Matthew 5

Matthew 5:1-12

Chapter 9 Who is Blessed of God? “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:1-12) According to the Book of God, there are some people in this world who are truly blessed, blessed of God, blessed from eternity, blessed now, and blessed forever in Christ, blessed with all the blessings of grace here and all the blessings of everlasting glory hereafter (Ephesians 1:3). There are some sons and daughters of Adam who truly are blessed of God. Who are they? Those who were Chosen in Christ in Eternal Election (Ephesians 1:3-6). Those who Trust the Lord (Jeremiah 17:7; Luke 11:27-28). Those who Fear the Lord (Psalms 128:1). Those whose Sins are Forgiven (Psalms 32:2-3; Romans 4:8). Those who are Not Offended by Christ (Luke 7:23). Those who Endure Temptation (James 1:12). There are some in this world who are blessed of God. Are you among these blessed ones? Am I? Let’s look to the Word of God and see. I am calling for each of us to examine ourselves in the light of Holy Scripture (1 Corinthians 13:5). In these twelve verses the Lord Jesus sets before us the character of those men and women who are blessed of God. Our Prophet These verses are from the first part of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. The sermon itself continues in chapters 6 and 7. — “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them” (Matthew 5:1-2). The preacher is the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the true Prince of preachers, the Prophet of his church. He of whom the prophets spoke is now the preacher. The voice we hear in these verses is the voice of our Master. It is the voice of him who “spoke as never a man spake.” The place was a mountain in Galilee. It was not Mt. Sinai, or Mt. Olivet, or Mt. Calvary, but a common Galilean hillside. But on that common hillside the Son of God met with and instructed his disciples. That made the place a holy place! The congregation was his disciples. The sermon was addressed to those who professed to be his followers. Others were present and heard the message. But the message was particularly addressed to men and women who had publicly avowed their faith in Christ by baptism and hoped that they would live with Christ forever in heaven. In a word, this sermon was addressed to people just like you and me. Look at Matthew 5:2 again. – “He opened his mouth, and taught them.” When our Savior’s mouth was closed, he taught by example. Yet, he did not refrain from speaking, as well as living the truth. And when he spoke, he spoke earnestly. He “opened his mouth and taught.” He did not mumble, mutter, or stutter. – When he opens his mouth let us open our ears! We have a blessed scene before us! As the law was given from the Mount, the Lord Jesus went up on the Mount to proclaim the gospel. But there is a great contrast. At Mt. Sinai boundaries were set, which the people were not allowed to cross. When our great Savior came preaching the gospel, he set no boundaries sinners could not cross. He said, “Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go” (Isaiah 48:16-17). What gracious words proceeded out of his mouth! The Beatitudes Now, let’s look at the beatitudes given in Matthew 5:3-12. Here the Son of God describes his people by eight distinct characteristics, and pronounces eight beatitudes, eight blessings of grace upon them. If we fit the character of those described in the blessing, then the blessing is ours and we are blessed. If we do not fit the character of the ones described, then we have no right to claim the blessing. Our Master begins this great sermon by pronouncing blessings upon his people. He is himself the great comprehensive blessing of all blessings and the blessedness of his people. In these verses our Savior gives us eight distinct characteristics of blessed people, eight things found in all who are saved by his matchless grace. They are… Poor in spirit. People who mourn. The meek of the earth. People who hunger and thirst after righteousness. The merciful. The pure in heart. Peacemakers. And those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. When I read these verses, the question immediately arises in my mind, “Where are such people to be found?” It is certain that none among the fallen sons and daughters of Adam possess such traits. Among all the people of our fallen race, there are none who are good, none who do good, and none who seek after God (Psalms 14:1-3. Romans 3:10-18). Obviously, those who are here described are the redeemed of the Lord, his own elect who were given to him by the Father, made blessed in the righteousness of the Son, and regenerated and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Poor in Spirit “Blessed are the poor in Spirit.” — He did not say, “Blessed are the poor.” He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Those who are poor in spirit are men and women who, in their own judgment and esteem, are spiritually poor. Their souls are barren and empty before God. They have no righteousness of their own, no good works, no good thoughts, nothing with which to commend themselves to God. As John Gill wrote, “Being sensible of their poverty, they place themselves at the door of mercy and knock there. Their language is, ‘God be merciful…’ They are importunate, will have no denial, yet receive the least favor with thankfulness.” Before God lifts us up by his grace, he brings us down. Until we are poor in spirit, we will not seek mercy in Christ.

It is painful, but blessed work when God puts a soul into a bankrupt state! The Laodiceans of this world will never seek mercy (Revelation 3:14). Jacob was brought down (Genesis 32:27). Isaiah was brought down (Isaiah 6:1-8). Gomer was brought down (Hosea 2:6-23). The woman with an issue of blood was brought down (Luke 8:43).

