Pray for us. My family and I are ministering in Jacksonville Florida this week.

Love, Learn, Lead and Live in view of Eternity

1. (5:17-18) Jesus— Fulfills Law: a person must know that Christ came to fulfill the “law.”  Jesus said He was neither contradicting nor destroying the Old Testament Scriptures nor standing against them. He was fulfilling them, completing them, bringing out what was implied. He was showing what the real meaning of the Old Testament Scripture is, its full meaning—all that God intended the Scripture to say. As God’s Son, He is the Revelation of the truth. He is to reveal the true and complete meaning of the Scriptures.
There are several ways in which Jesus Christ fulfilled the law.
1.  Before Christ, the law described how God wanted man to live. The law was the ideal, the words that told man what he was to do. But Christ fulfilled and completed the law; that is, God gave man more than just mere words to describe how He wants man to live. He gave man the Life, the Person who perfectly pictures and demonstrates the law before the world’s very eyes. Jesus Christ is the Picture, the Living Example, the Pattern, the Demonstration of life as it is to be lived. He is the Perfect Picture of God’s will, the Ideal Man, the Representative Man, the Pattern for all men.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
“And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not” (John 8:45).
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature” (Col. 1:15).
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:21-23).

2.  Before Christ, the law was only words and rules. It could only inject the idea of behavior into the mind of a person. It had no spirit, no life, no power to enable a person to do the law. But Christ fulfilled and completed the law. He was Spirit and Life, so He was able to put spirit and life to the words and rules of the law. He was able to live the life described by the words and rules. As such, He was able to inject both the idea and the power to behave into a person’s mind and life. It is now His life that sets the standard and the rule for the believer; it is His Spirit and life that gives the believer power to obey.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4).
“For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:19-20).
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law” (Galatians 5:16-18).
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people” (Hebrews 8:10; Hebrews 10:15-16.)

3.  Before Christ, the law stated only the rule and the principle of behavior. It did not explain the rule nor the spirit behind the rule. Neither did the law give the full meaning of the rule. The law always had to have an interpreter. But Christ fulfilled and completed the law. He explained the rule and the spirit behind the rule. He interpreted the law. He gave the law its real and full meaning.

“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:23-24.)
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Romans 3:20-22).

4.  Before Christ, the law demanded perfect righteousness; it demanded a perfect life. But man failed at certain points. Man just could not obey the law perfectly; he fell short of perfect righteousness. But Christ fulfilled and completed the law. He kept the law in every detail. He secured the perfect righteousness demanded by the law. He fulfilled all the requirements, all the types, and all the ceremonies of the law—perfectly. As such, He became the Perfect Man, the Ideal Man, the Representative Man for all men. As the Ideal Man, He simply embraced all men; He embodied the righteousness that man must now have.

“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Romans 3:20-22).
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
“For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

5.  Before Christ, the law demanded punishment for disobedience. If a man broke the law, he was to be punished. But Christ fulfilled and completed the law. In fact, He went to the farthest point possible in fulfilling the law. He paid the maximum price and showed the ultimate love. He bore the punishment of the law for every man’s disobedience; He took the punishment of the law upon Himself. As the Ideal Man, He not only embodies the righteousness that must cover all men, He also frees all men from the penalty of the law. And He makes them sons of God.  (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 3:13-14; Galatians 4:1-7.)

Thought 1. Several other passages need to be looked at for a complete understanding of Christ and the law and the believer. (Romans 7:4; Romans 7:14-25; Romans 8:2-4;

Deeper Study #2—Romans 8:3;

Deeper Study #2—Galatians 3:10.

Thought 2. Christ speaks to two different people.
1)  The strict religionist or legalist. Christ does not destroy or weaken the law. The liberty He preaches fulfills the law as it should be fulfilled. He is not to be rejected because a person thinks His liberty weakens the law. He is to be acknowledged as God’s Son who is to be followed and obeyed. (Romans 14:1-23, Romans 14:1-23; Galatians 5:13, Galatians 5:13;  Galatians 5:16-18 and Galatians 5:16-18.)
2)  The carnal or loose religionist. Christ does not weaken the law by allowing a person to live as he wishes—by conscience only. He does not release men from the duty and responsibility of the law. He fulfills and strengthens and even enlarges the law. Liberty does not mean license; it means that a person is now free to serve God in the spirit and life of the law, not just in the letter of the law ( Matthew 5:17-18; Matthew 5:21-48; Romans 8:1-17).

