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Beyond Faith

Most of what we hear today from pastors is about having faith in God or in Christ.  Even Luther and other reformers spoke almost exclusively about faith and how this was our primary means of salvation.  We haven’t come much further from this message although it might surprise you that both Paul and Christ did not consider faith to be the ultimate goal. 

For years Paul’s statement in I Corinthians 13 troubled me as to how faith was not the greatest way to perfection.  But even Jesus gave us a clue that we needed to look deeper into the gospels and the letters to find the perfect way beyond faith.

According to Paul it was love and not faith that was the greatest thing to seek after (1Cor 13:13)  and Jesus taught that the greatest commandment was not to have faith in God, but to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind, which was recorded in all three synoptic gospels (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27).

Why is this distinction so important?  I have seen over the years that many believers struggle with their faith.  “Faith alone” has created many ethical conflicts in people’s lives as well as in my own.  I have also seen people who appeared to have great faith but were missing something that prevented them from growing spiritually and becoming more Christlike.  What was missing in them was love, but this is not some ordinary love.  It was divine love (Agape Love).  It is the love that binds God to man and man to God.  This is why  1 Corinthians 13:13 tells us that love is greater than both faith and hope. Love is what actually transforms us into Christ.  This is not to say that faith and hope are not necessary, but as Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:21, one might have great faith and still not make it into his kingdom.  How is this possible? 

Faith enables us to do mighty works, i.e., healing, miracles, conversions, etc., but these are not our works, they are the works of God.  It is love that transforms us by allowing us to take God’s love and give it to others.  It is this process that God’s love flows through us like a mighty river, transforming us into his sons and daughters. 

How then do we transcend faith and reach divine love?  I do not believe that we can simply create love for God.  The source of love is not actually in the lover, but in the beloved.  It is the quality of the Beloved that draws us towards him.  Have you not heard the scripture that says, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19)?  God loved us by giving us the life of his only Son.  This is a two-pronged love; for the Father gives us his Son, but the Son gives us himself.  The two are inseparable.

But it is not just this act of God’s selflessness that draws us to love God.  It is the very character of Jesus that completes our love for God. It makes it possible to love God in the fullness of his personal character as seen in Christ.  But where do we see this character?  In the Sermon on the Mount.  It is here that we get insight into the very character of God in Christ.  This is the Christ that we must love and we do this by loving everything that he teaches.  If we exclude these teachings, we diminish the very source of our love.

So, why is love greater than faith?  Because love transcends faith.  Faith cannot take us where love can because love fulfills faith. 

Matthew 22:36-40 (KJV)
36Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Read this carefully and notice the order of love.  We must first love God before we love our neighbor.  Why?  Because we cannot love our neighbor with God’s love unless we are first filled with His love.  It is a misunderstanding to think that we love God by loving our neighbor.  Although many today believe that self-love is necessary for divine love, this is not the message of Christ. 

So, the whole teaching of Jesus is that you must have faith in order to enable you to come to a fullness of love for both God and men.  For you cannot have divine love without first having divine faith and you cannot fulfill divine faith unless you also have divine love. 

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Summary of the Sermon on the Mount

After reading the Sermon on the Mount you might be thinking to yourself that no one can achieve the perfection that Jesus teaches here, but if you are thinking this, you are missing the point.  We are not here to judge ourselves or others as to whether we are perfect or not, but whether we really love the one who is perfect.  Paul understood exactly what Jesus was teaching and reflected it in his writings to the Philippians:

Philippians 3:12-14 (KJV)
12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

We are called to strive toward the upward call of God in Christ.  The truth remains that we cannot accomplish the goals set for us in this sermon by our own willpower nor achieve it by the use of self-help books.  But such weakness is not an excuse for our failure. Realizing this brings us much closer to understanding Jesus’ teaching.  What Jesus expects from us is to love the character that he just described in his sermon.  This character is, in fact, a profile of Jesus himself.  If we say that we believe in Jesus, this is the Jesus that we must believe in.  This is the true Jesus who lifts us out of sin by his own character through love.

The Sermon on the Mount cannot and should not be reduced to one idea or simplified into a cliché. It is complex and speaks to us differently at different levels at different times in our lives.  Today, many have taken Jesus’ teachings and transformed them into a behavioral psychology in order to satisfy man’s psychological needs. We see this frequently when pastors take the words of Jesus and conform them into motivational techniques in order to publish best-selling Christian self-help books.  These are mere imitations of the true teachings of Jesus. We must understand that what started out as divine teaching has now been transformed, conformed, and finally adapted to the needs of humanity as a technique to improve the quality of life and not the divine teaching of God that brings eternal salvation.

