within.
God said our righteousness should exceed theirs, and we can only do that if the Holy Spirit is in us. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live up to the standards of God. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no way we can do it by ourselves.
Think about it—how can your righteousness surpass someone who is a doctor of the Law? How many times do you even read your Bible, pray, or pay your tithe?
Moreover, with just their human strength, look at how they were able to live righteously outwardly. Now, what is in us is greater than what is in the world (including ourselves). So, if the Holy Spirit is truly in us, then living righteously shouldn’t be a problem at all. We can do far more than the scribes and Pharisees.
We are going to perfect our faith with works.
We won’t live by faith alone, neither are we going to live by works alone—but with faith in Jesus, who will empower us in everything to live uprightly before Him, along with our works.
The Unless Factor – 2
Matthew 18:3
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
In the first factor, Jesus showed us the level of righteousness required to enter Heaven by comparing it to the righteousness exhibited by the Scribes and Pharisees. Despite their evil nature and hypocrisy, there was a quality in them that Jesus commended—their outward show of being righteous. Jesus even told us to do what the Pharisees tell us to do, despite their evil deeds.
In the second factor, Jesus requires a quality from us that can naturally be seen in children. He is not asking us to be children, but that we should be like them by emulating a particular attribute of children.
1 Corinthians 14:20 – Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
You can see from this verse that Paul is telling us not to think like children. But Jesus is telling us to be like children—otherwise, we won’t enter Heaven. So we have to look at the exact attribute of children He is referring to. Just like how He picked the righteousness of the Pharisees and Scribes, in the same way, He picked a particular attribute of a child for us to emulate.
Matthew 18:3 – And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:4 – Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Do you now see the quality in the child that Jesus requires from us? He even goes on to say that the one who humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
First, He makes it crystal clear: If you aren’t humble, you will by no means enter Heaven.
But if you meet the requirement of being humble, you are the greatest in the Kingdom.