Onesimus was brought down (Philippians 1). The prodigal son was brought down (Luke 15). God knows how to make proud, self-sufficient sinners poor in spirit. He knows how to bring sinners down (Psalms 107). Those who are poor in spirit are people who have been made to know their desperate need of free grace in and by Christ, their all-sufficient Savior. They have nothing. They can do nothing. They must have someone to atone for their sins. They must have someone to make them righteous before God. They need pardon and grace for their countless sins. Rowland Hill said, “Poverty of spirit is the bag into which Christ puts the riches of his grace.” Saved sinners are men and women who know their utter poverty of soul before God. They are people convinced of their sin by God the Holy Spirit. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” — “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalms 51:17). The Lord God declares, “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). If a person is ever brought to the place that he has nothing in himself, he will have everything by grace in Christ. But as long as a person imagines that he has something in himself, he has nothing. Nothing is more painful to our proud flesh; but nothing is more needful than that we be made “poor in spirit” before God. Are you poor in spirit? If you are, you are blessed. God made you poor. And he has made you an heir of his kingdom in Christ. Mourn “Blessed are they that mourn.” — There is a mourning that is sinful, as when Jonah mourned over a withered gourd. There is a mourning that is natural, as when we mourn over the death of a loved one. And there is mourning that is the result of God’s operations of grace in the heart. Those who mourn in this sense, our Lord Jesus declares are blessed. The mourners our Savior here declares to be blessed are those who mourn over their sins (Psalms 51:1-17). No sooner is grace poured into our hearts, giving us the knowledge of Christ as our Savior, than we are made to see and know the wretchedness that is ours by nature (Zechariah 12:10). When Christ is revealed in us, our hearts melt before him. “I do not understand,” wrote John Owen, “how a man can be a true believer, in whom sin is not the greatest burden, sorrow and trouble.” Indwelling sin is to the believing soul a constant source of bitterness and sorrow. Like Paul, the believer cries out, “Oh! wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” This mourning over sin, the sin that is in us, is a lifelong experience, causing God’s saints to be in a state of continual repentance, ever looking to Christ alone for redemption and righteousness. The more fully we are made aware of our sin, the more we mourn over it, the more we are compelled to look out of ourselves to Christ alone for righteousness, and the more he is endeared to our hearts. “Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious.” How delightful it is to hear our Savior declare, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted!” Those who mourn because of their sin shall be comforted here by the revelation of Christ in their hearts. Though we mourn because of our sin and utter corruption, we are comforted by the knowledge and assurance of Christ’s all-sufficiency as our Surety, Substitute, and Savior. His righteousness is ours. His satisfaction is ours. He has, by his one great sacrifice, put away our sins forever. — How comforting it is to hear the gospel of God’s free grace in his darling Son! — How comforting it is to hear him speak o our hearts by his Holy Spirit through the Scriptures! — How comforting it is to remember our dear Savior as we eat the bread and drink the wine at the Lord’s Table! — How comforting it is to fetch grace and mercy from the throne of grace in every time of need, by prayer and supplication! — How comforting it is to know that he who loved us and gave himself for us rules all things for our good, ordering all the affairs of providence according to his infinite wisdom and goodness and according to his own infinite, eternal love for us! Yes, those who are taught of God to mourn over their sin are comforted here. And when we drop this robe of flesh in the grave and are brought into heavenly glory, dwelling forever in the presence of our God and Savior, we shall be fully and eternally comforted (Luke 16:25; Jeremiah 50:20). In that great day, our God shall wipe all tears from our eyes. Then we shall be free from sin, free from all the evil consequences of sin, free from sorrow, and made possessors of all the glory the Father has given to the Son as our Mediator (John 17:5; John 17:22). The Meek “Blessed are the meek.” — Someone once said, “Meekness is the mark of a man who has been mastered by God.” The meekness our Lord here pronounces is a blessed thing. It is not that which men call meekness. It is not an outward show of pretended humility. It is that which is wrought in the heart by grace. Meekness is a realization of who I am before God. Meekness is submission to the will of God. Meekness is obedience to God. Meekness causes us to esteem others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:1-5). Matthew Henry wrote, “They are meek who are rarely and hardly provoked, but quickly and easily pacified; and who would rather forgive twenty injuries than avenge one, having the rule of their own spirits.” John Gill describes the meek as those who “have the meanest thoughts of themselves, and the best of others; do not envy the gifts and graces of other men; are willing to be instructed and admonished, by the meanest of the saints; quietly submit to the will of God, in adverse dispensations of providence; and ascribe all they have, and are, to the grace of God.” Moses was the meekest man on earth in his day; but no man looking at his behavior would have thought so. He was meek before God. He knew he was God’s servant, responsible to do God’s will. Therefore, he was as bold as a lion. The Lord Jesus lived on this earth in meekness. It was this meekness that caused him to speak with authority and drive the money-changers out of the temple. Robert Hawker explains… “The meekness the Son of God pronounced blessed, is the meekness inwrought in the soul, by the gracious influence of God the Holy Ghost. It is learnt of Jesus (Matthew 11:29). It is wholly from Jesus (John 15:4-5). And it is his regenerated members of whom he saith, the Lord will “beautify the meek with salvation” (Psalms 149:4). This meekness of the Lord’s own creating in the soul is of great price (1 Peter 4:3).” “They shall inherit the earth.” — They shall inherit all the blessings of the earth, all things working together for their good. And they shall inherit all the new earth, when our God shall make all things new. “The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Psalms 37:11). Hunger and Thirst “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Many imagine that our Lord Jesus is here telling us that those who greatly desire to make themselves righteous are blessed and shall have their hunger satisfied and their thirst quenched. Such teaching is totally foreign to the Scriptures. Mere morality is not righteousness. The Scribes and Pharisees of our Lord’s day prided themselves in the performance of such. The Son of God did not come into the world to preach that righteousness that men can perform. He did not teach men to trust in themselves, but just the opposite. He preached grace. His gospel demands that sinners count all personal righteousness but dung (Philippians 3:7-8), and look to him alone for righteousness. Those are blessed of God who hunger and thirst for his righteousness, the only righteousness by which a sinner can be justified in the sight of God. The souls that hunger and thirst for him who is “the Lord our Righteousness,” desiring to be found in him, not having their own righteousness, but the righteousness of God established and brought in by Christ’s obedience to God as our Substitute, the righteousness that can be obtained only by faith in him, they and they alone are blessed of God with grace, salvation, and eternal life. Hungering and thirsting after Christ’s righteousness, we acknowledge and confess that we have no righteousness of our own. Therefore, we long to be clothed with Christ’s robe of righteousness and garment of salvation. Christ is that righteousness and holiness we must have, without which no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Not only does our Savior pronounce those blessed who hunger and thirst after him, he promises, “they shall be filled” (Isaiah 55:1; John 7:37). We shall not hunger in vain. All who abandon their own righteousness, seeking righteousness before God in Christ alone, who is “the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Romans 10:4), shall be filled (Psalms 132:9-16; Isaiah 61:1-3; Isaiah 61:10-11). God’s elect shall be filled with (completely satisfied with) Christ’s righteousness and never seek any other righteousness. And being filled with Christ’s righteousness, they shall be filled “with all other good things in consequence of it” (John Gill). Merciful “Blessed are the merciful.” — The merciful are those who show mercy to others, having obtained mercy themselves from God. Those who are merciful have been made merciful by the experience of God’s mercy bestowed upon them in Christ. They are loving and charitable (1 Corinthians 13:8), kind and gracious (Ephesians 4:32 to Ephesians 5:1), and forgiving (Matthew 6:14-15). These graces within are the fruits and effects of God’s saving grace and the believer’s vital union with Christ in regeneration. “For they shall obtain mercy.” — This is not a suggestion that our obtaining mercy is in some way dependent upon or determined by our mercifulness to others. Rather, it is the declaration and assurance that all who have obtained mercy in the gift of God’s grace shall continue to obtain mercy all the days of their lives in this world and in the world to come (2 Timothy 1:18). Pure in Heart “Blessed are the pure in heart.” — Almost everything I have read or heard by theologians, preachers, teachers, and religious leaders on Matthew 5:8 is totally contrary to the Scriptures. Men use this verse of Holy Scripture to teach that if we will make our hearts pure, we shall see God in heaven. Very few leave out God’s work altogether. Most try to make their doctrine of works appear to be the doctrine of grace. They tell us, of course that God must first make our hearts new in regeneration; but we must make our hearts pure by the discipline of grace in self-denial and the mortification of our sins in sanctification. I ask all who give and all who attempt to follow such counsel ¯ Have you succeeded? Have you made yourself pure in heart? ¯ So pure that you can now, by reason of your heart purity, confidently hope to see God himself face to face in heaven’s glory? If we have even a shred of honesty in us, we must hang our heads with shame and confess ¯ No! What, then, does this mean? ¯ “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” These words, lofty and remote as they seem, are in fact among the most hopeful, comforting, and radiant that ever came from our Master’s lips. They proclaim the certain, sure realization of something that seems impossible. They promise the possession of an apparently impossible vision. And they soothe our corrupt, sinful hearts, so sinful that we most naturally shrink from and tremble at the thought of seeing God in all the splendor of his radiant glory, assuring us that seeing God shall be our highest, ultimate blessedness. Our hearts, yours and mine, are by nature horribly evil (Genesis 6:5; Psalms 12:2; Psalms 101:4; Isaiah 44:20; Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:20-23). The promise of grace is, “I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). Do you see this? Has God taught you the evil, the horrid corruption of your hard, cold, dead, unfeeling, unmoved, heart of stone? Well may we look within and sigh, “The rocks can rend, the earth can quake, The seas can roar, the mountains shake; Of feeling all things show some sign, But this unfeeling heart of mine.” If this is the state of my heart, if this is the condition of every man, woman, and child by nature, how can we ever hope to know the blessedness of which the Son of God speaks, when he declares, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God”? Such hearts cannot see God. Such hearts can never see God. Indeed, such hearts as these, the heart of man, cannot see the things of God, much less God himself. Did not the Lord Jesus say to Nicodemus, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3)? The natural man simply cannot see God, cannot see Christ, and cannot see the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). That is the state and condition of every man’s heart by nature. It is anything but pure. Yet, our Lord speaks of “the pure in heart.” What does our Lord mean by this statement? — “Blessed are the pure in heart.” This purity of heart is, not the external varnish of a Pharisee, or the boasted perfection of a hypocrite, or the empty dream of the carnally secure. They are pure in their own eyes; but they are not pure (Proverbs 30:12). The pure in heart are not those vain, religious fools who convince themselves that they are pure. They shall never see God. They are an irksome smoke in his nose (Isaiah 65:5; Jude 1:16-19). Purity of heart certainly does not imply sinlessness of heart. Those who think that they have no sin are yet dead in sin (1 John 1:7-10). Heart purity is not accomplished by the imaginary self-sanctification of those multitudes who delude themselves into thinking they make themselves pure by their slight, occasional conformity to selected points of the law in their outward behavior (Isaiah 66:16-17).