Thought 3. The Old Testament is the Word of God—according to Christ. (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Peter 1:11; 2 Peter 1:19-21.)

Thought 4. Christ considered His coming to be significant—one of the pivotal points of history. The following words show this (Matthew 5:17-18).

⇒  “I am come….”
⇒  “I am come…to fulfill.”
⇒  “I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass….”
⇒  “Till all be fulfilled.”

He speaks as a person whose entrance into the world held great meaning for the world. This fact says something of extreme importance to man: “Hear ye Him.” What He says is binding. It is as binding, if not more binding, than the law itself.

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the rightousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:3-4).
“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17).
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:47-48).

Jesus Christ was accused of destroying the law of God. He has always been accused of minimizing God’s law. Every generation has its proponents who feel that Jesus emphasized love and de-emphasized the law. Many have felt that the thrust of Jesus is love and forgiveness, and the afterthought is law and justice. As a result, many have felt less obligated to follow God’s law. They have felt freer to live a looser life and to do as they wished. The feeling has been that if they keep the law of God in the back of their mind, they have the Christian liberty to interpret behavior as they see fit (within some reason). After all, it is argued, the “priesthood and security of the believer” are two of the basic teachings of Scripture. Therefore, the law’s clear restrictions and obligations and its demand for obedience are minimized, and what is called love and forgiveness are emphasized.
Christ pulls no punches and comes straight to the point: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law….” (Matthew 5:17), “whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments….” (Matthew 5:19), “except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees….” (Matthew 5:20).
1.  A person must know that Christ came to fulfill the law (v.17-18).
2.  A person must do and teach the law in order to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven (v.19).
3.  A person must have more righteousness than a religionist to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (v.20).

(5:17-18) Jesus— Fulfills Law: a person must know that Christ came to fulfill the “law”. Jesus said He was neither contradicting nor destroying the Old Testament Scriptures nor standing against them. He was fulfilling them, completing them, bringing out what was implied. He was showing what the real meaning of the Old Testament Scripture is, its full meaning—all that God intended the Scripture to say. As God’s Son, He is the Revelation of the truth. He is to reveal the true and complete meaning of the Scriptures.
There are several ways in which Jesus Christ fulfilled the law.
1.  Before Christ, the law described how God wanted man to live. The law was the ideal, the words that told man what he was to do. But Christ fulfilled and completed the law; that is, God gave man more than just mere words to describe how He wants man to live. He gave man the Life, the Person who perfectly pictures and demonstrates the law before the world’s very eyes. Jesus Christ is the Picture, the Living Example, the Pattern, the Demonstration of life as it is to be lived. He is the Perfect Picture of God’s will, the Ideal Man, the Representative Man, the Pattern for all men.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
“And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not” (John 8:45).
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature” (Col. 1:15).
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:21-23).

2.  Before Christ, the law was only words and rules. It could only inject the idea of behavior into the mind of a person. It had no spirit, no life, no power to enable a person to do the law. But Christ fulfilled and completed the law. He was Spirit and Life, so He was able to put spirit and life to the words and rules of the law. He was able to live the life described by the words and rules. As such, He was able to inject both the idea and the power to behave into a person’s mind and life. It is now His life that sets the standard and the rule for the believer; it is His Spirit and life that gives the believer power to obey.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4).
“For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:19-20).
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law” (Galatians 5:16-18).
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people” (Hebrews 8:10;  Hebrews 10:15-16.)

3.  Before Christ, the law stated only the rule and the principle of behavior. It did not explain the rule nor the spirit behind the rule. Neither did the law give the full meaning of the rule. The law always had to have an interpreter. But Christ fulfilled and completed the law. He explained the rule and the spirit behind the rule. He interpreted the law. He gave the law its real and full meaning.

