Our Father (Matthew 6:9-15)

“The simple, possessive pronoun, ‘your’ on Sinai, and now the simple possessive pronoun ‘our’ on the New Testament mountain, join the people of God to God. God was not introduced to Israel, coldly and formally as ‘Yahweh, the God,’ but warmly as ‘Yahweh, your God.’ And now in the same spirit, God is given to us not only as the Father, but as ‘Our Father.’ The ‘our’ means we belong and are at home. It is a possessive pronoun, meaning that God the Father owns us yet gives himself to us so that he is ours and we are his. In the simple word ‘our’ is the joy of the whole gospel. We will never be able to calculate the honor that has been done us by being allowed to say, ‘Our Father.’’’

—F.D. Bruner, Matthew, A Commentary

Dead to Sin Alive to God (Romans 6:5-11)

“It might have been possible, we could say, before Christ rose from the dead, for someone to wonder whether creation was a lost cause.  If the creature constantly acted to uncreate itself, and with itself to uncreate the rest of creation, did this not mean that God’s handiwork was flawed beyond hope of repair? … Before God raised Jesus from the dead, the hope that we call ‘gnostic,’ the hope for redemption from creation rather than hope for the redemption of creation, might have appeared to be the only possible hope. ‘But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead…’ (1 Cor. 15:20). That fact rules out those other possibilities, for in the second Adam the first is rescued.  The deviance of his will, its fateful leaning towards death, has not been allowed to uncreate what God created.”

— Oliver O’Donovan, Resurrection and Moral Order

Perfect Love (Matthew 5:43-48)

“Nine Ascending steps of loving one’s enemy: 1.) take no evil initiative; 2.) do not avenge another’s evil; 3.) Be quiet; 4.) suffer wrongfully; 5.) surrender to the evil doer more than he demands; 6.) do not hate the evil doer; 7.) Love him; 8.) Do him good; 9.) Entreat God on his behalf.”

—John Chrysostom, 5th Century Church Father

The Gravity of Human Speech (Matthew 5:33-37)

“I once heard the worst thing
A man can do is draw a hungry crowd
To tell everyone his name, pride and confidence
But leaving out his doubt
I’m not sure I bought those words
When I was young, I knew most everything
These words have never meant as much to anyone
As they now mean to me
The weight of lies will bring you down
And follow you to every town
‘Cause nothing happens here
That doesn’t happen there
So when you run, make sure you run
To something and not away from
‘Cause lies don’t need an aeroplane
To chase you down”

— The Avett Brothers “The Weight of Lies”

Jesus Fulfills the Law (Matthew 5:21-26)

Q. 135. What are the duties required in the sixth commandment?

A. The duties required in the sixth commandment are, all careful studies, and lawful endeavours, to preserve the life of ourselves and others by resisting all thoughts and purposes, subduing all passions, and avoiding all occasions, temptations, and practices, which tend to the unjust taking away the life of any; by just defence thereof against violence, patient bearing of the hand of God, quietness of mind, cheerfulness of spirit; a sober use of meat, drink, physic, sleep, labor, and recreation; by charitable thoughts, love, compassion, meekness, gentleness, kindness; peaceable, mild, and courteous speeches and behavior: forbearance, readiness to be reconciled, patient bearing and forgiving of injuries, and requiting good for evil; comforting and succoring the distressed, and protecting and defending the innocent. 

— Westminster Larger Catechism

The Role of the Law (Matthew 5:17-20)

“[Jesus] is saying that our attitude to the law of God is an index of our attitude to God himself. If we treat the law lightly and encourage others to do so, we show that we are strangers to the promise of the new covenant in Christ. But if we love and keep even the least of the Lord’s commandments, and we encourage others to do so as well, that is a sure mark that we love Christ and belong to his kingdom.”

— Sinclair Ferguson