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Authority of Jesus (Matt 7:28-29)

How did people react to this sermon?  They were amazed and astonished at what he said because he taught as one who had the authority to say such things.  He wasn’t quoting other rabbis or schools of theology.  He was himself the origin of authority.  When he did quote Moses or others he did so only to show how his teachings were superior.  This was not to say that Moses got it wrong, but rather that Jesus came to finish the work that was started under the Mosaic Law.  He would be the one to fulfill this law not simply by his teaching, but by his very being.  This is one major difference between Jesus and other religious figures.  Others could only claim to be teachers or at best prophets, but nothing more.

Unfortunately, today people no longer seem to be amazed at this sermon and his teachings.  They try every way possible to turn these truths into something abstract.  Their point is to make it unnecessary for anyone to take it seriously as a way of life. They turn it into a form of idealism where one can only meditate upon it, but certainly not apply these teachings to their reality.  Was Jesus giving this sermon just for the mere reason of establishing a “Christian Ideology?” No!  So, when you read or listen to these teachings simply allow yourself to become amazed and astonished.  This will be the beginning of true understanding.

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Doers of the Word (Matt 7:21-27)

 The next set of verses are very difficult for some to not only understand, but also to accept that they may apply to them.  There are some who call Jesus their Lord, prophesy in his name, cast out demons, and even perform miracles who will not enter into God’s kingdom.  Jesus warns us that the bottom line is that we must do the will of his Father.  Everyone who hears this sermon and does them is like the wise man who properly prepares himself like a builder who prepares his house for a storm. Such a house is built upon a solid foundation that will not give way in a storm.  The one who did not build his house properly loses everything because the foundation is destroyed by the flood waters bringing down the house along with it.

We should not simply gloss over these verses like they don’t affect us. The gospel of Jesus is not simply that he died for our sins, but it is the complete teaching of Jesus. He is telling us here that a true believer begins with this truth—Jesus is Lord!  Everything is built upon this truth.  We do not lay a foundation of works nor one of half-truths.  We begin with the belief that Jesus is truth and everything else is built upon that foundation.

How do we feel when we hear the Sermon on the Mount?  Are we willing to listen to what Jesus is telling us or are we satisfied with a Hallmark version of it where its sting is removed so as not to offend anyone?  Are these simply nice words to repeat like poetry or are they words to live by?  Jesus seems to feel that we must live by them if we are to be the wise man in this parable.  I agree.

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False Prophets (Matt 7:15-20)

These verses are directly related to the previous verses on the wide gate and broad way. Here Jesus warns of false prophets.  From Jesus’ time till now they have existed and still exist today.  These are people who claim to be speaking about the things of God when, in fact, they are deceivers.  So, outwardly they appear to be like sheep, but inside they are ravenous wolves.  So how can we tell the difference? These wolves are people who have an extreme appetite or hunger for wealth and power.  Although they appear to be driven by Biblical teachings, they are really driven by greed, wealth, and power.  Many such wolves have been fooling naive believers with their false performances for generations, but eventually their true motives are revealed.

Jesus tells us that we can know them by their fruits.  Sometimes this gets a little tricky because they are very good at their sheepish disguise.  We must look for love not in their words or even in their deeds, for both can be imitated, but in their character (this is their real fruit). It is their character that is faulty because it is like bad fruit from a bad tree.  Even if it looks good, it is rotten to the core.  Rest assured that their reward will be justly deserved for all the deception that they have spread.

2 Peter 2:3 (ASV)
3  And in covetousness shall they with feigned (false) words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.

The King James and American Standard Version are closest to the proper Greek interpretation of this verse in Peter.  We can see the fulfillment taking place today where churches are concerned more with the production of their service than its content.  Believers have been turned into merchandise.  Making money off the Word of God in books, movies, and speaking engagements have priority over the real teachings of Jesus.  Let us remember how much Jesus charged for his teaching—nothing!  As a matter of fact, Jesus paid the ultimate price for us to listen—his death on a cross.  But over the years of my experience I realize that this is all that they have.  They do not have any real understanding of Jesus and therefore can’t teach what they themselves do not know.  They would be far better to be quiet sitting in the pews listening than to be preaching from the pulpit.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (KJV)
13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Paul warns us as he warned the Corinthians to be careful of appearances.  Many false prophets will appear to be apostles of Christ even to the point of looking like angels of righteousness.  It is one thing to preach about righteousness and another to be righteous. But God will not be fooled by them and they will suffer a righteous judgment by their own words.

