Thursday, January 9, 2014

Finding the Gospel of Grace in the Beatitudes

1:11 PM | Posted by | | Edit Post
For many Christians, the decision to follow Jesus Christ begins with the Gospel promise of new life and abundant living. We become aware of our sin, understand that Jesus' death on the cross paid the penalty for that sin, and learn about His resurrection from the dead, which provides great hope through the promise of eternal life. Verses like John 3:16, John 1:12, and John 10:10 describe some of the incredible blessings that God pours out through His grace for those who believe in Jesus Christ. These blessings include: the forgiveness of sins, being made into children of God, and an abundant life in Christ. When we start to contemplate these things, the gift of grace seems overwhelming. 

However, at some point in our Christian walks we must start reading the rest of the Bible in order to grow and mature in our faith. And if you're like many of the Christians I've studied the Scriptures with over the years, it is sections of the Bible like Mathew 5:1-16 that cause you great confusion, What in the world is Jesus talking about when He says "blessed are the poor in spirit?" How could he be serious when He says, "blessed are those who mourn?" Why would He try to convince us that being "meek" or facing "persecution" could lead to a life of blessings? In fact, this section of Scripture known as the Beatitudes (which means the blessings) is the beginning of powerful oration, know as the "Sermon on the Mount", in which Jesus seems to completely redefine what it means to live a righteous life in God's eyes. At first glance, Jesus' message almost seems designed to lower our expectations of ever being able to successfully live out the Christian life. If we just quickly skim through the text, not taking time to carefully study what Jesus is truly teaching, we could easily miss the beauty of His message, coming instead to the tragic conclusion that the life he is promising to His followers is not the kind of life we would want for ourselves. After all, where is the Gospel promise of new life and abundant living to be found in Jesus' words here in Matthew 5?

If you have struggled with biblical texts like the Beatitudes, trying to square the message with what you understand about the Gospel, the next several blogs are designed for you. It is my prayer that as we uncover the beauty of Jesus' message in the Beatitudes, it will deepen you love for your Savior and empower you to walk in the light of His truth!

 Matthew 5:1-16 (NIV), "Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

For a more in-depth treatment of this topic, see my book entitled "The Cure-prescription for life",  available on my website: www.stevebyrens.com  - Also available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles websites


0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)