Is the Sermon on the Mount for today?

Dr. Couch, I understand that some think that the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) is not applicable to the church age today. Is this true, and, what do you think?



ANSWER: In the Bible there are first and secondary applications in various chapters. A question: is the Law in the OT seen with a first application to us today, or a secondary application? Are we under the Law, or was the Law for the Jewish people during their existence in OT times?

All would answer that the Law was for the Jews during the dispensation of the Law. Yet, there are great spiritual principles in the Law for us today, but not with direction application. I can learn many great principles from the Law as I read it but we are not under the Law in a direct way now in this church age.

The same is true with the Sermon on the Mount. For example we read in Matthew 5:3 of the "poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Do the poor today receive blessings by being under the kingdom of heaven? Of course not, the kingdom of heaven is the messianic kingdom that is yet to come, when Christ returns as Israel's Messiah! This was anticipated by the Jews, but the kingdom of heaven is not the church today.

Do you think that 5:20 is about us today, those now living in the church age? It reads: "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." Do you think that is for the church presently? Of course not!

Are we guilty of fiery hell (5:22) if we say to a brother RACA? This is extremely Jewish and must be understood in regard to the Jews who were then under the Law.

Do we stand and pray in the synagogue as mentioned in 6:5. No, we do not. Do we "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness" as the Jews? To a certain extent yes but in another sense we do not (6:33).

Again, while there are certain spiritual lessons in the Sermon on the Mount for us today, these verses are not first for the church dispensation. They were for the Jews who were looking for the messianic rule of the Messiah over Israel in the Holy Land. First application would be for Israel and the Jews; second application would be for us, but interpreted with caution.

When we read our newspaper we apply the same principles of interpretation. I know that the first page of my newspaper is about "hard" news and is not the advertising section of the paper. I know that it is not the editorial section, nor the want-ad section. When I read my newspaper I read it with sound "hermeneutics." I apply the various sections in the proper way. I don't simply apply every paragraph directly to me, from every sentence, with a broad stroke of the brush! I do the same when reading and applying the Bible to every situation.

Common sense is needed when reading the Scriptures!

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking. --Dr. Mal Couch (9/11)

Positional Sins

Dr. Couch, what is this "forgiving men their transgressions" in Matthew 6:14 all about? Can we forgive men of their Positional sins so that they can go to heaven?

ANSWER: The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) mainly has to do with how the Jews related to each other. It is not about them possessing authority to forgive men of their sins so that they can go to heaven. The Beatitudes (vv. 3-12) that begin chapter 5 start out dealing mainly with how people treat each other. Note the down-to-earth exhortations: "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law" (5:25). "You shall love your neighbor" (5:43). "Beware of PRACTICING your righteousness before men" (6:1). "When you give alms" (6:3). "When you pray" (6:6). Christ's discussion is about PRACTICING righteousness in the Walk!

Then 6:14-15: "For if you forgive men for their transgressions [in their Walk], your heavenly Father will also forgive you [in your Walk]. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions [in your walk]."

This has to do with sin between men in their relationships, not about forgiveness for receiving salvation. Compare Luke 17:3-4. Forgiving comes by repentance or confession. This restores fellowship or the relationship. This is similar to 1 John 1:9. In the walk confession and forgiveness restores our fellowship. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteousness to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" in our Christian walk. The walk is implied, and is clear, in the context: "IF WE SAY THAT WE HAVE NOT SINNED (in the Christian walk), we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." This is not about our POSITION in Christ but about our WALK (EXPERIENCE) with Christ.

The same in Matthew 6:14. The passage is about the issue of fellowship with each other. By the way, note Luke 17:3-4 again. "If the brother SINS." And "If he SINS against you ..." Then IF HE REPENTS of that sin against you, you are to forgive him!

Anyone who thinks Matthew 6:14 is about getting to heaven they are confused over the salvation POSITION and the Christian living WALK in the spiritual life.

In his Matthew commentary, my old Greek teacher, Dr. Stanley Toussaint, well explained what is going on in the Sermon on the Mount: "Judicial forgiveness is not in view (Acts 10:43) but fellowship (1 John 1:5-9). It is impossible for one to be in fellowship with God as long as he harbors ill will in his heart."

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch (1/11)

Psalm 41 and the Sermon and the Mount

Dr. Couch, some say that The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) comes from Psalm 41. Is this true? By the way, we pass on to you, Dr. Couch, a great big thanks for having Dr. Unger's OT Commentary reprinted. It is such a blessing. You had great insight in having it restored and not lost to history. ANSWER:  There is no way to prove that. Because Psalm 41 mentions a "blessing" three times and God's protection, makes some that that it does. But I am not sure. Without a doubt there are some parallels in both readings.    There are some great verses in Psalm 41. For example, "As for me, You uphold m in my integrity, and You set me in Your presence forever. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen, and Amen" (vv. 12-13).      Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (9/10)

Is the Sermon on the Mount for Today?

