#9 Top New Testament Passages: Sin in the Heart (Matthew 5:17-48)
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:17-48)
Jesus follows his opening to the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, with the new morality of the people of the new covenant in Christ. He states for that his disciples must practice a righteousness greater than that of the scribes, who know the scriptures intimately for they copy the scriptures by hand, or the Pharisees, the strictest sect in the Jewish faith at the time. That's like saying you must behave better than a Bible scholar or an on ordained minister. Nowadays we have witnessed plenty of sad examples of poor behavior, both from our religious leadership and on college campuses. So maybe behaving better is not much of a stretch.
The point, perhaps, is not to compare ourselves to the righteousness of others, even religious leaders and so called experts, but rather the righteousness of God. How often do we hear someone say, "I'm not a bad person. I as good as the next person." When we such things we are basically saying we consider ourselves good, or righteous, compared to criminals. If we aren't criminal, or we haven't been caught breaking a law, then we are good.
A man once approached Jesus and asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to gain eternal life?" Here's what Jesus said.
“Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." (Mark 10:18)
No one is good, except God alone. Even Jesus, fully human and fully God, heavenly Father. We can argue the finer points of the divinity and sinless nature of Christ, but Jesus experienced sinful temptations, just like you and me. The writer of Hebrews makes the point.
For we do not have a high priest (that is Christ Jesus) who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15, NIV)
Jesus would go on to tell the man to follow the law, which the man said he did. Jesus then told he he lacked one thing. He told him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor, then follow Jesus. The man could not make such a bold choice and walked away saddened. Jesus had made his point. Wealth had become the man's security, not his faith in God to provide. Wealth had become his idol that he had placed ahead of God in his heart. We all struggle with that same. We exchange our trust in the creator for created things.
If we are to live by the high call of Christ, we will have to learn to let go of false security and comforts for the eternal promise of life with God. The battle for our allegiance is in the heart.
This section of the Sermon on the Mount illustrates powerfully for us how sin operates. Sinful action begins as sinful thought. If you curse someone with anger under your breath, something I do with regularity on my drive to and from work (Lord, have mercy!), then you have already committed murder in the heart. When I call a person a derogatory name because of their poor driving, I am not wishing them well. I am reducing them to an object of derision in my heart. It's a small thing, but small things become habits of mind and later find expression in my behavior. I cut people off in traffic and do the very things I may curse others for doing. I'm no better than they are.
Jesus said if you look at another with lust, you have already committed adultery in your heart. With a multi-billion dollar pornography industry in their country, they is a lot of marital unfaithfulness occurring in our hearts. Such unhealthy and sinful habits on the heart will eventually disturb the intimacy and sanctity of marriage.
Jesus continues with illustrations about divorce, revenge and our enemies. Recently I had a conversation with someone who had no problems with reports of torture by our government at a prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He felt it was right for our government to do whatever it takes to stop another terrorist attack like 9/11. The end justifies the means, some of us believe. That may be the wisdom of this age, but it is not the righteousness for which Christians are called to reach. Instead Jesus calls us to love our enemies, acknowledging that God is merciful and does good to the wicked and the righteous. If someone steals from you, then give to them without complaint. They must be in a bad way. Trust God to provide for your needs. Keep the peace. Be generous.
This kind of righteousness seems ridiculous to our minds. And yet it's this kind of loving, faith-filled behavior that will change the world! If you are struck by another, do not add to the violence, turn away, let it go, and trust God to bring justice in the proper time. Instead love your enemies and pray fro those who persecute you and oppress you. That is so not who I would likely be when I am attacked. I immediately want to fight back or get even. Violence only begets more violence. Violence only causes more pain and brokenness. Love heals. Forbearance carries the day toward peace.
G.K. Chesterton once said, "There's nothing wrong with Christianity, except that no one has ever really tried it." The Sermon on the Mount stands as a witness to us as to just how difficult this life in Christ will be. We cannot do it on our own resources. We will fail as our earthly wisdom crowds out the pure commandments of Jesus. We will fail even with our best efforts, as our human weaknesses, our emotional reactions, get the best of us. And perhaps that is the wisdom of Jesus' preaching. We need God's help, if we will live according to the righteousness of God.
The New Testament reveals that the religious law of God, given to Israel through Moses, serves to make us aware of God's righteousness, and our sinfulness. We become aware of sin at work in our hearts.
If it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. (Romans 7:7-8)
But God has acted to save us from sin in our hearts by placing in us the greater power of grace. Grace is that transforming power, the love of God, actively working in us to give us Christ's victory over sin, fear, doubt, anger, despair and all self-defeating inner struggles. Grace is the Holy Spirit giving to us the power of Jesus Christ to overcome. It sounds like perfectionism, but it's not. It is faith in the God who is perfect, who pours His perfection into us. The more we learn to let go of our control and lean upon the Lord's strength, the more we will approach the righteousness of Jesus.
For our sake he (God) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2nd Corinthians 5:21)
That we might become the righteousness of God! It's a process which God will bring to completion in us! (Philippians 1:6) It is our destiny to be confirmed to the image of God's Son (Romans 8:29) and it is God who will do it. (Philippians 2:12-13)
Jesus ends this section of his sermon by urging us to be perfect and our father in heaven is perfect. That sounds impossible, until you admit to yourself that with God all things are possible.