“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:23-24.)
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Romans 3:20-22).

4.  Before Christ, the law demanded perfect righteousness; it demanded a perfect life. But man failed at certain points. Man just could not obey the law perfectly; he fell short of perfect righteousness. But Christ fulfilled and completed the law. He kept the law in every detail. He secured the perfect righteousness demanded by the law. He fulfilled all the requirements, all the types, and all the ceremonies of the law—perfectly. As such, He became the Perfect Man, the Ideal Man, the Representative Man for all men. As the Ideal Man, He simply embraced all men; He embodied the righteousness that man must now have.

“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Romans 3:20-22).
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
“For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

5.  Before Christ, the law demanded punishment for disobedience. If a man broke the law, he was to be punished. But Christ fulfilled and completed the law. In fact, He went to the farthest point possible in fulfilling the law. He paid the maximum price and showed the ultimate love. He bore the punishment of the law for every man’s disobedience; He took the punishment of the law upon Himself. As the Ideal Man, He not only embodies the righteousness that must cover all men, He also frees all men from the penalty of the law. And He makes them sons of God. (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 3:13-14; Galatians 4:1-7.)

Thought 1. Several other passages need to be looked at for a complete understanding of Christ and the law and the believer. (Romans 7:4;   Romans 7:14-25;     Romans 8:2-4;                                      Deeper Study Romans 8:3; Deeper Study Galatians 3:10.

Thought 2. Christ speaks to two different people.
1)  The strict religionist or legalist. Christ does not destroy or weaken the law. The liberty He preaches fulfills the law as it should be fulfilled. He is not to be rejected because a person thinks His liberty weakens the law. He is to be acknowledged as God’s Son who is to be followed and obeyed. (Romans 14:1-23 , Romans 14:1-23;   Galatians 5:13,  Galatians 5:13;    Galatians 5:16-18         Galatians 5:16-18.)
2)  The carnal or loose religionist. Christ does not weaken the law by allowing a person to live as he wishes—by conscience only. He does not release men from the duty and responsibility of the law. He fulfills and strengthens and even enlarges the law. Liberty does not mean license; it means that a person is now free to serve God in the spirit and life of the law, not just in the letter of the law. Matthew 5:17-18;

Deeper Study Matthew 5:21-48;  Romans 8:1-17.

Thought 3. The Old Testament is the Word of God—according to Christ. (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Peter 1:11; 2 Peter 1:19-21.)

Thought 4. Christ considered His coming to be significant—one of the pivotal points of history. The following words show this (Matthew 5:17-18).

⇒  “I am come….”
⇒  “I am come…to fulfill.”
⇒  “I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass….”
⇒  “Till all be fulfilled.”

He speaks as a person whose entrance into the world held great meaning for the world. This fact says something of extreme importance to man: “Hear ye Him.” What He says is binding. It is as binding, if not more binding, than the law itself.

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the rightousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:3-4).
“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17).
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:47-48).

Ministry

Place: the disciples’ place to shine is the world. The world is the place where believers are to move about and reflect their light (live and minister).

Why? The world is…
•  unclear
•  stumbling
•  groping
•  falling
•  unseeing
•  unaware•  in chaos
•  in darkness
•  in trouble
•  in danger
•  undiscriminating

Note that the light is in the world; the city is in the world, and the candlestick is in the home. The same is true of believers: believers occupy some place in the world. Wherever that place is, they are to let their light shine.

Thought 1. “Ye are the light!” The world has no other light. “Ye are it”—the light. Therefore, the light is to be placed where its influence can be best used and felt. What a lesson for believers in their life and work and play! Every community, city, state, and nation—the whole world—is to be illuminated by the light of believers.

“For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:47).
“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15).

(5:14-15) Witness: the disciples’ unavoidable witness. Two things are said about the city: it sits on a hill and it cannot be hid. Two things are said about the candle: it is put on a candlestick, and it gives light to all that are in the house. Note that the disciples’ light is in the world, on a hill, and in the house.

