Posted on 02/09/2025 5:15:12 AM PST by metmom
“He opened His mouth and began to teach them” (Matthew 5:2).
Because of the Sermon on the Mount’s seemingly impossible demands and behavioral standards that are counter to everything the world practices and holds dear, many Christians have taught that the Sermon applies only to the millennial age. If it were not just for a future kingdom era, the argument goes, Jesus would not have commanded believers to be perfect, just as their “heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).
But such an argument is invalid, for a number of reasons. First, and most obvious, the body of Jesus’ sermon nowhere indicates or even implies that its message should be set aside for a future age. Second, Jesus was delivering these instructions to people of the present age—His original hearers and us—not those living in the Millennium. Furthermore, many of the teachings become meaningless if we apply them to the Millennium. (For instance, there will be no persecution of Christians at that time; see Matt. 5:10–12, 44.)
The fourth reason these teachings have to apply now is that every principle and command Jesus sets forth is further applied by the writers of the New Testament epistles, directed to believers both then and now. And fifth, many other New Testament passages teach us standards that are equally unattainable as those in the Sermon on the Mount. Only with aid of the indwelling Spirit can these be done, even part of the time (cf. Phil. 1:9–10; Col. 3:1–2; 1 Peter 1:15–16).
Jesus’ sermon certainly does apply to us, marking out the distinctive lifestyle we should display to all those around us.
Ask Yourself
Which of the individual teachings from the Sermon on the Mount have you basically dismissed as being unattainable? Why have you classified one or more in this way? What could this deliberate refusal to obey tell you about the condition of your heart?
From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.
Studying God’s Word ping
Yes, yes!
..." only with aid of the Holy Spirit..."
Living out the Christian walk is impossible except through His Power...
Off to church soon.
It is impossible of course to be perf3ct, but it is not impossible to try to be perfect with the help of God who forgives when we mess up. Here is an explanation that may help explain the “prefect” command a bit better, which talks about perfection being to love all men, even enemies, as God does
Gill commentary
Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father,.... This perfection is to be restrained to the subject Christ is upon, love to men, and not to be referred to any, or every other thing; wherefore, in Luke 6:36 it is, “be ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful”; and regards not a perfection of degree in that, but objects and quality: that is to say, not that men may, or can, or ought to be as perfect in love, as to the degree of it, as God is; that is impossible: the “as” here, is not a note of equality, but of likeness: such, who profess God to be their Father, ought to imitate him, particularly in their love to men, which ought to be extended to the same objects, as the divine goodness is; that, as he shows regard in a providential way to all men, good and bad, just and unjust, and his tender mercies are over all his works; so ought they to love all men with a natural affection, and hate no man, no, not their enemies: for he that loves only his friends, and not his enemies, loves imperfectly; he does not take in the whole compass of objects his love is to extend unto; and as God loves sincerely, and without dissimulation, so should they. To be “perfect”, is to be sincere and upright: in this sense is the word often used, and answers to the Hebrew word which signifies the same: see Deuteronomy 18:13 which is the passage Christ seems to refer to here; and the sense is, be ye sincere and upright in your love to all men, as your heavenly Father is hearty and sincere in his affections to them.
I can’t copy and paste from the following site, but it has a pretty good explanation for “be perfect” that Jesus commands, stating that yes, he did mean perf3ct like God, but he meant for it to be a brick wall that his disciples ran up agaisnt because they can not be perfect th3mselves, and must put their trust and faith in him, which makes them “Positionally Perfect” through Jesus Christ.
Perfect righteousness will never be achieved by man without the positional perfection given by Christ to us upon salvation. We can, and are commanded to however, strive to be more and more like the lord as we mature in him while,in this body on earth, but our sslvstion makes us lositionally perfect because we stand redeemed from all sin through the blood of Christ when we submit to his calling and accept him as savior.
https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/did-jesus-really-mean-be-perfect-matthew-548/
How come I see postings of all this religious crap when the Democrats get into trouble
Because you haven’t been looking. I’ve been posting these threads for years.
If you don’t like them, don’t read them, just scroll past them like an adult.
If you don’t like them, don’t read them, just scroll past them like an adult.
Thank you for posting "Grace to you".They are a much needed Christian rudder in my life.
You’re welcome.
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