St. Theophan: Thoughts: May 17/30

(Rom. 1:18-27; Matt. 5:20-26) "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." The characteristics of scribes is such-knowledge of the law without a life according to the law. The characteristics of the Pharisees is such-correctness in external conduct without genuine working for correctness of the heart and the thoughts. This and other moral patterns of judgement are external to the Kingdom of Heaven. Take from this all the necessary lessons for yourself. Find out the law of the gospel to know it but in order to set up your life according to knowledge. In conduct try to be correct but at the same time take a hold of your internal disposition and feelings. Having discovered this do not stop with this knowledge but go farther and complete the conclusion, to which, in this case, this knowledge obliges you and requires that you act. In this same conduct act such that your feelings and disposition don't go beyond your external acts and that your external acts won't be called feelings and dispositions and serve simply as expressions. In such a way you will be higher than the scribes and pharisees and the door of the Kingdom won't be shut before you.

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