Thought 1. Several lessons can be learned from this parable.
1)  Believers shine as lights in the world. They are like cities and like candles sitting in a dark world.
2)  Light has different strengths. It can be strong or weak, bright or dim. In fact, it can be so dim and provide so little light that a person can stumble and fall.
3)  Some places in the world are brightly lit; others are dimly lit. Some cities have many bright lights, other cities have few bright lights. Some homes have strong lights; other homes have weak lights. Every city, every home, and every business—every place on this earth that has the witness of a Christian believer—has some light, either weak or strong.
4)  A light can become so weak it is of no use.
5)  A light is not lit to be hid. It is lit to be seen and to give light. Therefore, a light is conspicuous. It has many eyes upon it.

Thought 2. There are times when everyone wants light—at least for some time. They seek it out; admire it; walk in it; reap its benefits; joy in it and suggest its use.

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).
“But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light” (Ephes. 5:13-14).

(5:16) Mission: the disciples’ purpose. The believer has light. The light is already within him. He is the light of God upon earth. Note the exact words spoken by Christ: “Let your light so shine.” The believer can refuse to let his light shine. He can turn it off, refuse to turn it on, shade it, darken it, turn it away, direct its beam in another direction.
Note the two purposes for letting our light shine.
1.  Believers are to let their light shine in order to show forth good works. The command “Let your light so shine” means let your good works be seen. The believer is to show good works to the world, but he must be careful how he does his works before others (James 3:13).

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life” (1 Tim. 6:17-19).
“In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity” (Titus 2:7).
“This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men” (Titus 3:8; Titus 2:14).
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17).
“Having your conversation [behavior] honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12).

2.  Believers are to let their light shine in order to stir men to glorify God. This is the supreme reason why our light is to shine before men: to stir men to glorify God. The glory of God is to be the primary aim of all believers (1 Peter 4:11; 1 Peter 5:11). (See Deeper Study —Matthew 6:9-10; Deeper Study —Matthew 6:9-10; Deeper Study —Matthew 6:9-10; Deeper Study —Matthew 6:9-10; Deeper Study —Matthew 6:9-10.) The very way God is glorified is by the light, the good works of believers shining before men. Note two things.
a.  God is glorified when believers get out into the darkness where men are.
b.  The good works of believers are to be done out in darkness, not within cloistered walls with other lights.

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8).
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (John 15:16).
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20).
“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever” (1 Peter 4:11).

There are several significant lessons in this point.
1)  Light has one purpose: to shine before men. Light is not seen unless it is placed before men. If there are no people, there are no eyes to see the light. A believer must not seclude himself from others.
2)  Other lights do not need light. It is the people in darkness who need light. Believers! “Let your light so shine before men”—before men out in darkness! Believers are not to be secluded in the church, moving only among other lights. The more light that is put out in the darkness, the more the darkness is eliminated.
3)  Believers are not the only ones who are to glorify God. They are to go out and cause those in darkness to glorify Him.

(5:13) Salt: the disciples’ character is like salt. Believers are called and designed (made) to be the salt of the earth. Several things can be said about salt that point out just what Jesus means.
1.  Salt is distinctive. It is totally different from the food or object upon which it is put. The power of salt lies in this difference. Believers, just as salt, are to be different from the world. The power of their lives and their testimony lies in their being different and distinctive. They are to be “unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:17-18).
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16).

2.  Salt preserves. It keeps things from going bad and decaying. It cleanses and disinfects. Believers, just as salt, are to cleanse and preserve the world. They are to disinfect the world and keep the germs of the world from causing things to go bad. They are to save the world from corruption.

“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:22-25).

3.  Salt penetrates. It inserts a new quality, substance, and life. It changes that upon which it is put. Believers are likewise to penetrate the world and insert a new life into it.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).
“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephes. 4:24).
“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Col. 3:10).

4.  Salt flavors. It influences the taste of things. It takes a bland, tasteless food and makes it relishing. Believers are to so flavor and influence the world for Christ. They are to take the bland and the tasteless and salt them and make them relishing within the world.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).

