THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 5
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 5
Erred here also means seduced. Those who coveted after wealth erred from the faith. They were seduced by their wealth away from God. Paul's perspective on wealth is the same as Jesus'. The pursuit of wealth debases the mind, destroys Godly traits and makes Christians selfish, proud and avaricious, which all lead to destruction and perdition. Perdition refers to the state after death wherein exclusion from salvation is a realised fact, wherein man, instead of becoming what he might have been in God, is lost and ruined forever. Perdition here is the final destiny of Christians who determine to be rich. This is a grim warning to Christians against focusing upon earthly riches and serving mammon in this life, as opposed to serving God and storing up treasure for themselves in Heaven that will guarantee their eternal security (CP Lu 12:13-15). The word abundance here means more than is needed, surplus to needs. Accumulating more than is needed is the sin of covetousness. Covetousness is idolatry, and no idolater will inherit the eternal Kingdom (CP Lu 12:16-21; Eph 5:5; Col 3:1-6).
Jesus next admonishes Christians in His Sermon on the Mount not to centre their lives around what to eat and drink, and with what clothes they will clothe themselves (CP Mt 6:25-34). In V 26 Jesus illustrates for Christians how much more important they are to God than the birds of the air who neither sow nor reap, yet God feeds them. If He does that for birds how much more will He do for Christians? This is not teaching that Christians do not have to work for God to meet their needs - if Christians do not work they are not entitled to eat (CP 2Th 3:10). Working is an integral part of Christians' needs being met. To quote another author: "the argument is that if God sustains, without their conscious participation, creatures of a lower order, He will all the more sustain, with their active participation, those for whom creation took place". The conclusion of Jesus' teaching here is that if Christians will put God's interests first in their lives then God will ensure that they will never lack for anything (CP Mt 6:33-34 with Psa 34:10; 84:11; 91:1-16; 103:1-4; Pr 4:20-22).
Jesus continues His Sermon on the Mount with an admonition for Christians not to judge others lest they be judged themselves (CP Mt 7:1-5). A great many Christians interpret this scripture to mean that Christians are not to make any sort of judgement at all. But that is not correct. Jesus is admonishing Christians here not to judge others self-righteously or hypocritically. Christians are not to find faults in others while blinded to their own (CP Lu 6:37; Jn 8:1-11; Ro 2:1-3). Both Jesus and Paul here teach that being blinded to one's own faults results in an attitude of superiority and causes hardness to the faults of others. In Jn 8:1-11 Jesus exposes the evil hearts of the Pharisees who were quite prepared to put to death one found sinning publicly, yet they themselves were all sinning privately. In Ro 2:1-3 Paul declares that there is a Pharisee in the heart of every Christian who esteems their own morality above others (CP Ga 6:1-3). When Christians judge, they must judge only as fellow-sinners. To think that they are anything other than that, or that they are exempt from the faults which they see in others, is to judge self-righteously and hypocritically, which is forbidden (CP 1Cor 4:3-7; Jas 4:11-12).
Paul and James both teach in these passages of scripture that Christians are not to criticise or condemn each other. No Christian is above criticism and it is God who will judge them all. This is also a rebuke to self-appointed judges in the church. They must not judge another's holiness by their own personal convictions (CP Ro 14:1-13, 22). Paul admonishes Christians here, both strong and weak in the faith not to judge each other. Every Christian is God's servant and is personally responsible to God for what they do aside from what is specifically forbidden. No one will fall who conscientiously follows God in the light of the knowledge they have received. Christians can fellowship with each other in spite of differences of opinion if they do not despise or criticise each other because of their differences. The strong are to bear with the weak and be tolerant of their doubtful practices. They must live in unity with one another (CP Ro 15:1-7 with 1Cor 13:1-7; Ga 5:22-23).