And that which our Lord speaks of as a pure heart is not a changed heart. When I was a young man, before God saved me, people would often ask me to give my heart to the Lord. Even then, in my utter ignorance, I thought, “What on earth would God want with that filthy thing?” Salvation is not you giving God your old, wretched heart. Salvation is God giving you a new heart (Jeremiah 32:37-40; Ezekiel 36:26). There are multitudes who talk about conversion as “a change of heart.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Salvation is God giving us a new heart. Those who are blessed of God are those whose hearts the Lord has made new, those who are holy and pure in the cleansing and justifying purity and holiness of the Lord their Righteousness. They are a people who know their own, personal corruption and groan under its weight. They see God in Christ in all the blessedness of salvation here in the life that now is, and they shall see him in the complete enjoyment of him in the life of glory that is to come. This purity of heart stands in having the heart sprinkled from an evil conscience by the sprinkling of Christ’s precious blood (Hebrews 9:11-14). What is the meaning of this word “pure”? There are three words translated “pure” in the New Testament. The word used here is the word from which we get the name “Katherine.” It is also the word from which we get the term used in psychology, “catharsis,” which means, “the purging of emotions, the release of pent up emotions, and the relief of guilt.” Actually, that is pretty close to the meaning of the word “pure” in Matthew 5:8. The word means “purified by fire,” “purified as a vine that is pruned and made fit to bear fruit,” “free from corruption, sin, and guilt,” “blameless, innocent,” “unstained with the guilt of anything,” “transparent and undiluted.” When our Lord speaks of those who are “pure in heart,” he is talking about a people who have in their hearts an honest, transparent consciousness of perfection, righteousness, innocence, sinlessness, and stainlessness before God, without pretense or hypocrisy. In Titus 2:14 the Holy Spirit tells us that it was the intention, design, and purpose of Christ in his death to make us pure before God. In Acts 15:8-9 we are told that God the Holy Spirit purifies the hearts of chosen, redeemed sinners by the blessed gift of faith in Christ. When Christ is revealed and the sinner looks to him alone for complete atonement, for all righteousness, for acceptance with God, looking on Christ, his heart is sprinkled with the blood of Christ and his conscience is purged of all guilt before God. William Huntington wrote… “Men who are destitute of this faith, and who never received this atonement, are as destitute of internal purity as the prince of devils. ‘Unto the pure all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled.’ The man whose sins are forgiven him, and whose conscience is purged from guilt and dead works, who is renewed by the Spirit, who is a believer in Jesus, and holds fast the truth of the gospel as it is in Christ, is the man that holds the mystery of faith in a pure conscience. These are the people to whom the Lord turns a pure language, and such bring to the Lord a pure offering.” The pure in heart are those who, looking to Christ, are convinced of God the Holy Spirit concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11). They are those who openly, frankly, honestly confess their sin to God, trusting Christ alone for the forgiveness of sin (1 John 1:9; Psalms 51:1-10). These, and only these, are truly blessed of God, “for they shall see God!” Has the Lord God given you a pure heart? Has he given you a tender, feeling heart? ¯ A broken and contrite heart? ¯ A heart that is crushed under the awareness of your utter sin and depravity? ¯ A heart that mourns over sin and hungers and thirsts for righteousness? ¯ A heart that looks for grace, righteousness, merit before God, and eternal life altogether outside yourself? ¯ A heart that pours out the painful, bitter confession of sin before God, acknowledging that there is nothing you want more than purity and that there is in you no purity at all? If he has given you such a heart, this is the blessedness that is yours. ¯ “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God!” — “God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” This is nothing less than seeing him who is invisible. It is seeing him as he is in his true character, as he reveals himself to your soul in Christ, and seeing him forever. The promise is that you shall never be separated or banished from God and his presence. You shall see him with acceptance, and with approbation as your dear and everlasting Father. You shall see his face without a cloud, and hear his voice without a proverb. The promise here given is that you shall have an eternal abiding with him, in whose favor is life, in whose presence is fulness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore.

This is the promise of complete salvation in Christ in the glorious liberty of the sons of God in heaven, when “the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father,” forever and ever. We shall then see as we are seen, and know as we are known (1 John 3:1-2;Revelation 22:3-5). “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!” Peacemakers “Blessed are the peacemakers.” — Again, I ask, “Of whom does Christ speak?” Clearly, he is not talking about men who make peace with God. That is impossible. Christ alone makes peace between God and men. Our peace with God is found in the blood of his cross. The peacemakers are those men and women whose hearts are ruled by the Prince of Peace, in whose hearts the peace of God rules. They are peaceful themselves. They strive to live peaceably with all men, especially with those who are of the household of faith. They strive to make all men love one another by preaching the gospel of peace. “They shall be called the children of God.” Their adoption as the children of God by grace is made manifest and they are known to be God’s children by the grace of God that is wrought in them, making them peaceful before God. And those who are at peace with God, by faith in Christ, are at peace with all things and with all men. Persecuted for Righteousness “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” — Many suffer greatly because they are haughty and self-righteous (1 Peter 2:19; 1 Peter 4:16). But God’s people are now, have been throughout history, and shall be so long as time shall stand persecuted and reviled by a self-righteous world “for righteousness’ sake,” because they trust Christ alone as the Lord their Righteousness and assert that there is no righteousness to be found in the world except the righteousness of God in Christ. To my knowledge, no one has ever been persecuted or reviled for living a good life, for doing what men call works of righteousness. No one is going to persecute you for being honest, being a faithful husband, a good wife, or an exemplary citizen. God’s saints are persecuted for declaring that no man can produce righteousness and asserting that salvation is by the obedience and righteousness of Christ alone. When we declare that salvation is by a righteousness given to sinners freely in Christ, not by a righteousness performed by sinners, we are reviled as promoters of licentiousness (Romans 3:8). They are persecuted for believing and preaching free justification by the righteousness of Christ, which all men naturally despise because it excludes all boasting. Though persecuted an reviled as the offscouring of the earth, these are a truly blessed people, “for theirs is the kingdom of God.” — “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12) How different Christianity is from that which the world looks upon as Christianity! The very characters the world despises and ridicules, Christ honors and calls blessed. The blessedness pronounced upon believing sinners in this world and in the world to come is the blessedness of pure, free grace, gospel blessedness, which is altogether the gift of God.