5.  Salt is quiet. It is visible, but it works silently, making no noise whatsoever during its work. Believers, the salt of the earth, are to work quietly and discreetly.

“Let it [your behavior] be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (1 Peter 3:4).

6.  Salt spreads. Its flavor spreads all about. A sprinkle of salt has a widespread effect. A believer’s salt spreads far and wide.

“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).
“For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis” (Col. 4:13).
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).
“And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing” (1 Thes. 4:11-12).

7.  Salt is irrepressible. Once applied, it cannot be stopped. A believer’s salt, his testimony, is irrepressible; it cannot be stopped.

“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”            (Isaiah 55:10-11).

2. (5:13) Ministry, Place: the disciples’ place of ministry is the earth. The world is the place where believers are to move about and salt (live and minister). Why? Because the world is (1) bland and tasteless, (2) decaying and rotting, (3) corrupting and foul.

Thought 1. Too many believers live as though they are already in heaven: safe and secure from all harm. They do not pay enough attention to this earth: its needs, its turning bad, its decay, its corruption. While on this earth, believers are called to salt and flavor the earth, not heaven.

Thought 2. There is a sense in which the church is the salt factory and the world is the marketplace for the salt. Too much salt is being stored and locked up at the church. There is not enough salt being sent out into the marketplace. The result? The world is not being salted and flavored enough.

“Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2).
“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35).
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).

3. (5:13) Mission: the disciples’ mission is to salt the earth. Note a critical point: believers are the salt of the earth, not of heaven. They can do nothing to salt heaven. They cannot penetrate, flavor, or preserve heaven. Any relationship whatsoever they have with heaven is a gift from heaven. However, believers are the salt of the earth; they can penetrate, flavor, and preserve the earth. But two things are necessary before a person can salt the earth.
1.  Believers must have salt in themselves.

“Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another” (Mark 9:50).

2.  Believers must spread out into the world. But one thing must be known when a believer scatters into the world: his salt is necessary and useful. There is no salt other than the believer’s salt. There is nothing else that can salt the earth, nothing whatsoever. The task is the believer’s and his alone. The success of the mission rests upon the believer and him alone.

“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col. 4:6).
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20).
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21).
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

4. (5:13) Judgment— Cast Out: the danger of the disciple is that of becoming useless and destructive. Salt does not lose its saltiness and flavor. However, in the time of Christ the salt of Palestine was gathered in such a manner that dirt and other impurities were often mixed with it. The salt was thus useless and good for nothing. In fact, it actually destroyed the fertility of the soil. Therefore, it was not only useless, but destructive. (See Deeper Study—Matthew 25:30.)

Note two significant points.
1.  This is a picture of the backslider, of a believer who loses his flavor and saltiness or testimony. Three things can be said about the backslider.
a.  He becomes useless just as salt does.
b.  He is of no value. He may as well be cast out and trodden underfoot.
c.  He actually destroys the fertility of some out in the world by becoming a stumbling block and by not being able to salt them.

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
“Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Luke 11:26).
“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38).
“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning” (2 Peter 2:20).
“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Rev. 2:4).

2.  If the believer’s salt loses its flavor, the believer will experience the judgment of God.
a.  He will be cast out.

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13).

b.  He will be a castaway.

“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Cor. 9:27).

c.  He will experience loss when he appears before the judgment seat of Christ.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Cor. 3:11-15).

Thought 1. If salt loses its flavor, what is going to restore its flavor? There is nothing. Once the saltiness is gone from salt, it is gone. It can no longer salt the earth.

Thought 2. There is no one other than Christ who can salt and save a person from decay. A person who professes to have salt and remains bland, tasteless, and corruptible has no hope of ever being salted. No one else can salt him. He either lets Christ salt him or else he is never salted.

Thought 3. A person who has not been salted and saved from decay is doomed to ruin. He is good for nothing, but to be cast out ( John 3:16-18; Hebrews 9:27).