Dr. Couch, is the Sermon on the Mount for the church today? ANSWER:  In interpreting the Bible we have some important steps. There is (1) OBSERVATION – What does it say? (2) INTERPRETATION – What does it mean?, and (3) APPLICATION – (a) What does it mean to those to whom it is written? And, (b) What does it mean to us?    There are tremendous spiritual principles in the Sermon that we can all appreciate and learn from but the Sermon is given first to the nation of Israel by her King, the Lord Jesus Christ. What does it mean to be brought before the Supreme Court and tried in 5:22? This is Jewish and it is the judgment of the Sanhedrin for those who defame others by calling them numb skull, brain damaged (RACA).    What does it mean to be cast into the fiery hell (Gehenna, the burning garbage dump outside of Jerusalem) in verse 5:22? This too is extremely Jewish. It is not "church"!    What does it mean in regard to bringing an offering to the altar in 5:24? What does it mean about not swearing by the city of Jerusalem which is "the city of the great King"? (5:35). What does it mean about "seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness"? (6:34). What does Jesus mean when He speaks about "the Law and the Prophets"? (7:12).    Now do you want to ask again if the first application of the Sermon on the Mount is for the church today? We can learn a lot from secondary application for us today but not from first application (which is for the Jews).  Thanks for asking, Dr. Mal Couch (8/10)

Struggling with Eternal Security

Dr. Couch, I believe in eternal security but I have problems with Matthew 5:22 where Jesus said "... and whosoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." How do you answer? – from England ANSWER:  I really appreciate your questions, but you must interpret the Bible by context not by the ping pong method, where you bounce all over the place and automatically apply verses to the church. This is the Sermon on the Mount where Christ is speaking specifically to the Jews and the problems they had in the way they mistreated others.    Remember, we must interpret the Bible by context and by the Greek text, not by the English. "Hell" is a bad translation that is why Bible teachers need to take Greek in order to understand all that is happening in Scripture. I have had more Greek than any Bible teacher you'll talk with. I translate almost everyday. In this passage "hell" is Geenna or Gehenna, referring to the burning garbage dump outside of the city of Jerusalem that became a symbol of judgment. Yes, often it was symbolic of hell's fires but it can, in context, often just be referring to a judgment.    Christ is addressing how the Jews mistreated each other with their mouth—with their criticisms. Note the progression in verse 22. If one is angry with his brother he should be brought before the synagogue court and be judged. If one goes further and calls his brother Raca (or numb skull, stupid) he is to be brought before the supreme court or the Sanhedrin and be judged. But if one says to his brother that he is a fool, he receives the harshest judgment and was to be cast into Gehenna, the burning garbage dump! Now can you imagine the fear this brought to the hearts of the Jews? In their relationships with others they were terribly critical, hurt others with the mouth, and continued to destroy the relationships by harsh words! The Jews paid no attention to this mistreatment. Christ brought it to their attention. The point is not about a doctrinal or theological judgment but about the issue of mistreatment of others.    This was meant to awaken the Jews in the harshness of their human relationships.    Thanks for asking, and, I hope this helps.    Dr. Mal Couch (Dec., 09)

Matthew 7 and Salvation

Dr. Couch, I have heard some say that Matthew 7:13-27 is about the church; they make a case for belief not being enough to enter the kingdom—only those who do the will of the Father will enter. It seems this section is dealing with false prophets. Aren't these the predominant ones during the time of Christ who claimed to prophesy, etc. And, who were the ones doing this stuff in Israel at the time of Christ? ANSWER:  I won't be able to deal with this entire section in this short answer. It is important to say here that there are many spiritual principles in this section (Matthew 5-7: The Sermon on the Mount). So I will simply point out some observations that would tell us this is not first for the church; it has to do with what was happening with the nation of Israel as Christ began His ministry. And the passage is more than simply about false teachers.    Note the following: (1) The entire section has to do with the presentation of the millennial kingdom, here called "The kingdom of heaven" (5:3; 10, 19, 20; 6:10, 33; 7:21). (2) The church is made up of Jews and Gentiles but in this section, Christ compares the Jews with the Gentiles (5:47; 6:7, 32). (3) The Lord speaks of the synagogue in this section (6:2, 5), and (4) The giving of alms, which was a distinct Jewish practice (6:2, 3). Note 6:2: the church is not even around! "When you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues ..." 5:20 is a distinct Jewish passage that cannot be understood unless one sees that the verse is aimed at the thinking of the Jews. "I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes (Jewish) and Pharisees (very Jewish), you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."    Those who try to make a direct application of the Sermon on the Mount to the church have no understanding of history. There is no question but that the "kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God" is a description of the messianic kingdom! In no way is this used to describe the church age! If this is settled in one's mind, this section of verses makes definite sense. Again, while there are many principles that we can embrace in the Sermon on the Mount, it is not directed to the church age. We can have secondary application in some things the Lord says, but not direct application!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (Oct.2009)

Do Older Dispensationalists Have A Different View of the Sermon on the Mount?