Matthew 5:13-20

Chapter 10 Lessons from Salt, Light, and the Law “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-20) Our Lord Jesus Christ was truly the Prince of preachers. He who is the subject of all true preaching is also the example all true preachers should follow. He wisely used common, ordinary, simple things, with which all his hearers were familiar, to illustrate and enforce the doctrine he taught. In the passage now before us he used salt, light, and the law to show us the characteristics of true Christianity. He shows us in these verses that the grace of God changes people from the inside out, making them both righteous before God and useful to one another. In these eight verses of Inspiration our Savior teaches us three very important lessons. May the Holy Spirit of God now seal them to our hearts. True Christianity First, our Savior here demonstrates the character of true Christianity (Matthew 5:13-16). All that glitters is not gold. “They are not all Israel which are of Israel.” And not all who profess to be Christians truly are Christians. Christianity radically changes men and women. Grace gives men and women new motives and principles of life that set them apart from the rest of the world. Believers are the salt of the earth. “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13). Salt has a peculiar taste and quality. Nothing can really imitate it well. When mingled with other things, it imparts some of its taste and preserves other things from corruption. It is useful as long as it retains its savor, its saltiness. But once that is lost, it is useless. But how do these things apply to us? There is clearly an application here to those who preach the gospel. The preaching of the gospel preserves society from total corruption. It preserves God’s saints from the corrupting influence of the world. And when a preacher departs from the preaching of the gospel, he is utterly useless. However, these words must not be restricted to gospel preachers. Our Lord’s intention was that these words be applied by every believer to himself. C. H. Spurgeon was correctly noted, “In the believer’s character there is a preserving force to keep the rest of society from utter corruption…There is a secret something, which is the secret of the believer’s power. That something is savor. It is not easy to define it, but yet it is absolutely essential to usefulness.” This teaches us the necessity of perseverance. If the savor of God’s grace could be lost, it could never be restored (Hebrews 6:1-6). Thank God! Grace cannot fail to save a man; but if grace could fail to save a man, there would be no hope for any. You can salt meat. But no one can salt salt. If grace fails, everything fails! Thank God for grace that cannot fail, for salt that cannot lose its savor (2 Corinthians 12:9). Believers are the light of the world. — “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). “It is the property of light to be utterly distinct from darkness. The least spark in a dark room can be seen at once. Of all things created, light is the most useful: it fertilizes; it guides; it cheers. It was the first thing called into being. (Genesis 1:3). Without it, the world would be a gloomy blank.” (J.C. Ryle) Again, there is clearly a reference to those who preach the gospel of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). Christ himself is the Light of the world (John 1:4; John 8:12; John 9:5). The gospel of Christ is the means by which that Light shines in the world. It is our responsibility to give out the Light. Our object is that chosen sinners, being converted by the light of the gospel, may glorify God, our Father, by repentance and faith in Christ. Still, these words must not be applied only to gospel preachers. You who trust Christ are the light of the world. The church of Christ is the light of the world. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, so those who trust him reflect the light of Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. We are to dispel the darkness of ignorance, sin, and sorrow by proclaiming the glorious gospel of Christ (Matthew 5:14). God intends for us to be conspicuous in our testimony regarding his grace and his Son (Matthew 5:15). Yet, the light of the gospel shines forth, not in our words, but in our works (Matthew 5:16). The works by which the light shines forth from God’s elect are not religious works of self-righteousness, or displays of religious devotion (Matthew 6:2-3; Matthew 6:5-6; Matthew 6:16-18), but works of faith and love in the daily affairs of life. Christianity is not a show of religion, but a life of devotion to Christ. “True shining is silent, but yet it is so useful, that men…are forced to bless God for the good which they receive…when they mark the good works of his saints” (C. H. Spurgeon). It ought to be our constant prayer and desire before God that he would give us grace to be useful to others, to improve the lives of those whose paths we cross, to make them happier and better for having come into contact with us. The emblems our Lord used here of salt and light are instructive. Christ is the salt of the covenant (Leviticus 2:13; Numbers 18:19; Mark 9:49). Our Savior, as we have already observed, is the light of the world. It is because Christ is in his redeemed (Colossians 1:27), and only because Christ is in us that believers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Were it not for the fact that Christ’s seed are in the earth, the whole world would be in a state of putrefaction and utter darkness (Philippians 2:15). Scripture Unity Second, in Matthew 5:17-19 our Lord shows us the unity of the Old Testament and the New Testament. — “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” This is a point of great importance. The Bible is one Book, not two. The religion of the Old Testament and the religion of the New Testament are the same. Totally disregard as false any religious teacher or any doctrinal system that would teach you to despise, disregard, or ignore any part of Holy Scripture, suggesting that it applies only to people of another age. The Book of God was written for you and me (Romans 15:4). Be sure you grasp and firmly hold to the unity of God’s Holy Word. The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled all the types and requirements of the law and all the promises and predictions of the prophets. He fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies, all the types of the ceremonial law, and all the requirements of the moral law as our Mediator (Matthew 2:6; Luke 4:16-22; Acts 4:27-28; Luke 24:25-27; Luke 24:44-47; Romans 10:4). In all things he magnified the law of God and made it honorable by his obedience and death as our Substitute (Isaiah 42:21). Nothing can be more blessedly comforting than beholding the Son of God by faith as our law-surety, and our law-fulfiller. As such he is the Lord our Righteousness, and is the “end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Let me be perfectly clear. God’s people do not, in any way, despise or disregard his holy law. We rejoice in the fact that in Christ we are free from the law. The Scriptures plainly declare that believers are not under the law (Romans 6:14-15; Romans 7:1; Romans 7:9; Romans 10:4). We have no curse from the law (Galatians 3:13), no covenant with the law (Hebrews 8:10-12), and no constraint by the law (2 Corinthians 5:14). Yet, every believer loves and delights in God’s holy law (Romans 7:22). The law is God’s measure, the only measure of right and wrong (Romans 7:7). The law shows men their sin and their need of Christ as their Redeemer and Savior (Romans 3:19-20; Galatians 3:19-22). And the law restrains wicked men from the wickedness that is in them (1 Timothy 1:8-9). Let no one imagine that the gospel lowers either the law of God or the holiness of his saints. Nothing can be further from the truth. The only person who truly fulfils and honors the law is the sinner who is saved by grace, through faith, without the law (Romans 3:31). And the constraint of grace in the heart is far more powerful than the constraints of the law written in stone (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 8:9). Our Substitute Third, in Matthew 5:19-20 our Savior demonstrates to all the necessity of an infinitely meritorious substitute. — “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Robert Hawker, in his commentary on these two verses, wrote… These are very strong expressions of Christ, in proof that nothing short of a whole and complete obedience to the law, can justify a soul before God. And hence the presumption of the Scribes and Pharisees. Oh! the folly of the Pharisees of the present hour! Oh! the blessedness of being found, as Paul was (Philippians 3:8-9), in Christ’s righteousness! The scribes and Pharisees were, in their day, the most highly respected and admired religious leaders in the world. Everyone stood in awe of them. But our Lord Jesus said to his disciples, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Those words must have been astounding to the people who first heard them. The scribes were the religious scholars of the day. They were the men who copied and expounded the Scriptures. They gave their lives entirely to this one great work for God and his people. They consecrated themselves to this one noble work. The Pharisees were the strictest sect of the Jews. No one exceeded the Pharisee in outward morality, obedience to the law, saying of prayers, tithing, sabbath keeping, Scripture memory, personal righteousness, and public approval. Yet, our Lord declares, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you cannot be saved!” Is the Son of God here telling us that we must do more and be better than the scribes and Pharisees? Is he saying that we must gain a greater measure of personal holiness than those men had? Not at all. In fact, he is saying just the opposite. The Master is telling us that it is utterly impossible for any man to gain favor with God on the basis of his own, personal righteousness. There never has been a child of Adam upon this earth good enough, righteous enough, holy enough to inherit or inhabit the kingdom of heaven, and there never shall be. You and I must get every thought of personal righteousness out of our minds, and the very word “good” out of our vocabulary, when we think or speak of any human being in God’ s sight! We have no righteousness of our own before God, and no ability to produce righteousness. Indeed, “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) before the holy Lord God. If we would be saved, we must have the righteousness of God in Christ imputed and imparted to us. It is this righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees! Do what you may, without the righteousness of God in Christ, you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. And the only way anyone can get that righteousness is by faith in Christ. Only God can give us the righteousness of God. Let me show you five things from the Word of God about this matter of righteousness. God demands perfect righteousness (Leviticus 22:21). He says, “Walk before me and be thou perfect” (Genesis 17:1). He will accept nothing less. Without perfect righteousness no one can ever enter into heaven (Revelation 21:27; Revelation 22:11-14). You and I have no righteousness and no ability to produce righteousness. We used to be righteous; but we lost it in Adam’s fall. We cannot do righteousness (Romans 3:9-19). Even our imaginary righteousness is sin (Isaiah 64:6). The Lord Jesus Christ, by his obedience to God as our Representative and by his sacrificial death as our Substitute, has established and brought in everlasting righteousness for God’s elect (Jeremiah 23:6; Daniel 9:24). In his obedience to God as our Representative he lived the life we could not live. In his sin-atoning death as our Substitute he paid the debt we could not pay, making full satisfaction to divine justice for us. In order to enter that perfect kingdom we must be made perfectly righteous by the righteousness of Christ (Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21). It is Christ himself who is that Holiness we must have, without which no one shall ever see God and live (Hebrews 12:14). The righteousness of Christ is imputed to God’s elect in justification (Romans 4:3-8). Our sin was imputed to Christ at Calvary. Though he never committed sin, he was made to be sin, and became responsible under the law for our sins as our Substitute. In exactly the same way the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to all who trust the Lord Jesus Christ, though we never have performed a righteous deed. Just as the law punished Christ for our sin, which was legally imputed to him, the law of God rewards every believer for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. The righteousness of Christ is imparted to redeemed sinners in regeneration (2 Peter 1:2-4; 1 John 3:4-9). “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). If I am born again by the Spirit of God, I have a new nature created in my soul; a righteous nature is imparted to me, by which I reign as a king over the lusts and passions of my flesh. Yes, God’s people do sin. Sin is mixed with all we do so long as we live in this body of flesh. But sin no longer reigns over us. We are no longer under the dominion of sin (Romans 6:14-16; Galatians 5:22-23). The believer’s life is a life of faith, godliness, and uprightness. The Amen In Matthew 5:18 our Lord Jesus uses the word “amen,” here translated “verily,” for the first time. Our Master’s use of this word is very significant. This is one of his precious names, by which he distinguishes himself as the Christ, our God-man Mediator (Revelation 3:14). Using it as he did throughout his earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus puts his name to that which he declares (Isaiah 65:16). He is declaring that the thing stated is certain, sure, and true, as certain, sure, and true as him who is “the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” Our Lord frequently began his discourses with this word and often repeated it —“Verily, verily, I say unto you.” Yet, no one else in the Scriptures ever used this word as he did, introducing a statement with it, as if to give what he was about to say his own divine oath, attaching his honor as our God-man Mediator to the certainty of what he was about to declare. All the promises of God are “yea and amen” in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20.) Strictly and properly speaking, they are his promises, for he is himself the one great promise of the Bible. Therefore, it is written of God’s elect in Isaiah 65:16, “That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth.” That is to say, “in the Amen.” Whenever we use this sacred name by which our Savior identifies himself, in public worship and in private, let us remember our blessed Savior with faith, love, adoration, and gratitude. No one should say “Amen” in the church ignorantly (1 Corinthians 14:16).