Persecuted : to endure suffering for Christ; to be mocked, ridiculed, criticized, ostracized; to be treated with hostility; to be martyred. (Luke 21:12-19; note 1 Peter 4:12 and Deeper Study – 1 Peter 4:12; 1 Peter 4:14.) Note several significant points.
1.  There are three major kinds of persecution mentioned by Christ in this passage:
⇒  Being reviled: verbally abused, insulted, scolded, mocked (cruel mockings, Hebrews 11:36).
⇒  Persecuted: hurt, ostracized, attacked, tortured, martyred, and treated hostily.
⇒  Having all manner of evil spoken against: slandered, cursed, and lied about (Psalm 35:11; Acts 17:6-7;. “hard speeches,” that is, harsh, defiant words, Jude 15).
2.  Who are the persecuted?
a.  The person who lives and speaks for righteousness and is reacted against.
b.  The person who lives and speaks for Christ and is reviled, persecuted, and spoken against.
3.  Persecution is a paradox. It reveals that the true nature of the world is evil. Think about it: the person who lives and speaks for righteousness is opposed and persecuted. The person who cares and works for the true love, justice, and salvation of the world is actually fought against. How deceived is the world and its humanity, to rush onward in madness for nothing but to return to dust, to seek life only for some seventy years (if nothing happens before then)!
4.  Believers are forewarned, they shall suffer persecution.
a.  Believers shall suffer persecution because they are not of this world. They are called out of the world. They are in the world, but they are not of the world. They are separated from the behavior of the world. Therefore, the world reacts against them.

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19).

b.  They shall suffer persecution because believers strip away the world’s cloak of sin. They live and demonstrate a life of righteousness. They do not compromise with the world and its sinful behavior. They live pure and godly lives, having nothing to do with the sinful pleasures of a corruptible world. Such living exposes the sins of people.

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you….If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin” (John 15:18, 22).
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).

c.  They shall suffer persecution because the world does not know God nor Christ. The ungodly of the world want no God other than themselves and their own imaginations. They want to do just what they want—to fulfill their own desires, not what God wishes and demands. However, the godly believer dedicates his life to God, to His worship and service. The ungodly want no part of God; therefore, they oppose those who talk about God and man’s duty to honor and worship God.

“But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me” (John 15:21).
“And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me” (John 16:3).

d.  They shall suffer persecution because the world is deceived in its concept and belief of God. The world conceives God to be the One who fulfills their earthly desires and lusts (John 16:2-3). Man’s idea of God is that of a Supreme Grandfather. They think that God protects, provides, and gives no matter what a person’s behavior is, just so the behavior is not too far out, that God will accept and work all things out in the final analysis. However, the true believer teaches against this. God is love, but He is also just and demands righteousness. The world rebels against this concept of God.

“They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me” (John 16:2-3).
“Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20).
“These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not know the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you” (John 16:1-4).
“That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto” (1 Thes. 3:3).
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Phil. 1:29).
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).
“Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you” (1 John 3:13).
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified” (1 Peter 4:12-14).

5.  Persecutions can erupt from the most devilish imaginations of men (see Deeper Study – 1 Peter 4:12 for a description of some of the sufferings of God’s dear people).
6.  What is to be the believer’s attitude toward persecution?
a.  It is not to be retaliation, pride, spiritual superiority.
b.  It is to be joy and gladness (Matthew 5:12; 2 Cor. 12:10; 1 Peter 4:12-13).
7.  The persecuted are promised great rewards.
a.  The Kingdom of Heaven—now.
⇒  They experience a special honor (Acts 5:41).
⇒  They experience a special consolation (2 Cor. 1:5).
⇒  They are given a very special closeness, a glow of the Lord’s presence (1 Peter 4:14).
⇒  They become a greater witness for Christ (2 Cor. 1:4-6).
b.  The Kingdom of Heaven—eternally (Hebrews 11:35; 1 Peter 4:12-13; see Deeper Study—Matthew 19:23-24).

