What did Jesus say about you and I? What did HE say about mankind?
In coming to earth as the Savior, Jesus declared to us the mercy and grace of GOD. But it was not ‘cheap’ grace. In other words, it was not only one side of the story, or a half-truth. Mercy and grace don’t mean anything unless we understand what we deserve. Jesus made it clear that in our human nature we are sinful at heart, we commit sin constantly (by action or omission), and we are under GOD’s judgment.
Most people have a relative view of sin; that is, we compare ourselves to other people. Everyone believes in right and wrong, but we all draw the line so that our actions are counted as ‘right’, and things we don’t like are counted as ‘wrong’. That way, we can easily find someone else who is ‘worse than us’ according to our standard. In our mind, those people become the “sinners” and we become “righteous”. But that is self-righteousness. It is a false righteousness, and the same kind practiced over 2000 years ago by the Pharisees and the people who followed them. This behavior alone makes us guilty of the sins of pride and vanity! During a well known public address called the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus actually said, “except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven”. [18]
If we are guilty of judging ourselves by a relative standard, we must throw it out. But then how should we evaluate our lives and our behavior? What is the standard? Jesus said, “I am not come to destroy [the law], but to fulfill”. [19] The first thing we must understand about this is that the moral law of GOD is still in effect; Jesus did not cancel it! And secondly, we must understand that it is GOD’s law, not ours. Our opinion, preference, or lifestyle does not determine the standard, and we do not have the right to change the standard. All we can do is compare ourselves to GOD’s law. That is the standard.
For the remainder of the Sermon On The Mount, Jesus goes on to elaborate on the so-called righteousness of the pharisees. [20] HE calls out the foolish ‘lines’ they had drawn around themselves by contrasting them with HIS full and perfect interpretation of GOD’s law. [19] Here are two examples:
Jesus said,
- “whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment, and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” ~ Matthew 5:22
- “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” ~ Matthew 5:28
To be “angry without cause” or to say “Thou fool” refers to hatred or malicious thoughts about our neighbour. Jesus makes this statement in contrast to the position of the Pharisees regarding the law against murder. [21] They had asserted that these evil thoughts or words were not sin because no actual murder had been committed. [22] But Jesus fully and properly interprets the intention of GOD’s law: that we should love our neighbour and not hate them! In this way, Jesus applies the law of GOD not only to our outward words and actions, but to the thoughts and intentions of our heart! As the Bible says, “whoever hates his brother is a murderer”! [23] This shows us how far we are from being righteous. If we are angry with our brother, or hate him in our heart, it is the same as murder in GOD’s eyes.
In a similar way, the Pharisees had said lustful looks or thoughts were not a sin because no actual adultery had been committed. [22] Jesus destroyed their foolish interpretation by saying you “committed adultery already in your heart”! If we look with lust, or have evil and impure thoughts about another person, it is like adultery or fornication in GOD’s eyes.
If we consider just these two indictments, we are forced to admit that our hearts, our thoughts and desires, are literally a fountain of evil and sin against GOD. As Jesus said, “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man”! [24] Jesus tells us directly here that the problem is not only that we do these sins, but that we do them because of our sinful nature. In GOD’s eyes we are a people who are sinful on the inside, and who act out our sinful thoughts and desires on the outside. This leaves us guilty before GOD, and subject to HIS judgment.
Jesus said,
- “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” ~ John 12:48
- “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” ~ Matthew 12:36 KJV
- “for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known” ~ Matthew 10:26b KJV
- “the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear [my] voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” ~ John 5:28b-29
Jesus warned us very clearly about the Day of Judgment. The “word that I have spoken” includes what Jesus said while on earth, but also all of GOD’s law - the Bible. Remember that Jesus himself is the “Word of GOD” and the “Word become flesh”. [25] Jesus is GOD, and HE told us, “he that hath seen me hath seen the father”. [26] So all of the law of GOD in the Bible is the word that Jesus has spoken, and HE said this is what we will be judged by!
Many people think that there will be judgment for the so-called ‘really bad sins’, but not for the little, common things - because everyone does them. But again, this is drawing those ‘lines’ around ourselves and deceiving ourselves that we will not be judged. Jesus made unavoidably sharp statements when he said “there is nothing hidden that shall not be known”, and that we will be judged for “for every idle word we speak”! The word ‘idle’ means anything not constructive. Can you imagine if every selfish or mean thing we ever said were actually brought as evidence against us at our judgment! Every hurtful word, every piece of gossip, every lie … every idle word!
Finally, Jesus affirmed that this ‘hour’, this ‘day of Judgment’ is coming; it cannot be avoided. The Bible says it is appointed for man to die once, and then be judged. [27] Jesus explained this when HE told us of the resurrection: after our physical death we do not cease to exist. We will stand before GOD to be judged. For those who die in their sins, apart from Jesus, it will be a “resurrection to damnation”. But, the good news is that for all who repent and put their faith in Christ Jesus, it will be a “resurrection unto life”!
In our pride, we do not want to hear that we are guilty. Even Jesus said, “[the world] hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil”. [28] But our reaction cannot change the fact; GOD is a righteous judge and HE will judge us! [29] HE will judge everything we have ever done, said and even thought [30], and HE will judge it to the full extent of HIS law.
There remains only one hope.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
References
[18] Matthew 5:20
[19] Matthew 5:17
[20] Sermon On The Mount “ye have heard” statements:
- Matthew 5:21-26 (murder is like anger)
- Matthew 5:27-32 (lust is like adultery and divorce)
- Matthew 5:33-37 (deceit via legal maneuvering is lying); see also Matthew 23:16-22
- Matthew 5:38-42 (vengeance without mercy is unloving; legal satisfaction without compassion is greed)
- Matthew 5:43-48 (conditional love is shallow, and hatred is evil)
[21] Matthew 5:21 [22] John Gill, “Exposition of the Bible”, 1746-1766, 1816; see comment on Matthew 5:21, 5:27
[23] 1 John 3:15
[24] Matthew 15:19-20a
[25] John 1:1-3, 1:14
[26] John 14:9
[27] Hebrews 9:27
[28] John 7:7
[29] Genesis 18:25, Psalm 96:13, Acts 17:31
[30] Jeremiah 17:10, Ecclesiastes 12:14, Romans 2:16, Hebrews 4:12,
