Reflections from the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:27-32

[27] Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: [28] But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. [29] And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. [30] And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. [31] It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: [32] But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 

This passage reveals. four things of great importance to the believer. We will look at these four subjects.  While this study will not be a exhaustive study of any of the subjects it will be sufficient to whet the appetite and give a starting point for those who wish to pursue the study. Let’s look at the following themes. 

1. The SOURCE of Sins – The SINFUL HEART of man. The physical act of sin whatever it may be.  The man who commits adultery doesn’t awaken one morning and say to himself “I’m going to find a woman and commit the sin of adultery today”.  The act of sin is almost always, if not always, the result of a series of decisions that lead one down a mistaken path. A decision that seems small and insignificant at the time may start one down that erroneous path that leads to the act of sin. Proverbs 16:25 [25] There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.  Our capacity to justify ourselves in our own minds is remarkable. We can make ourselves believe that which is contrary to the plain teaching of Scripture doesn’t apply to us or not to our situation. I have often dealt with someone who has come to ask a question, when in reality they were seeking approval of something that they knew was against God’s Word. When I had finished a exposition of the the teaching of the Bible on whatever the matter was the reply was something like ‘I don’t feel that way about it’ or perhaps ‘I know that but’. In others words, what the Word of God says doesn’t apply to me or doesn’t matter to me. I’m right and what I want to do is right, I’m doing right is what the sinful heart says to man, but Scripture says Jeremiah 17:9 [9] The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? You have often heard the bromide “let your conscience be your guide.”  It should be “let the Word of God be your guide.”  
2. The SPIRIT of the Law – Let’s begin with a verse that is often misquoted and widely misunderstood Romans 10:4 [4] For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.  The first eight words are many times the only part of the verse that is quoted. It is important to always take Scripture in context and in complete thoughts. It is a dangerous and misleading thing to take a phrase or verse out of context and whether by intent or by accident twist its meaning. I can quote Scripture that say “Be ye angry…” it would seem that God is commanding us to be angry all the time. but if you look at the context, Ephesians 4:17-32 “[17] This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, [18] Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: [19] Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. [20] But ye have not so learned Christ; [21] If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: [22] That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; [23] And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; [24] And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. [25] Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. [26] Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: [27] Neither give place to the devil. [28] Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. [29] Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. [30] And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. [31] Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: [32] And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” is that we are to live under the control of the Holy Spirit and this includes our anger. The fruit of the Spirit is love not anger. In the same way the Bible does not teach that the Old Testament and the Law is of none effect, but rather we are to learn from the Law. Jesus’ teaching is that the Law shows us the principles involved in God’s will.  It also shows that we are incapable of keeping the Law. 
3. The SERIOUSNESS of sin – One of the principles is that ALL sin is sin. Men think some sins are so minor that God will not notice them. The Scriptures tell us something very different, James 2:10 “[10] For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”  When we are measured against the perfection of God’s standard our sin becomes exceedingly sinful. One sin is all that it takes to condemn us as sinners worthy of death. The Bible says that Jesus is the end of the Law for righteousness to those that believe. Jesus paid our debt on the cross and the requirement for having our sins washed away by His blood shed on the cross is to believe, that is to have faith.  We are not talking about a mental assent or an intellectual agreement, but a complete reliance on Jesus and His sacrifice for us.  
4. The SANCTITY of marriage. Marriage in our culture and society today is disparaged as an obsolete institution. I once heard the best description of the popular feeling about fidelity in marriage or even in a “committed relationship”. The standard is no longer a lifelong commitment to monogamy but rather a life of serial monogamy. You should only have one mate, but when you change or it becomes inconvenient to maintain that relationship, you just drop out of the commitment and pick a new partner. That is not God’s plan for marriage. Look at Romans 7:2 “[2] For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.”  Also consider Matthew 19:6 “[6] Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”  I heartily recommend a short book written by Dr. Andrew Telford entitled Why No Divorce and subtitled Wedlock is a Padlock Without a Key. He presents a clear teaching that we confuse the customs and traditions of our day with those of Bible times to our own detriment.  The exception for fornication, I firmly believe, was for infidelity in the time of betrothal, a time of testing and if one was found to be unfaithful then a divorce would take place.  Consider the case of the Virgin Mary, Joseph was going to “put her away privily” and the Bible calls Joseph her husband. There was a legal commitment in force and could only be undone under the condition of impurity. This is something that our present culture has long since abandoned. Marriage is the first institution that God created and He has said that only death truly ends the obligation. We have seen the institution degraded by no fault divorce, by its redefinition and there is now a push to legalize polygamy and polyamory. God places so much importance on the marriage relationship that it is a picture of Christ and His church. We should respect it and hold it in great esteem.