Matthew / 5

  • Salt and Light

    Matthew 5:13–16

    Christ’s call for us to be salt and light is not an impossible one. In keeping with New Testament ethics, Jesus first tells us what we are and then calls us to live up to that standard. In Him ...Read More

  • The Ethics of Jesus

    Matthew 5:21–26

    While Jesus reveals the thoroughness that is required for true obedience to God’s law, He does not say anger and homicide are equally deserving of capital punishment. While both can cut us off from God, murder carries with it ...Read More

  • The Fulfillment of the Law

    Matthew 5:17–20

    The distinction between the civil, ceremonial, and moral laws of the Mosaic code is not so clear on the pages of Scripture. Nevertheless, the distinction is a helpful tool for applying this law to our lives today. We study the ...Read More

  • The Full Meaning of Moses

    Matthew 5:21–26

    Matthew Henry writes that the Pharisees made the fundamental error in thinking that “the divine law prohibited only the sinful act, not the sinful thought.” The unseen sins of the mind and heart are the easiest for us to justify ...Read More

  • The Poor in Spirit

    Matthew 5:1–3

    God’s presence is felt most strongly in the kingdom of heaven, which was inaugurated in Christ’s ministry and will be consummated at His return. Entry into this kingdom and, ultimately, seeing God’s beauty face to face comes ...Read More

  • The Poor in Spirit

    Matthew 5:1–3

    Elsewhere, Jesus speaks these same words to the poor (Luke 6:20), because those who have nothing are often able to see their need for salvation most clearly. Still, one does not need to lack possessions to see the kingdom ...Read More

  • The Scope of the Sixth Commandment

    Matthew 5:21–26

    The sixth commandment does not forbid all anger, for there is a place for righteous anger, as we will discuss next week. But the sixth commandment warns us that what we consider righteous anger may very well be sinful anger ...Read More

  • The Standard of Perfection

    Matthew 5:43–48

    John Calvin also writes regarding today’s passage: “Christ assures us, that this will be a mark of our adoption, if we are kind to the unfaithful and evil.” Just as God’s love for His enemies does not mean ...Read More

  • Vows and Proper Intent

    Matthew 5:33–37

    Matthew Henry writes that “the frequent requiring and using of oaths, is a poor reflection on Christians, who should be of such acknowledged fidelity, as that their sober words should be as sacred as their solemn oaths.” Believers are to ...Read More