Matthew 5:20

Chapter 11 Six Aspects of Righteousness “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20) The Scribes and the Pharisees were regarded by the ancient Jews as the most devoted, most spiritual, and most holy of all men. Had anyone at that time thought of calling any man “his holiness,” they would have been called “most holy, holiness.” They were men of such high esteem and reputation that the Jews had a saying about them. It went like this, “If be two of all the world were to go to heaven the one would be a scribe and the other a Pharisee.” In so far as outward, religious righteousness was concerned no one excelled these two groups of men. In works of piety they made long public prayers on the corners of streets, so that all could see and hear their devotion. In works of charity they gave alms, blowing the trumpet, so that all would be impressed by their generosity. In works of equity they paid their tithes, counting out ten percent on their gross income. In works of courtesy and hospitality they often held banquets, even for Christ and his disciples (Luke 7). Yet, the Lord Jesus declares that our righteousness must exceed, not match but exceed, the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. If it does not, we cannot be saved. The text clearly teaches us these three things: There will be no admission into heaven without righteousness. A legal, Pharisaical righteousness will never be accepted of God. The only hope any sinner has of being saved is through the righteousness of a divinely appointed and accepted Substitute and Representative. And that Substitute and Representative is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 9:31 to Romans 10:4). — The only way a guilty sinner can be saved and obtain righteousness before God is through faith in Jesus Christ, Jehovah-tsidkenu – The Lord our Righteousness. Righteousness Lost All the sons and daughters of Adam are all sinners. We lost all righteousness before God in the garden. We are all totally depraved. We have all gone astray from the womb speaking lies. We all drink iniquity like water. So thorough and complete is the depravity of man that even our works of righteousness are filthy rags before the holy Lord God; and we are all at our best estate altogether vanity! But these things were not always so. God created man in righteousness and true holiness. We were all created in the image and likeness of God himself. One aspect of that created image of God was an uprightness of nature (Ecclesiastes 7:29). How Adam lived in this state, we do not know. But it appears to have been a relatively short period of time. Then something happened. Our father Adam sinned against God and plunged the entire human race into sin, death, and condemnation (Romans 5:12; Psalms 14:2-3). Because Adam was our divinely appointed representative and federal head, his sin was imputed to us in divine judgment. And his sin nature was imparted to us by natural generation (Psalms 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19). By the sin and fall of our father Adam we all suffered a threefold loss of righteousness. This is a loss that simply cannot be denied. First, when Adam sinned in the garden, he lost his righteous nature, and we did too. Before the fall man was righteous. After the fall, he had no righteousness (Matthew 15:19). We are all, by nature, sinful, guilty, condemned, and lost. Second, Adam lost all legal righteousness, and we did too. Because man is sinful, he cannot approach God. Adam was expelled from the garden and separated from God. Because our sins have separated us from God, we cannot approach him (1 Timothy 6:15-16). Third, once he sinned, fallen man lost all knowledge and understanding of righteousness. As soon as he lost righteousness he went about to establish righteousness for himself, sewing fig leaves together to make himself presentable to the holy Lord God; and man has been doing the same ever since (Romans 9:31 to Romans 10:3). The natural man has absolutely no idea what righteousness is, where it is to be found, or how it can be obtained. But he thinks he does (Luke 16:15). This is the first thing to be established. We have no righteousness, and no ability to produce righteousness. Yet, our Lord said, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” In making that statement our Lord declared that there has never been one son or daughter of Adam on this earth good enough, righteous enough, or holy enough to inherit and inhabit the kingdom of heaven. There is not now and never will be one person in heaven who is there because he was good, righteous, and holy in this world. — “Man at his best estate is altogether vanity.” — “Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God’s sight.” We must get the idea of “righteousness” out of our minds and get the word “righteousness” out of our vocabulary, insofar as any human works are concerned in God’s sight. Our righteousness is filthy rags before the holy Lord God! (Isaiah 64:6; Isaiah 1:16-20). Every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart is only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). Read the Book of God and you will discover that every man in the Book who knew God, who knew the righteous character of God and had been made righteous in Christ, lamented his own utter wickedness. Righteousness Required God is holy. Being perfectly holy, he demands perfect holiness. He requires perfect righteousness. Anything and anyone that is not perfectly holy will be consumed by the fire of his glorious holiness. He declares, “I am Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect” (Genesis 17:1). — “It shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein” (Leviticus 22:21). — “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). There is a holiness to be pursued, without which no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). God demands character holiness. We are required to be holy on the inside, in heart, at the very core of our being. – “The Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). He demands conduct holiness. We must be holy on the outside, in behavior. – “Be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Peter 1:15). In a word, God demands complete holiness. We must be entirely without sin – “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). God demands holiness; but we cannot produce holiness. Not one of us can do one good thing before God. It is written, “There is none that doeth good, no not one” (Romans 3:12). Purity cannot come from our corrupt nature. We cannot even seek the Lord on our own, much less correct our past record, change our present wretchedness (Psalms 51:1-5), or control our future thoughts and deeds (Galatians 3:10). The whole purpose of God’s law is to show us our utter inability to keep it and to convince us of our need of a Substitute (Galatians 3:24). And the first work of God the Holy Spirit in a sinner’s heart is to convince him of sin, of his need of a Substitute. (John 16:9). A man’s definition of righteousness depends entirely upon his understanding of who God is. The problem with this religious generation is that they have never seen the holy, righteous, just character of God almighty. They have never seen the absolute holiness of God. And no one will ever see the holy character of God until he sees what happened at Calvary (Isaiah 6:1-6). How good does a person have to be to get to heaven? He must be as good as God. — “It must be perfect to be accepted.” God cannot and will not accept anything short of perfection. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted upon his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully” (Psalms 24:3-4), and no one else. Yet, it is written, “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.” — “Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them” (Galatians 3:10). Still, the fact that we cannot produce righteousness does not mean that righteousness cannot be produced. God can do it. Man cannot please God; but God can please God. Man cannot produce righteousness; but God can produce righteousness. Righteousness Established. The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to fulfil all righteousness, not for himself, but for us (Matthew 3:15; Matthew 5:17). — “The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable” (Isaiah 42:21). Our Savior did for us exactly what Daniel 9:24 said he would do. He finished the transgression and made an end of sin for us, putting away our sins by the sacrifice of himself. He made reconciliation for iniquity by satisfying the justice of God as our Substitute. And he brought in everlasting righteousness by his obedience to the will of God in all things as our Representative and Federal Head. By his obedience to the will of God as our Representative and Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ brought in an everlasting righteousness of infinite worth and merit for God’s elect (Hebrews 10:5-14). According to the Book of God, it is the life obedience of Christ that constitutes that righteousness, with which we are clothed, that righteousness we are made to become before God. His death washed away our sins, and his life covers us from head to foot. His death was the sacrifice to God, and his life is the gift to man, by which all God’s elect have satisfied the demands of the law. Only in this way is it possible for the law to be honored and our souls accepted by God. Many who appear to be perfectly clear about the merits of Christ’s death, do not seem to understand the merits of his life. Remember, from the moment that our blessed Savior broke his mother’s womb, until the hour that he ascended up on high, he was at work for his people. From the moment that he was seen in Mary’s arms, until the moment that he was in the arms of death, when “he bowed his head and gave up the ghost,” he was performing the work of our salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ completed the work of his obedience in his life, and said to his Father, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4). Then, he finished the work of his atonement in his death. And, knowing that all things were accomplished, he cried, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Throughout his earthly life, the Savior was spinning the fabric of that royal, priestly garment in which we are robed, and in his death he dipped that garment in his blood. In his life he was gathering precious gold, and in his death he hammered it out to make for us a garment of wrought gold. We have as much to be thankful for in the life of Christ as we do in his death.

