Have you ever met someone who simply has an internal drive to obey the law? I don’t mean someone who has not committed a felony recently, but someone who actually abides by all speed limits, doesn’t take paperclips home from work, and is truly honest on their taxes – just to use some examples. Let me first be upfront, I am honest on my taxes, but speed limits seem to be just a “starting point” for me. I gauge my driving speed by how many miles over the speed limit I think I can drive without getting a ticket.

I do know people, however, who just simply obey. No matter what the rule, they prefer to obey it.

OK: is that what Christianity is? Is it simply the ability to obey? Or, is there more?

Jesus, while speaking to a group of religious leaders says something amazing about this topic. Jesus uses the term righteous to describe the attribute he desires in those who follow him. Jesus says, “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]. Most people read into this that a person’s obedience must be better than that of a Pharisee’s.

Two important issues to deal with first: the definition of righteousness, and what a Pharisee is.

Righteousness is defined as (1) morally upright, without guilt or sin [as in a “righteous person]; in accordance with virtue or morality [a righteous judgment]; morally justifiable [as in “righteous anger”]. However, when speaking of “righteousness” in the Bible, there is always a relational element to it. We can get back to that in a minute.

Pharisees were a group of religious leaders in the Jewish community of the first century. During the life of Jesus they were often the ones who would challenge Jesus on issues of the Law (I wonder if Jesus would have driven too fast?). During the history of the Early Church, the Pharisees were the ones who opposed the Christians (or the Way, as they were called then). Inevitably, they were the ones who ‘obeyed’ the Law the best. In fact, they were well known for their creation of over 660 laws, and their ability to obey them all.

Jesus said that our righteousness must be greater than that of the Pharisees. If that means that our obedience must be better than that of the Pharisees we are in big trouble. If that is true then only those who obey the speed limits, don’t take paper clips home from work, and do their taxes completely honestly, are in the running for Jesus’ definition. And, to be clear, my speeding might prevent me from joining the team here. This is to define righteousness as “without guilt or sin” from the above definition. And, if this is true, we are all in big trouble.

I said earlier that the biblical definition of righteousness always carried with it a relational aspect. Maybe it is easier to word it this way: what is your relationship to the law, or better yet, to the lawmaker?

Jesus goes on to challenge the religious leadership of his day by asking them many things about their heart. Hatred is tied to murder, and lust is tied to adultery. All these statements are about the relationship of the obedient to lawmaker (obviously God in this case).

Maybe a question that could be asked here is why one is obedient to a specific law. Maybe the question about righteousness is about “why” we obey. If it is just about rules, then maybe we are missing the point.

I often use the example of marriage when dealing with obedience. I am a faithful husband. I love my wife. These two facts are inseparable. It is my love for my wife that dictates how I act with other women, how I live my life outside my home, and how I treat my wife when we are together. I am not a faithful husband because there is some rule to follow. I am a faithful husband because I love my wife. It is my relationship of love that leads me in my faithfulness, not reading a book that has given me a list of rules to obey to be a good husband.

How might your level of obedience to the things of God be changed if you stopped trying to be just “one who obeys”, and instead be “one who loves God”. In John 14 Jesus says “if you love me you will obey my commands” [vs. 15]. He didn’t say if you love me THEN OBEY MY COMMANDS. Jesus taught that obedience (or righteousness including relationship) follows from love.

Remember, after Peter who was one of Jesus’ closest friends denied him, Jesus’ question wasn’t if Peter would obey him. It was, “Peter, do you love me?”