May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. (1st Thessalonians 5:23-25)
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:17-48)
Jesus follows his opening to the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, with the new morality of the people of the new covenant in Christ. He states for that his disciples must practice a righteousness greater than that of the scribes, who know the scriptures intimately for they copy the scriptures by hand, or the Pharisees, the strictest sect in the Jewish faith at the time. That's like saying you must behave better than a Bible scholar or an on ordained minister. Nowadays we have witnessed plenty of sad examples of poor behavior, both from our religious leadership and on college campuses. So maybe behaving better is not much of a stretch.
The point, perhaps, is not to compare ourselves to the righteousness of others, even religious leaders and so called experts, but rather the righteousness of God. How often do we hear someone say, "I'm not a bad person. I as good as the next person." When we such things we are basically saying we consider ourselves good, or righteous, compared to criminals. If we aren't criminal, or we haven't been caught breaking a law, then we are good.
A man once approached Jesus and asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to gain eternal life?" Here's what Jesus said.
“Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." (Mark 10:18)
No one is good, except God alone. Even Jesus, fully human and fully God, heavenly Father. We can argue the finer points of the divinity and sinless nature of Christ, but Jesus experienced sinful temptations, just like you and me. The writer of Hebrews makes the point.
For we do not have a high priest (that is Christ Jesus) who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15, NIV)
Jesus would go on to tell the man to follow the law, which the man said he did. Jesus then told he he lacked one thing. He told him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor, then follow Jesus. The man could not make such a bold choice and walked away saddened. Jesus had made his point. Wealth had become the man's security, not his faith in God to provide. Wealth had become his idol that he had placed ahead of God in his heart. We all struggle with that same. We exchange our trust in the creator for created things.
If we are to live by the high call of Christ, we will have to learn to let go of false security and comforts for the eternal promise of life with God. The battle for our allegiance is in the heart.
This section of the Sermon on the Mount illustrates powerfully for us how sin operates. Sinful action begins as sinful thought. If you curse someone with anger under your breath, something I do with regularity on my drive to and from work (Lord, have mercy!), then you have already committed murder in the heart. When I call a person a derogatory name because of their poor driving, I am not wishing them well. I am reducing them to an object of derision in my heart. It's a small thing, but small things become habits of mind and later find expression in my behavior. I cut people off in traffic and do the very things I may curse others for doing. I'm no better than they are.
Jesus said if you look at another with lust, you have already committed adultery in your heart. With a multi-billion dollar pornography industry in their country, they is a lot of marital unfaithfulness occurring in our hearts. Such unhealthy and sinful habits on the heart will eventually disturb the intimacy and sanctity of marriage.
Jesus continues with illustrations about divorce, revenge and our enemies. Recently I had a conversation with someone who had no problems with reports of torture by our government at a prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He felt it was right for our government to do whatever it takes to stop another terrorist attack like 9/11. The end justifies the means, some of us believe. That may be the wisdom of this age, but it is not the righteousness for which Christians are called to reach. Instead Jesus calls us to love our enemies, acknowledging that God is merciful and does good to the wicked and the righteous. If someone steals from you, then give to them without complaint. They must be in a bad way. Trust God to provide for your needs. Keep the peace. Be generous.
This kind of righteousness seems ridiculous to our minds. And yet it's this kind of loving, faith-filled behavior that will change the world! If you are struck by another, do not add to the violence, turn away, let it go, and trust God to bring justice in the proper time. Instead love your enemies and pray fro those who persecute you and oppress you. That is so not who I would likely be when I am attacked. I immediately want to fight back or get even. Violence only begets more violence. Violence only causes more pain and brokenness. Love heals. Forbearance carries the day toward peace.
G.K. Chesterton once said, "There's nothing wrong with Christianity, except that no one has ever really tried it." The Sermon on the Mount stands as a witness to us as to just how difficult this life in Christ will be. We cannot do it on our own resources. We will fail as our earthly wisdom crowds out the pure commandments of Jesus. We will fail even with our best efforts, as our human weaknesses, our emotional reactions, get the best of us. And perhaps that is the wisdom of Jesus' preaching. We need God's help, if we will live according to the righteousness of God.
The New Testament reveals that the religious law of God, given to Israel through Moses, serves to make us aware of God's righteousness, and our sinfulness. We become aware of sin at work in our hearts.
If it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. (Romans 7:7-8)
But God has acted to save us from sin in our hearts by placing in us the greater power of grace. Grace is that transforming power, the love of God, actively working in us to give us Christ's victory over sin, fear, doubt, anger, despair and all self-defeating inner struggles. Grace is the Holy Spirit giving to us the power of Jesus Christ to overcome. It sounds like perfectionism, but it's not. It is faith in the God who is perfect, who pours His perfection into us. The more we learn to let go of our control and lean upon the Lord's strength, the more we will approach the righteousness of Jesus.
For our sake he (God) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2nd Corinthians 5:21)
That we might become the righteousness of God! It's a process which God will bring to completion in us! (Philippians 1:6) It is our destiny to be confirmed to the image of God's Son (Romans 8:29) and it is God who will do it. (Philippians 2:12-13)
Jesus ends this section of his sermon by urging us to be perfect and our father in heaven is perfect. That sounds impossible, until you admit to yourself that with God all things are possible.
May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. (1st Thessalonians 5:23-25)
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