In his life Christ Jesus rendered perfect obedience to the law as our Substitute. And in his death he satisfied the claims of the law as our Substitute. Therefore, the prophet of God declares of Christ, “This is the name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR ,” and of us, “This is the name whereby she shall be called, the Lord our Righteousness.” That is the message that is set before us in 2 Corinthians 5:21. The Lord Jesus Christ is our only righteousness, and it is our joy to confess that he is. — “Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). Righteousness Imputed The only way a sinner can be made righteous is by the holy Lord God imputing righteousness to him. In justification God imputes the righteousness of Christ to his people in exactly the same way as he imputed the sins of his people to Christ (Romans 5:18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:21). How are sinners made to become the righteousness of God in Christ? I appeal to the Word of God alone for the answer to that question. The opinions of men are totally irrelevant. What does the Book say? Nothing else matters. When Christ was made sin, that was a one time, once and for all act accomplished in the past, a work in which he was personally involved. But when the Holy Spirit speaks of us being “made the righteousness of God in him,” the word he uses for “made” is another word altogether. It is a present tense, passive verb, implying total passiveness on our part, and means “continually cause to become.” He is telling us that those for whom Christ was made sin God continually causes to become the righteousness of God in him without doing a thing. Let me show you how he has done it and is doing it. Eternally — Our great, all-wise, eternally gracious God made us righteous before the world was made, in his sovereign, eternal purpose of grace in Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, (Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:3-6; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; Jude 1:1). If we were blessed of God with all spiritual blessings before the world began and accepted in the Beloved, it was not as unrighteous but as the righteousness of God in Christ. Judicially — We were made to become the righteousness of God judicially, in a legal sense, when the Lord Jesus died as our Substitute under the wrath of God, satisfying divine justice for us. When he had put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, he obtained eternal redemption for us, and we were made to become the righteousness of God in him by divine imputation in justification (Romans 4:25; Romans 5:12; Romans 5:17-21). Experimentally — But this matter of being made the righteousness of God in Christ, while it is something with which we have no involvement, is not just a matter of law, any more than Christ’s being made sin was just a matter of law. It is not something that takes place altogether outside our experience, any more than Christ being made sin was outside his experience. Sinners are made the righteousness of God in Christ experimentally in the new birth, when we are made “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). That holy thing in us that is born of God, that John tells us cannot sin, is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). We experience this blessed thing (being made the righteousness of God) in the inmost depths of our souls, in the constant assurance of our access to, acceptance with, and forgiveness of our sins by our God (1 John 1:7 to 1 John 2:2). We are in Christ, in whom alone God is well pleased. That means he is well pleased with us (Matthew 17:5). Our sacrifices are accepted of God as a sweet-smelling savor in Christ (1 Peter 2:5). Our sins are never imputed to us, but perpetually forgiven because we are one with him who was once made sin for us, in whom we are perpetually made to become the righteousness of God. Absolutely — Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, every sinner who trusts him is made to become the righteousness of God in him absolutely (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:12). Discerning the Lord’s body, that is to say, knowing our need of a Substitute and knowing the Substitute himself, trusting his finished work and trusting him, sinners like you and me are worthy to enter his church, worthy to call upon his name, worthy to receive the Lord’s Table, and worthy to enter into and possess forever his glory! Tobias Crisp wrote… “Mark it well, Christ himself is not so completely righteous, but we are as righteous as he was. Nor are we so completely sinful, but he became (being made sin) as completely sinful as we. Nay more, the righteousness that Christ hath with the Father, we are the same, for we are ‘made the righteousness of God.’ And that very sinfulness that we were, Christ is made before God. So that here is a direct change. — Christ takes our persons and condition, and stands in our stead. We take his person and condition, and stand in his stead. What the Lord beheld Christ to be, that he beholds his members to be. What he beholds them to be in themselves, that he beheld Christ himself to be. So that if you would speak of a sinner, supposing him to be a member of Christ, you must not speak of what he manifests, but of what Christ was. If you would speak of one completely righteous, you must speak and know that Christ himself is not more righteous than he is. And that that person is not more sinful than Christ was when he took his sins on him. So that if you will reckon well, beloved, you must always reckon yourself in another’s person, and that other in yours. And until the Lord find out transgressions of Christ’s own acting, he will never find one to charge upon you.” Everlastingly — We shall be made to become the righteousness of God everlastingly in the last day in resurrection glory. We shall be raised in righteousness. We shall be declared righteous according to the record book of heaven at the Day of Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15; Jeremiah 50:20). We shall be declared righteous to wondering worlds to the glory of our God forever (Ephesians 2:7). Then, we shall forever begin to enjoy, in such experimental reality, as words cannot describe, the blessedness of being made to become the righteousness of God in Christ (Revelation 21:2-5; Revelation 22:1-6). I am lost in wonder. All this, all that Christ has as the God-man my Mediator, we have in him. All that he is, we are in him. All that he enjoys, soon, I shall enjoy forever in him, because… “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Righteousness Imparted In regeneration we are sanctified, made holy, by righteousness being imparted to us by the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:23-24; 2 Peter 1:4; Colossians 1:27; 1 John 3:5-9). Believers are people with two natures (Romans 7:14-24), that holy seed which is born of God and cannot sin (1 John 3:9), and the flesh which is nothing but sin (Romans 7:18). These two natures, the flesh and the spirit, are constantly at war with one another so long as we live in this world. When God saves a sinner, he does not renovate, repair, and renew the old nature. He creates a new nature in his elect. Our old, Adamic, fallen, sinful nature is not changed. The flesh is subdued by the spirit; but it will never surrender to the spirit. The spirit wars against the flesh; but it will never conquer or improve the flesh. The flesh is sinful. The flesh is cursed. Thank God, the flesh must die! But it will never be improved. This dual nature of the believer is plainly taught in the Word of God. It is utterly impossible to honestly interpret this portion of Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, the 7th chapter of Romans, and 1 John 3 without concluding that both Paul and John teach that there is within every believer, so long as he lives in this world, both an old Adamic nature, that can do nothing but sin, and a new righteous nature, that which is born of God, that cannot sin, that can only do righteousness. The Holy Spirit’s work in sanctification is not the improvement of our old nature, but the maturing of the new, steadily causing the believer to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and bring forth fruit unto God. Every believer knows the duality of his nature by painful, bitterly painful experience. Ask any child of God what he desires above all things and he will quickly reply, “That I may live without sin in perfect conformity to Christ, perfectly obeying the will of God in all things.” But that which he most greatly desires is an utter impossibility in this life. Is it not so with you? Though you delight in the law of God after the inward man, there is another law of evil in your members, warring against you. You would do good; but evil is always present with you, so that you cannot do the things that you would. Even your best, noblest, most sincere acts of good, when honestly evaluated, are so marred by sin in motive and in execution that you must confess, “All my righteousnesses are filthy rags!” It is this warfare between the flesh and the spirit more than anything else that keeps the believer from being satisfied with life in this world. Blessed be God, we shall soon be free! When we have dropped this robe of flesh, we shall be perfectly conformed to the image of him who loved us and gave himself for us! This conflict is caused by and begins in regeneration because the righteousness of Christ is imparted to us in the new birth. C. H. Spurgeon said, “The reigning power of sin falls dead the moment a man is converted, but the struggling power of sin does not die until the man dies.” A new nature has been planted within us; but the old nature is not eradicated. Do not think for a moment that the old nature dies in regeneration, or even that it gets better. Flesh is flesh, and will never be anything but flesh. Noah, Lot, Moses, David, and Peter, like all other believers, had to struggle with this fact. We need no proof of the fact that God’s people in this world have two warring natures within beyond an honest examination of our own hearts and lives. Our best thoughts are corrupted with sin. Our most fervent prayers are defiled by lusts of the flesh.

Our reading of Holy Scripture is corrupted by carnal passions. Our most spiritual worship is marred by the blackness within. Our most holy aspirations are vile. Our purest love for our Savior is so corrupted by our love of self and love for this world that we can hardly call our love for Christ love. From time to time we have all found, by bitter experience, the truthfulness of the hymn… “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it! Prone to leave the God I love: Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.” Righteousness Rewarded In the last day, every believer shall enter into heaven and obtain the inheritance of everlasting glory; and that will be righteousness rewarded. Immediately after the resurrection we must all be judged by God, according to the record of our works (Revelation 20:12-13). “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The Judge before whom we must stand is the God-man, whom we have crucified (John 5:22; Acts 17:31; 2 Corinthians 5:10). We will be judged out of the books, according to the record of God’s strict justice. In the Scriptures God is often represented as writing and keeping books. And, according to these books, we all shall be judged. I realize that this is figurative language. God does not need books to remember man’s sins. However, as John Gill wrote, “This judgment out of the books, and according to works, is designed to show with what accuracy and exactness, with what justice and equity, it will be executed, in allusion to statute-books in courts of judicature.” What are the books? – The Book of Divine Omniscience (Malachi 3:5) – The Book of Divine Remembrance (Malachi 3:16) – The Book of Creation (Romans 1:18-20) – The Book of God’s Providence (Romans 2:4-5) – The Book of Conscience (Romans 2:15) – The Book of God’s Holy Law (Romans 2:12) – And the Book of the Gospel (Romans 2:16). But there are some against whom no crimes, no sins, no offenses can be found, not even by the omniscient eye of God himself! “In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve” (Jeremiah 50:20). Their names are found in another book, a book which God himself wrote and sealed before the worlds were made. It is called, “The Book of Life.” In this book there is a record of divine election, the name of Christ our divine Surety, a record of perfect righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6, Cf. Jeremiah 33:16), a record of complete satisfaction, and the promise of eternal life. The question is often raised, “Will God judge his elect for their sins and failures committed after they were saved, and expose them in the Day of Judgment?” The only reason that question is ever raised is because many retain a remnant of the Roman doctrine of purgatory, by which they hope to hold over God’s saints the whip and terror of the law. There is absolutely no sense in which those who trust Christ shall ever be made to pay for their sins! Our sins were imputed to Christ and shall never be imputed to us again (Romans 4:8). Christ paid our debt to God’s law and justice; and God will never require us to pay. God, who has blotted out our transgressions, will never write them again. He who covered our sins will never uncover them! The perfect righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us. On the Day of Judgment, God’s elect are never represented as having done any evil, but only good (Matthew 25:31-40). The Day of Judgment will be a day of glory and bliss for Christ and his people, not a day of mourning and sorrow. It will be a marriage supper. Christ will glory in his Church. God will display the glory of his grace in us. And we will glory in our God. Those who are found perfectly righteous, righteous according to the records of God himself, shall enter into eternal life and inherit everlasting glory with Christ. They that have done good, nothing but good, perfect good, without any spot of sin, wrinkle of iniquity, or trace of transgression, shall enter into everlasting life (Revelation 22:11). Who are these perfectly righteous ones? They are all who are saved by God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Romans 8:1; Romans 8:32-34). Though there shall be degrees of punishment for the wicked in hell, because there are degrees of wickedness, there shall be no degrees of reward and glory among the saints in heaven, because there are no degrees of redemption and righteousness. Heaven was earned and purchased for all God’s elect by Christ. We were predestined to obtain our inheritance from eternity (Ephesians 1:11). Christ has taken possession of heaven’s glory as our forerunner (Hebrews 6:20). We are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17). Our Savior gave all the glory he earned as our Mediator to all his elect (John 17:5; John 17:20). And in Christ every believer is worthy of heaven’s glory (Colossians 1:12). Glorification shall be but the consummation of salvation; and salvation is by grace alone! That means no part of heaven’s bliss and glory is the reward of our works, but all the reward of God’s free grace in Christ! All spiritual blessings are ours from eternity in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Jehovah-tsidkenu Read Jeremiah 23:5-6 and Jeremiah 33:15-16. In both places Jeremiah is describing for us this blessed gospel day in which the Branch of Righteousness has grown up unto David and his seed. That Branch is Christ. And that David is Christ our King. Our David is now seated on his throne in glory, having grown up righteousness, by bringing in everlasting righteousness. He now executes judgment and justice throughout the earth in the salvation of his people by the gospel. That is what the Lord our God declares in these two passages. (Jeremiah 23:5) “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.” (Jeremiah 33:15) “In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.” (Jeremiah 23:6) “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR .” (Jeremiah 33:16) “In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.” That is not a mistranslation. Every word is translated with exact accuracy. This is what the Lord God tells us about the work of Christ in this day of grace in which we live. — Judah, the tribe of God’s choice, shall be saved. — Israel, God’s holy nation, his chosen generation, his royal priesthood, shall dwell safely. — And this is the name whereby that Righteous Branch our King shall be called, Jehovah-tsidkenu, “THE LORD OUR .” — And this is the name wherewith every saved sinner shall be called — Jehovah-tsidkenu! “The Lord Our Righteousness.” Christ is our Righteousness. He is that righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. And, if we trust him, he is ours! Because his righteousness is ours, we shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. He is that Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. If we believe on the Son of God, that Holiness is ours and we shall see the Lord our God face to face in Christ. Then, (O blessed day!) he shall wipe all tears from our eyes!