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Seek and Find (Matt 7:7-11)

These verses are a continuation of the declaration that Jesus makes when he tells us to seek God’s kingdom above all things. For if we sincerely seek after God’s kingdom as our first priority, we will find it.  And if we knock, he will answer.  Knocking is a way of letting someone know that we are waiting outside for them to give us entry.  So, we need to let God know that we want to enter into his kingdom and he will answer us by making entry possible. Each of us may knock or ask in a different way, but we must all come to that point in our lives that we know that we want to enter his kingdom and acknowledge that he is the one who must open the door. 

But exactly what is God’s kingdom? It is everything that Jesus taught in this sermon.  If this doesn’t appeal to you, than there is little point in asking to enter, but if you are moved by what you hear, than there is no other place you will find such peace except in his kingdom.

For those in Jesus’ audience who might doubt that God would really listen to their needs he compared God to a human father.  He asked what kind of a father would give his son a stone when he asked for bread or a serpent if he asked for a fish?  Of course Jesus knew that there were fathers who did not take care of their children, but notice that he personalizes the question by specifically using them as an example?  He asks, “Is there anyone among you would not help his child?”  Obviously, only a cruel and hateful man would do such a thing, and none of them would admit to such a thing.  So his challenge becomes rhetorical.  

Jesus acknowledges that men, even though they are evil, would still take care of their families.  Then it makes perfect logic that God would be even more likely to take care of us, his own children.  Jesus’ argument is that if evil people take care of their children, how much more would a holy God  take care of his children?

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Divorce (Matt 5:31,32)

According to Matthew 19:4-6 marriage is a sacred relationship that one has between a man and a woman. Yet, Jesus teaches us that according to the Mosaic Law all a man had to do was write down on a piece of paper that he wanted a divorce and it was official.  He tells us that this was done because of their hard hearts meaning that men wanted what they wanted not what God wanted.

In 2 Co 11:2 and Ephesians 5:22-33 Paul tells us that marriage is symbolic of the relationship that man has with God.  Paul teaches us that the church is the bride of Christ. Only in the case of adultery where the member of the church falls away from God and goes after other gods such as lust and selfishness does he commit spiritual adultery against Christ and will therefore be liable to separation (divorce) from Him. 

So when we enter into marriage we need to see our marriage in the light of such advice and do all that we can to make it work. I believe that when Paul tells us in Romans 12:18 that as much as lies within us we must live peaceably with all men, we must also submit to the same devotion to do all we can to make a marriage work for a good marriage to our spouse symbolizes our good marriage to Christ.

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Adultery and Offense of the Eye (Matt 5:27-30)

Adultery is a crime of selfishness and lust.  It involves a betrayal of fidelity. According to the Old Testament adultery was punishable by death, but in his sermon Jesus gives us a deeper understanding of adultery.  Jesus contradicts the common idea that the act of adultery takes place at the moment of intercourse.  According to Jesus the sin begins with selfishness and lust within the heart of men that finally consummates in intercourse. 

It begins with the lust of the eye when it looks upon a woman with desire.  At this point the fidelity of marriage is already broken.  This is the spiritual sin that takes place prior to the physical one. Many cannot believe that Jesus really means what he says here.  The claim is that no one can go through life without lusting after another person—at least not in our society where advertising is based upon the very idea of lust.

Jesus makes it very clear that this is not some exaggeration that is supposed to somehow scare us into holiness or is aimed only at monks, priest, and saints.  In the very next verse he tells us that if our eye or hand offends us we must cut it off and throw it away for it is better to enter heaven with one eye or one hand then enter hell with two.

This is not an exaggeration.  It is an example of how serious we must take the commission of sin.   When war vets enter into war against our enemies they know that they might lose an eye, a hand, leg, or even their lives. They are given metals for bravery when such things happen and looked up to by society as heroes.  But when Jesus asks this same dedication of us towards our enemy of sin we turn away and want to believe that he is exaggerating.  Why would we be willing to offer more for our country than for our Lord and God?

