Chapter 19: Myth—Sexuality Doesn’t Matter

Page 42

Jesus says the Law will not pass away until Heaven and earth pass away if you take him literally. Note that breakers of the commandments will

still get into Heaven! And those who teach such apostasy will be “called the least in the kingdom of Heaven.” Therefore, God does not have the idea you need to be perfect in His eyes. As I stated before, you are perfect in Christ. At least those who are sincerely “in Christ.” Yet immediately following that

statement of not requiring perfection to get into Heaven, Jesus states that there is, nonetheless, a minimum righteousness standard. What is it? Your own righteousness has to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees!

Jesus is saying that you should be better at righteousness than the

leaders of your church. For sure, you should be better than those leaders who fall into the category of a scribe or Pharisee. These people followed the letter of the Law, but not the spirit. They also insisted on strictly following their oral traditions or doctrines, even if there was no biblical foundation. I

liken them to modern day preachers who do not teach God’s Word, but teach their own doctrines and interpretations of Scripture. Preachers of today’s tithe doctrine are scribes and Pharisees, because they pervert God’s Word and impose the strictness of their own doctrine on the people. For a detailed

discussion of why the tithe doctrine is false, go back to chapter 17.

Jesus is saying that many of the people you think are godly are really hypocrites and behind the scenes they are unrighteous people. Ergo, you

had better be more righteous than those people. Scary? Well, God told me that it’s not difficult to get beyond His minimum righteousness standard. The three social norms listed below and discussed above were in common use during my youth, but they have almost faded out of everyday societal

practice. Think carefully and you’ll realize that Jesus doesn’t eliminate your own personal responsibilities to God. Jesus only helps you in your gap!

Do the Right Thing!

Or, it means you willfully sin! James 4:17 Reprove and Rebuke Sin!

Or, it means you bear the guilt of sin! Leviticus 19:17

Don’t Cause Another to Sin! Or, it means a terrible woe will come to you! Matthew 18:6-7