(5:9) Peacemakers : to bring men together; to make peace between men and God; to solve disputes and erase divisions; to reconcile differences and eliminate strife; to silence tongues and build right relationships.
1. Who is the peacemaker?
a. The person who strives to make peace with God (Romans 5:1; Ephes. 2:14-17). He conquers the inner struggle, settles the inner tension, handles the inner pressure. He takes the struggle within his heart between good and evil, and strives for the good and conquers the bad.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
“For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh” (Ephes. 2:14-17).

b. The person who strives at every opportunity to make peace within others. He seeks and leads others to make their peace with God—to conquer their inner struggle, to settle their inner tension, to handle their inner pressure.

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another” (Romans 14:19).

c. The person who strives at every opportunity to make peace between others. He works to solve disputes and erase divisions, to reconcile differences and eliminate strife, to silence tongues and build relationships.

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Phil. 2:3).
“Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers” (2 Tim. 2:14).
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient” (2 Tim. 2:24).

2. The peacemaker is the person who has made peace with God (Romans 5:1), and knows the peace of God (John 14:27).
3. Peacemakers love peace, but they do not passively accept trouble. There are those who claim to love peace, yet they remove themselves from all trouble. They ignore and flee problems and threatening situations, and they often evade issues. They make no attempt to bring peace between others. The peacemaker (of whom Christ speaks) faces the trouble no matter how dangerous, and works to bring a true peace no matter the struggle.
4. The world has its troublemakers. Practically every organization has its troublemakers, including the church. Wherever the troublemaker is, there is criticism, grumbling, and murmuring; and, too often, a division within the body—a division that is sometimes minor, sometimes major; sometimes just distasteful, sometimes outright bitter. The peacemaker cannot stand such. He goes forth to settle the matter, solve the problem, handle the differences, and reconcile the parties.
5. The gospel of Christ is to be spread by peaceful means, not by forceful means. There are many kinds of force.
a. There is verbal force through loudness, a dominating conversation, improper sales tactics, threats, bigotry, and abuse.
b. There is physical force through facial expressions, body motions, an overpowering presence, and attacks.

Matthew 5:8  Pure : to have a clean heart; to be unsoiled, unmixed, unpolluted; to be cleansed, purged, forgiven; to be holy; to have a single purpose, that of God’s glory. There are several significant points to note about the “pure in heart.”
1. The person who is “pure in heart” lives a clean life.
a. He “keeps himself unspotted from the world.”

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

b. He washes his heart from wickedness that he may be saved.

“Wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?” (Jeremiah 4:14).

c. He obeys the truth through the working of the Holy Spirit.

“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:22).

d. He keeps his hands clean.

“He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:4-5).

e. He seeks to be without spot and blameless.

“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14).

2. A person’s very best behavior is seldom (if ever) free from some mixture of self. It is questionable if a sinful creature can ever act perfectly—perfectly free from mixed motives. As the Bible says, “there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12). The believer is to constantly search his heart and cleanse it of impure motives. Motives involving self are insidious and deceptive.
a. Is a person employed primarily for self, or to serve Christ and to earn enough to help others who have a need (Col. 3:24; Ephes. 4:28)?
b. Is a person ministering to help the needful, or to have a sense of self-satisfaction (Matthew 5:7)?
c. Is a person worshipping to honor God, or to satisfy a feeling of obligation?
d. Is a person praying daily to fellowship with God, or to gain comfortable feelings that he pleases God through praying?
Impure motives enter the believer’s heart so quietly, so deceptively. The believer is too often unaware of their presence. He needs to pray often: “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10)!
3. The “pure in heart” minister in two very practical areas:
• They visit the fatherless.
• They visit widows in their affliction.

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

DEEPER STUDY
(5:8) Pure in Heart: there are two wonderful promises made to the “pure in heart.” The pure in heart “shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
1.  Presently, the pure in heart shall see God by faith, “through a glass darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12). Just imagine! The “pure in heart” endure in the faith “as already seeing Him who is invisible”         (Hebrews 11:27).

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Cor. 13:12).
“By faith he [Moses] forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27).

2.  Eternally, the pure in heart shall see God face to face. They shall see Him as He is and behold “His face in righteousness.”

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Cor. 13:12).
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15).