[boatbums]

Jesus is not, repeat not, exaggerating for effect. He is stating the absolute requirement of the Law for a man to be righteous in and of himself. It is the readers who have minimized His comments to make them "doable", and to make the applicable to modern day Gentile believers. Big hermeneutic mistake.

Absolutely! James 2:10 tells us, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.". Jesus clarified what even that "one point" was - the SPIRIT of the law rather than merely the letter of the law. He demonstrated to the religious leaders - those who gloated over their blamelessness - that God's standards for ultimate holiness and perfection were unreachable for sinful mankind. It is EXACTLY why Jesus came, lived a perfect life, and sacrificed Himself for the sins of all the world. We are powerless to save ourselves and, without Christ, are hopeless.

[Dutchboy88]

"He demonstrated to the religious leaders - those who gloated over their blamelessness - that God's standards for ultimate holiness and perfection were unreachable for sinful mankind. It is EXACTLY why Jesus came, lived a perfect life, and sacrificed Himself for the sins of all the world. We are powerless to save ourselves and, without Christ, are hopeless."

Great words...thank you.