Matthew 5:21-48

Chapter 12 Seven Vital Lessons “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:21-48 When I say that something is vital, I mean that it is vital. Here are seven things we must learn. We must each personally learn them, or we cannot live before God. These things are vital. In the passage before us we have a picture of Christianity as it ought to be. No child of God can read these verses without painful feelings of inadequacy, unworthiness, and deep conviction. None of us measures up to the standard that is here set before us. In these twenty-eight verses our Lord Jesus Christ shows us that grace experienced in the heart makes people gracious. These verses deserve our closest attention. A proper understanding of the lessons they contain lies at the very root of all true Christianity. God’s Law First, our Lord here teaches us the spirituality of God’s holy law. In Matthew 5:17-18 he declared that he came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it; and fulfill it he did. What a blessed thing it is to know that Christ is both our law-surety, and our law-fulfiller. As such he has become the Lord our Righteousness, and “is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4). Here he explains that his gospel does nothing to lower the standard of God’s law, but only magnifies and honors the law. To the Jews of his day and to the religious of our day the law of God is nothing more than a standard of moral conduct, a regulatory rule of life and behavior. So our Lord selected three of the commandments regarding murder, adultery, and taking God’s name in vain and expounded them to show us that the law requires more than outward conformity. The law of God requires inward, spiritual perfection, perfection in heart, in thought, and in mind, as well as outward perfection. Murder and Faith “Thou shalt not kill” (Matthew 5:21-22) requires more than not committing murder. It forbids all unjustified anger, all malice, ill-will, and cruel, mean-spirited speech. Many who would cringe at the thought of wringing a chicken’s neck are mass murders at heart, for they slay thousands with their angry words. Worse by indescribable measure is unbelief. Unbelief, rebellion, and sin are nothing less than the outworking of man’s heart enmity against God, nothing less than the murder of God himself in the heart of man. The word “Raca” was used by the Jews to imply utter abhorrence and contempt. To say to another, “Raca,” was to call him a graceless wretch. The word “Fool”, as our Lord uses it here, was even worse. The word is sometimes used to refer to someone who lacks understanding (Luke 24:25; 1 Corinthians 15:36; Galatians 3:1; James 2:20). That is not a good thing to say. But, as our Lord uses it here, the word “Fool” implies one who is in a state of reprobation, predestinated to everlasting misery, a child of hell (Matthew 23:33; Jude 1:4).

The Son of God, the great Searcher of hearts, who knows the heart, who knows them that are his and knows all things, did say to some of his day that they were of the generation of vipers, and who could not escape the damnation of hell. But no mere mortal has the right or ability to make such judgment. We ought never to imagine that we know the state of a man’s soul before God, much less declare that we do. God’s Altar “If thou bring thy gift to the altar…first be reconciled to thy brother” (Matthew 5:23-24). — Here our Savior teaches us that grace does what law can never do. Grace actually causes people to love each other. The law requires that we love one another, but it can never produce love. In fact, as the Pharisees attested by their conduct, those who claim to live by the law commonly manifest the judgmental hatred our Lord has just condemned. Those who give up all hopes of law righteousness and trust Christ alone for righteousness are taught by the grace they experience to love one another (Galatians 5:22-23). In this gospel age we have no carnal, material altar. But “we have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle” (Hebrews 13:10). Christ is our Altar. We have no other and will bow before no other. As we bring our gifts and sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to our God by Christ Jesus and recall some offence we have given to a brother, believers (men and women who walk in the Spirit and so fulfil the law of Christ) seek to be reconciled to the one they have offended. There is a true, sweet union in Christ.

All who are in Christ are one with Christ and one with one another. When we come to him in adoration, love, and worship, we come with all our brethren (Hebrews 12:22-24). As Robert Hawker put it, “His members come to him as the Head and bring with us, by faith, the whole body in our arms to the Lord (John 17:21. 1 Corinthians 12:25-27).” Still, I think the context points our thoughts in another, higher, more profitable direction. Our Savior is, in this entire chapter, showing us the demands of God’s holy law and our complete inability to meet those demands. Is he not here telling us that we cannot come to God except upon that one Altar he has made (Exodus 20:24-26; Exodus 25:22), which is Christ? The Brother we have offended above all others is God our Savior. He is that Brother with whom we have been angry without a cause. Unbelief is despising him, saying to him “Raca,” “thou fool” (1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 1 John 5:10).

There is no coming to God until we are reconciled to him in and by Christ, reconciled to Christ as our only God and Savior, our only atonement for sin, our only righteousness, and our only redemption. Once we are reconciled to Christ our Brother, once we trust him alone for acceptance with God, we may and can and do come to God upon the merits of Christ, and he accepts us, and our gifts, by the merits of his dear Son (1 Peter 2:5). “Agree with thine adversary quickly” (Matthew 5:25-26). — “These are sweet verses,” writes Hawker, “if referred to that lawsuit we all have, by reason of sin and transgression, with God.” Yes, our adversary, the devil, seeks to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8); and many are in league with him as adversaries to our souls. It is good to try to quiet them and live peaceably, as much as is possible, with such men (Romans 12:18). But it is utterly impossible for us to agree with such adversaries or persuade them to agree with us. Our Lord must, therefore, be speaking of something else and of someone else. An adversary is not always one who is intent upon hurting or ruining us. In Exodus 23:22 the Lord our God declares, “I will be an adversary to thine adversaries.” In Lamentations 2:4 he is represented as an adversary to us in the day of our sorrow. As an adversary, the Lord God has a controversy and a lawsuit with his people by reason of sin. Here our blessed Savior and Advocate, the Lord Jesus, tells us to make up the breach quickly while we are in the way. That is to say, “Be reconciled to God quickly by Christ, who is himself the Way, the only way of reconciliation.” Christ is our peace. It is written, “This man shall be the peace” (Micah 5:5). — “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). — “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

But to those who live and die in enmity against God, Christ will soon come as the Judge. Into his hands the ungodly shall be delivered (John 5:22). Christ the great Judge shall send his angels to execute his wrath against his enemies (Matthew 13:41-42). And the prison into which they shall be cast forever is the place of everlasting darkness, torment, and separation from God called “Hell” and “the lake of fire” (2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 20:15). Adultery and Faith “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Matthew 5:27-33) requires much more than marital fidelity. Adultery and fornication are horrible crimes against God and against man. One of the saddest indications of God’s judgment upon our society is the freedom of conscience, with which men and women commit licentious deeds of immorality. These are abominable evils that ought never be named among God’s saints. But the God with whom we have to do looks beyond actions to thoughts, attitudes, and looks! Multitudes who march in protest against pornography run a constant porno shop in their own evil minds. Yet, should I ask, “Who is not guilty?” No one could, with honesty, claim innocence, neither the reader nor the writer of these lines. The law of God looks beyond words and deeds. It looks to the depths of our hearts, and requires perfection there, in the inward parts, in the very core of our being. All the actions of the body are but the outworkings of the heart. It matters not whether our continually evil imagination break out in actual deeds. Before God’s holy, piercing eyes, the imagination is the deed and renders us guilty before his holy law. In other words, every human being is by nature “guilty before God” (Romans 3:19).

