Matthew 5:20 Jesus was saying that His listeners needed a different kind of righteousness altogether (love and obedience), not just a more intense version of the Pharisees' righteousness (legal compliance). Our righteousness must come from what God does in us, not what we do by ourselves; to be God-centered, not self-centered, and be based on reverence for God, not approval from people, and go beyond keeping the law to living by the principles behind the law.
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Matthew 5:21-22 When Jesus said, "But I say to you," He was not doing away with the law or adding His own beliefs. Rather, He was giving a fuller understanding of why God made that law in the first place. For example, Moses said, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13); Jesus taught that we should not even become angry enough to murder, for then we have already committed murder in our heart. The Pharisees read this law and, not having literally murdered anyone, felt righteous. Yet they were angry enough with Jesus that they would soon plot His death, though they would not do the dirty work themselves. We miss the intent of God's Word when we read His rules for living without trying to understand why He made them. When do you keep God's rules but close your eyes to His intent?
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Matthew 5:21, 22 Killing is a terrible sin, but anger is a great sin too because it also violates God's command to love. Anger in this case refers to a seething, brooding bitterness against someone. It is a dangerous emotion that always threatens to leap out of control, leading to violence, emotional hurt, increased mental stress and spiritual damage. Anger keeps us from developing a spirit pleasing to God. Have you ever been proud that out didn't strike out and say what was really on your mind? Self-control is good, but Christ wants us to practice thought-control as well - getting rid of angry thoughts by placing our minds on God. Jesus said that we will be held accountable even for our attitudes.
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Matthew 5:23, 24 Broken relationships can hinder our relationship with God. If we have a problem or grievance with a friend, we should resolve the problem as soon as possible. We are hypocrites if we claim to love God while we hate others. Our attitudes toward others reflect our relationship with God (1 John 4:20).
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Matthew 5:27, 28 The Old Testament law said that it is wrong for a person to have sex with someone other than his or her spouse (Exodus 20:14). But Jesus said that the desire to have sex with someone other than your spouse is mental adultery and thus sin. Jesus emphasized that if the act is wrong, then so is the intention. To be faithful to your spouse with your body but not your mind is to break the trust so vital to a strong marriage. Jesus is not condemning natural interest in the opposite sex or even healthy sexual desire, but the deliberate and repeated filling of one's mind with fantasies that could be evil if acted out.
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