Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:20

For I say to you that unless your righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20

There are people who will freak out over this verse, thinking that we have to do all of these religious things to be accepted by our Father, but remember this Truth: the Scribes and Pharisees were not righteous at all.

Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the [false] teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:12

For God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all [alike]. Romans 11:32

We are all going to mess up, but our Father will have mercy on us regardless. We do not have to depend on our own righteousness, which is as filthy rags, we get to depend on Jesus’ righteousness. The Truth that sets us free is that it is up to Jesus, Who is our Head, our Shepherd, our Vine, our Potter, and our Savior to make sure that we make it!

Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. John 17:17 (Jesus is asking God to sanctify us here)