Friday, August 11, 2006
Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
THAT MEN MAY SEE AND . . .
It was a good place to hang a calendar featuring a monthly picture with a Scripture quote -- namely, the wall of the waiting area for auto owners having their cars repaired or the oil changed. And the picture of the month was a beautiful photo of a fruit-filled tree. The Scripture quoted, however, was made to say the opposite of what Jesus meant when He first uttered the words. This was accomplished by simply printing only the first part of Matthew 5:16. Those who glanced up at the calendar that month were encouraged to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works."
That was exactly the approach of the Pharisees of Jesus' day, and of those who follow in their footsteps today. It was such self-centered work-righteousness that Jesus addressed when He told His disciples, "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 5:20).
How could our righteousness ever exceed that of the supremely pious scribes and Pharisees? The only way is to be given, or credited with, a righteousness that comes from a different source -- something outside of ourselves -- untainted by our innate self-centeredness. We have been given just such a righteousness through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. It is His righteousness imputed through faith that renews our hearts and directs our our steps in "paths of righteousness for His name's sake".
The good works we are encouraged in here certainly include acts of compassion and mercy to people in need, activities in keeping with commandments 4-10. But let us note that the sort of actions especially enjoined here are those that in themselves point people to the true God -- things like Christian worship, the support of Gospel preaching and teaching, standing fast in Christian truth and Scripture doctrine, openly and fearlessly confessing our faith, and loyalty to Christian principles.