Dr. Couch, do older dispensationalists (such as Chafer, Scofield, Gaebelein) have a different view of the Sermon on the Mount than younger dispensationalists? 

 

   Not in substance, that I know of. But, by counting heads and taking tabulations as to who believes what, is not how I do theology. I do theology by CONTEXT, CONTEXT, and CONTEXT, and by OBSERVATION, OBSERVATION, and OBSERVATION! 

    The Bible IS dispensational. We do not make up dispensationalism as we go along! So let’s go to the Sermon on the Mount and do Observation! 

    First of all, the Sermon is about the Kingdom of Heaven, not about the church. When Christ mentions the Kingdom, the Jews had no other point of reference than the Davidic/Messianic Kingdom in which the Son of David, the Son of God, would rule over the world from Jerusalem. There is No other interpretation. The Jews fully understood this! 

    In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew we have the expressions: "Kingdom of Heaven (used six times), the "Kingdom" (used two times), and the "Kingdom of God" (used once), though Christ also spoke of "Your Kingdom" (God’s) and "The Kingdom is Yours." 

    But I am quick to point out that there are tremendous spiritual and practical applications for any dispensation. We do not isolate spiritual principles and say that certain things are only applicable to one age and not another, unless there is due cause to do so. Yet, here are some statements of the Lord that fit another era, the kingdom period, and not the church age:

• "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth" (5:5).
• If you are angry with your brother you can be brought to judgment in the Rabbinical courts (5:22).
• Do not be presenting an offering to the (temple) altar while your brother has a charge against you (5:23-24).
• Do not make false vows, by heaven or earth, or "by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King (the Messiah)" (5:33-35).

    I could go on and on with additional points from the Sermon on the Mount but you get the idea. To again reiterate: there are dozens of wonderful principles here in the Sermon that can be applied to any dispensation. And the Sermon on the Mount is full of them but it does take some clear thinking and acute observation in order to avoid a misapplication. 

    On the Sermon, my old graduate Greek professor, Dr. Stanley Toussaint, writes in his commentary on Matthew:

   Not only are the crowds and disciples looking forward to the establishment of the kingdom, but the message of the sermon is also anticipatory. This aspect is indicated by the attitude of anticipation which pervades the entire discourse. It looks forward to a time when people shall enter the kingdom (5:20; 7:21). ... The sample prayer includes a request for the coming of the kingdom (6:10). (Behold the King, Kregel)

In my Classical Evangelical Hermeneutics (Kregel) I wrote:

The "kingdom of God" and "kingdom of heaven" both refer to the future Messianic reign of the Messiah. The only point of reference the Jews would have known is the messianic kingdom and the coming rule of peace that would last for one thousand years. Jesus presented Himself as the king who fulfilled the kingship role for that kingdom. He told neither His disciples nor the crowds that they were mistaken in their perceptions [about the earthly messianic kingdom].

    And in The Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary (gen. eds. Tim LaHaye, Ed Hindson, Harvest House) I wrote: 

When Jesus began His ministry, His message was the same as John the Baptist’s:

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17; cf. 3:2). This means "the kingdom that comes down from heaven." This undoubtedly refers to the messianic kingdom, the Davidic rule that will be based in Jerusalem but will have sovereignty over all the nations of the earth.

    The Sermon on the Mount is referring to this earthly messianic kingdom! 

Thanks for asking.

Dr. Mal Couch

Dispensational Commentary on Matthew

Dr. Couch, can you recommend a good dispensational commentary on Matthew? I am studying the Sermon on the Mount and need some help. 

 

    ANSWER:  Yes, indeed I can! Dr. Stanley Toussaint has a great commentary published by Kregel entitled “Behold the King.” He was one of my professors in graduate school. Also, Dr. John F. Walvoord’s volume on Matthew entitled “Thy Kingdom Come” put out by Kregel as well. I am extremely high on Dr. Ed Glasscock’s “Matthew” published by Moody. 

    In a few weeks my own commentary on “Luke” will be coming out, published by AMG Publications, in the 21st Century Commentary series. And, I am general editor with Dr. Ed Hindson on that same series. Some time this spring his “Matthew” should be published by AMG. 

    All the above is good material that will not compromise the true dispensational and premillennial framework of the Word of God. 

   Thanks for asking,

   Dr. Mal Couch