“…put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).
Many valuable lessons can be learned from a careful study of the Pharisees. None is more obvious or imperative than the truth that counterfeit righteousness and fake holiness exist. Jesus implies such with His declaration to His disciples 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).
In his final epistle, the apostle Paul warned Timothy of perilous times in which many will have “a form of righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:5).
Just like counterfeit (i.e., “fool’s) gold, pseudo-righteousness, quasi-holiness, and a form of godliness are equally worthless in value. Only true righteousness and holiness found in learning Christ is of eternal weight.
True righteousness and holiness is the currency of heaven. Don’t leave this world without it.
