Things I Think…
1. Think with me for a moment…about what it means to have a “biblical worldview”.
Many biblical scholars believe and teach that the Sermon On The Mount is the substance of the New Covenant.
It is the New Testament equivalent of Moses receiving the Law and laying out God’s covenant with Israel.
It is the clearest description of what it means to be a Christian and how a Christian should think and live, straight from the mouth of the Christ.
Therefore, it is the single most important section of all the Scripture and the section that must be embraced above any other.
2. I understand that dispensationalists do not believe that the sermon is applicable to believers today, which is just another thing dispensationalists are wrong about…and it’s a grave error indeed…
3. If the view I’m presenting is true, then everything I think and do must be formed and informed by these three chapters in Matthew…and anything I think and do that does not conform to the teachings of Jesus must be counted as sin and repented of…
4. I was never taught anything concerning this in the evangelical environment I grew through…and I suspect that the reason why is due to a frantic desire to separate law from gospel…to avoid anything that might smack of “works righteousness”…even if it comes straight from the Savior Himself…
5. If you desire to be a “biblical” Christian… works matter. One of the functions of Jesus’s words in general and the SOTM in particular, is to separate the sheep from the goats…the sheep hear and obey and the goats find reasons why the text doesn’t apply to them…When Jesus tells the goats to depart from Him in Matt 25, it is on the basis of what they did…or didn’t…do.
6. There is no exception clause for political activity…the words of Jesus must inform and inform how we participate and speak politically as much as they apply in the home…
7. I am painfully aware of the difficulties involved in obeying Jesus and know that I can only hope to do so by His transforming me by His grace and mercy…but the first step in transformation is repentance…agreeing with Jesus that His words are true and His ways are righteous…and mine are not…
8. If you really wanted to plant the seeds of godliness in the public square you would want the Beatitudes posted alongside the Ten Commandments…
9. I am also persuaded that transformation is not meant to be only personal, but corporate…transformation is meant to occur within the family…the church…which is another reason to fight for the purity and holiness of the church…
10. Our transformation isn’t simply from “lost” to “found”, but from a deformed humanity to being truly human…”do you want to be healed”?
wait wait wait, hold up…. dispensationalists don’t think the Sermon on the Mount is for today? I have never heard that. Is this an interpretation of actions by a group or is it an actual thing that is taught?
Michael,
As you may know, Saint Augustine considered the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer to be the heart of Christian doctrine and the ultimate guide for Christian conduct. You’re in good company…
I came to faith in a dispensationalist church and Matthew 4, 5, and 6 were held up as the standard of Christian living. The church I am now is mildly dispensationalist, and our pastor did a great series on the SOTM contextualized to ancient Israel and to today. In my opinion, if a Christian’s behavior doesn’t fall in line with the precepts of the Sermon, they need some help.
Joel,
Standard dispy teaching is that the SOTM is not for the “church age” but for the millennial kingdom.
We’ve had numerous CC pastors make that case here…
Duane,
I try to hang out with guys that make me look better than I am… 🙂
“In my opinion, if a Christian’s behavior doesn’t fall in line with the precepts of the Sermon, they need some help.”
Truth…
I agree with number 9…but I get frustrated with so much of the personal “Jesus and me” mentality…if that’s all the faith is about, you won’t see any or little focus on corporate transformation…wish I had any answers.
bob1,
I’m glad you picked up on that…we need to make a change in how the culture views the necessity of church…
I once shared a message where I referenced the great commission of Matthew 28. (I think I was going through Jonah). Anyway, after the service, a ultra-dispy guy came up to me at questioned whether the great commission was for the church because it was in the gospels. My response was something like, “Somebody better tell all the mission agencies they’re misusing scripture!” What a joke.
The substance of the New Covenant is explicitly introduced and stated in Matthew 26:26-28.
I’ve read that some believe Jesus’ teachings were for the Jews only and Paul’s teachings were for the church. Can you imagine that as your framework for reading the New Testament?
It seems very shortsighted to think that even though Jesus hadn’t yet birthed his church, he would be speaking into the church.
Terry,
I’ve worked with hyper-dispensationalists …they actually have a couple of churches here.
There were even some of Pauls writings they excluded because they were “rightly “dividing” the word of Truth”.
They also were into coffee enemas…not sure of the connection…
PH,
They are as fervent as any cult…
Jean,
That’s a bit minimalist…
Michael
I did not see “coffee enemas” coming at all. lol.
KJV only group?
Jerod,
KJV and only the writings of Paul…with coffee, I guess…
Trying to rub my eyes and see clearly, as I am waking up spiritually, and for the past couple weeks, I have been forming a definition of my own faith. “The SOTM” has to be the focal point. I consider it a confirmation from God reading this. Thank you.
The coffee enema is a part of Gerson Therapy for cancer and other ailments. It is an alternative and discredited treatment. Steve McQueen pursued a treatment developed by Dr. William Donald Kelley, which was a variation of the Gerson therapy. The treatment obviously did not work.
Reuben,
I’m just happy to be part of your process…if you need anything, holler…