The silliest thing on earth is the notion of fallen men that exemption from certain acts of evil constitutes righteousness before God. All are not alike evil in their deeds. God providentially restrains many, as he did Abimelech (Genesis 20:6), from performing much of the evil that is in their hearts. But at heart, in the core and essence of our being, all are alike, sinful before God. The debased harlot and the devoted housewife, the murderer and the minister, the obedient child and the rebel are all alike at heart. — “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12). In the law God gave to Israel provision was made for a man to divorce his wife in specific circumstances (Deuteronomy 24). The Lord Jesus tells us that this provision was made because of the hardness of man’s heart, but from the beginning it was not so (Mark 10:5-7). We who believe are married to Christ and he to us. Painful as it is to acknowledge, we are constantly an adulterous, fornicating wife, ever sinning against our utterly devoted Husband. Yet, such is his love for and devotion to us that he will never put us away, but ever calls for us to return to him; and graciously forces us to do so (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:1; Hosea 2:19-20). How we ought to love, adore, and praise him, “for he hateth putting away” (Malachi 2:14-16); and he will never allow us to leave him (Hosea 2:7; Jeremiah 32:38-40). May he give us grace to willingly part with that which we consider dearest and most needful to us (even the right eye and right hand), by which we are tempted to abandon him. God’s Name and Faith “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord Thy God in vain” (Matthew 5:33-37) requires much more than not using God’s name in an oath. It forbids all vain, light thoughts and words about God and his work. It compels simple honestly. Honest men do not have to take an oath before people who know them. Our Lord is not here forbidding us to take a lawful oath, as one might be required to do in a court of law. He is forbidding the rash use of God’s name in common speech, which reveals a lack of reverence for and contempt of God. Believers reverence God upon his throne and, reverencing him as God, walk before him and their fellow mortals upon the earth in honesty. If I believe God, I have no reason to be dishonest before men; and if I am honest before God, I am honest before men. As John Gill stated, “A righteous man’s yea, is yea, and his no, is no; his word is sufficient.” The common use of an oath to reinforce a simple “yes” or “no” “cometh of evil.” Such oaths arise from an evil and dishonest heart. Law is Spiritual The second thing taught by our Savior in this passage is the fact that the law of God is spiritual. — “The law is spiritual” (Romans 7:14). — “The Lord looketh upon the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). He requires “truth in the inward parts” (Psalms 51:6). God did not punish Adam for eating an apple, but for the rebellion and treason of his heart. Sin is not an outward problem, but an inward problem, a heart problem. Man’s Ignorance Third, our Lord’s words in this portion of Holy Scripture demonstrate the complete ignorance of man regarding spiritual things (2 Corinthians 2:11-14). The natural man, no matter how devotedly religious, is completely ignorant of God’s character, his own character, and the requirements of God’s holy law. Most professing Christians, I fear, know no more about God’s law and true holiness than the spiritually ignorant Scribes and Pharisees of our Lord’s day. They know the letter of the law, and try to live by it. Because they are not outwardly immoral, they presume, like the rich young ruler, that they have kept God’s law (Matthew 19:20), and see nothing terribly obnoxious and sinful about themselves. That is the reason for man’s natural pride, self-righteousness, and easy contentment with an outward form of godliness. That person who knows the proper place of the law and the glory of God’s free grace, the person who can rest in Christ alone for all that the law requires and all that justice demands, knows the gospel. But that person who mixes law and grace, in any measure whatsoever, as a matter of acceptance before God has not yet learned the gospel. There are no two things in the world more completely opposed to one another than law and grace. They are as opposite as light and darkness. They can no more agree than fire and water. Like oil and water, law and grace simply will not mix. The Scriptures are explicitly clear (Romans 11:5-6). Yet, there is an amazingly well-established opinion in the distorted minds of men that law and grace will mix! Though law and grace are diametrically opposed to one another, the depraved human mind is so void of spiritual understanding and so thoroughly turned away from God that the most difficult thing for man to do is to discriminate between law and grace. Man insists on mixing that which God has positively put asunder. Because of his foolish ignorance, man wants to find some legal standing before God. This is the thing which Paul opposes throughout all of his epistles. He expends every effort to destroy every remnant of legalism among God’s people. “Ye are not under the law, but under grace…We are not under the law, but under grace?…Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God…For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit…For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 6:14-15; Romans 7:4; Romans 8:3-4; Romans 10:4). — “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:24-25). — “But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient “ (1 Timothy 1:8-9). Do those assertions mean that Paul was opposed to the law; or that he thought the law was an evil thing? Certainly not. In his seventh chapter of Romans the apostle shows us the believer’s attitude toward God’s holy law. The true believer recognizes the purpose of the law, delights in the law, and reverences the law. It is his desire to live in perfect compliance with the law. And recognizing the law’s perfection, he refuses to seek acceptance with God on the basis of legal obedience. The only way sinners can honor, fulfil, and establish the law is by faith in Christ (Romans 3:31). A Needed Savior Fourth, our Savior’s object in these verses is to teach us the absolute necessity of a divine, sin-atoning Savior. God requires perfect righteousness, a righteousness we can never produce (Matthew 5:20). He requires complete satisfaction for sin, a satisfaction we can never give. But, blessed be his name, all that God requires, God provides in the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). God requires eye for eye and tooth for tooth (Matthew 5:38-42). And his righteous and just requirements have been perfectly met in Christ as our Surety, who, having fulfilled all the law’s requirements for us, died under the penalty of the law, suffering all the fury of God’s holy wrath to the full satisfaction of justice, when he was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Thus, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Romans 10:4). Constant Watchfulness We know that we can never meet God’s demands. We trust Christ alone as our Savior (1 Corinthians 1:30). But that does not make us indifferent to sin. The fifth thing our Lord teaches us throughout this passage is the importance of constant watchfulness and diligence over our lives (Ephesians 4:17-32). It is your responsibility and mine to put on Christ Jesus and be renewed in the inward man day by day, to make no provision for the flesh, and walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their minds. Let men call us straight-laced, puritanical, and peculiar if they please; but if we want to walk with God and glorify Christ, we must labor to crucify the flesh and mortify our members. We must walk in the Spirit, ever looking to Christ alone for righteousness and acceptance with our God, so that we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Grace and Love Sixth, in Matthew 5:38-47 the Lord Jesus teaches us the blessedness of grace and love. J.C. Ryle wrote, “He that would know how he ought to feel and act towards his fellow-man, should often study these verses.” We must always be ready to make up quarrels and disagreements. Our Savior forbids everything like retaliation, revenge, malice, and an unforgiving spirit (Matthew 5:38-42). Our God and Savior shows us that we who claim to be his disciples are to practice indiscriminate, universal love toward our brethren (Matthew 5:43-47). We are to put away malice.

When cursed, we are to bless. When we receive evil, we are to return good. We are not to love in word only, but in deed. We are to deny ourselves and take the trouble to be kind and courteous. We are to put up with much and bear much, rather than hurt another, or give offence. Unfailing courtesy, kindness, tenderness, and thoughtful consideration of others are things that all men can understand, even if they cannot understand our doctrine.

Rudeness, roughness, bluntness, and incivility are not spiritual graces, but reflect the absence of spiritual grace. (Ephesians 4:32 to Ephesians 5:1). Our Lord uses two very weighty arguments to enforce these principles of grace and love. First, it is the character of God to be merciful and kind (Matthew 5:45). If God is my Father, I will reflect his character. Second, it is the character of worldlings to be selfish, self-serving, and self-centered. ¾ If that is my character, I am yet of the world! (Matthew 5:46-47). In a word, our Lord tells us to walk in love, to love our neighbor as ourselves, even to love our enemies. That is what the law requires and what grace teaches. And that which he requires he has done, and done for us. And that which he has done for us as our Surety and Substitute, we have done in him perfectly. None but Christ ever truly loved his neighbor as himself. None but Christ ever loved his enemies, or could love his enemies (Romans 5:5-8). Try as we may, want to as we may, we simply cannot love our neighbor as ourselves and love our enemies. Thanks be unto our God, we have a Substitute who has fulfilled the law for us, in and by whom we fulfill the law. Perfection Demanded The seventh lesson in the passage is one that needs to be constantly brought before our minds. — God demands perfection. — “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Throughout this chapter our Lord has been teaching us that God demands perfection. In this last verse he states it plainly. By all means, let us ever strive to live in perfection, in perfect holiness and obedience to the will of God and for the glory of God. We cannot settle for less than absolute perfection. We cannot attain it here. But we must strive to attain it. Let us ever seek total commitment to Christ, total conformity to Christ, and total communion with Christ. But we must never imagine that we can attain perfection in this world, or ever make the slightest progress toward doing so. There is no such thing as partial holiness, partial righteousness, or partial perfection. “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” If we would be perfect, we must trust Christ. There is no perfection in this world except that which he is and he gives. Men may call sincerity perfection, improved behavior righteousness, and religious devotion holiness, but God never will. — “That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:5). Yet, as the members of the body possess all that belongs to the head, so the members of Christ’s body are perfect in him. And when our Savior says, “Be ye perfect,” his meaning is, “Be ye perfect in me.” And all who know him gladly acknowledge, “In the Lord have I righteousness” (Isaiah 45:24). We glory in him “who of God is made unto us Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30), rejoicing in the perfection that is ours in him (Colossians 1:28), and anxiously looking for that day when he shall present us “faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24).