So the main point to take away from this commandment is the seriousness and pervasiveness of sin in the human heart.  This is where evil begins. The only remedy for such a sin is faith as we shall see later.

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Fulfilling The Law Matt (5:17-20)

Matthew 5:17-20 (KJV) 
 17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 
 18  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. 
 19  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. 
 20  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.

Jesus said that he came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.  What does it mean to fulfill the law?  The word fulfill also means to complete with a purpose or design or to bring about its full meaning. All of these meanings are appropriate here.  Jesus fulfilled the law in that he not only lived out the law perfectly without sin, but that he himself was a perfect sacrifice required by the law to be a substitution for sin.  The law is not limited to only the moral code that was given to Moses as listed in the Ten Commandments, but is used of the entire Jewish system of worship including the temple system or worship and all the food and purity laws.  So Jesus’ fulfilling of the law extends beyond living a perfect moral life.  The entire structure of worship that was established by God with the Jews was done as a foreshadow of what was to come in the form of Christ.

But does verse 18 mean that we are still under the law?  The law is still in effect in that it continues to bring the sinner to repentance by making them aware of their sin.  Without the law man would not know what the moral will of God was.  Paul writes in Romans 7:7,

7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

The law was the greatest expression of God’s morality until Christ.  So the law continues to be the law, but Christ has become an even better expression of God’s morality than the written law.   

What Paul taught us is so important to understand here: that if we try to keep the law, we are denying that Jesus fulfilled the law.  If we live as though we were under the law, we are no longer under the grace of God. 

The role of the law has caused a lot of confusion in Paul’s day and continues to today.  There is nothing wrong with the law and Jesus did not need to destroy it.  However, what Jesus did was to show us what it looks like when someone keeps the law perfectly.  Jesus expression of the law is the highest form of righteousness than could be expressed to mankind in that way Jesus is greater than the law (Matt 12:6-8).  So the law is still in effect, but it is now much better expressed through Christ.  We keep the law not by living it through our will to be righteous, but by the submission of our will to Jesus. If you truly want to be righteous than live by these sayings of Jesus in his Sermon and you will be obeying the law. 

Jesus told us that we must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees who were very religious and struggled to keep the law perfectly.  They fasted and prayed and offered sacrifices frequently as well as tenaciously kept the Sabbath.  How many of us could really be good Pharisees today?  The point that Jesus was making was that our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees not in that we are trying harder, but rather that we are loving the law of God more accurately as we love it as expressed by Christ.

If you still want to live by the law, then obey the Sermon on the Mount for by so doing you will live the law more perfectly.  There are some today that think they must keep the food laws given to Moses in order to keep their bodies clean. Paul taught very clearly here in Romans 7:1-6 that we died to the law through Christ (Baptism). 

4 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.  

So we are now free from the law through our baptism into Christ. We did not earn salvation through our works or goodness.  It was gift given to us through the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus that we might die with him and receive the gift of eternal life. Let us be eternally grateful to him for our freedom rather than become bound to the law.
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The Salt of the Earth & Light of the World (Matthew 5:13-16)

SALT OF THE EARTH

Who are we as Christians? This is not a question of defending our doctrine and beliefs.  It is an existential question as to what is our purpose as “being” a Christian.  Jesus answers it by telling us that we are the “salt of the earth.”  We are supposed to be what the purpose of salt is to the earth.  This means that we are to be the ingredient that cleanses or makes things pure.  We are to be known by the reputation of being pure in character. Our word and reputation must be without spot. If we are not living a life of such purity than we have lost our purpose for which God has chosen us.  What do we do when salt no longer has the quality of purity?  We throw it away.  Jesus may sound harsh here, but I think that he truly and fully knows the hearts of men.  These verses are a sober reminder as to our true purpose in life.

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

How do we appear to the world?  Jesus says that we must appear as being lights in the sense of our works, goodness, and character shining over others.

What do we do as lights?  We must let it shine before men.  We cannot hide ourselves because of false humility or fear of judgment.  We don’t need to brag about ourselves, but we do need to let others see our works and character so that they can see how the Father works in us so that they might come to him and worship him because they see him in us.  It is by being lights in the world that we glorify our Heavenly Father.  So if you sing praises to God through songs on Sunday at church, sing those praises to him through your good works so that others beside those sitting next to you in church can see your Father’s glory.