Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:21-22

You have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court. But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court; and whoever speaks contemptuously and insultingly to his brother shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, You cursed fool! [You empty-headed idiot!] shall be liable to and unable to escape the hell (Gehenna) of fire. Matthew 5:21-22

I don’t know about you, but I have been angry and I have called people fools before. Does this mean that I am now unable to escape Hell?

[To be sure] sin was in the world before ever the Law was given, but sin is not charged to men's account where there is no law [to transgress]. Romans 5:13

As we just studied, Jesus has fulfilled all that the law ever required of us, so now sin will never be charged to us. That is an incredible thing to say, but that is Grace. Grace is free, it is unmerited, and it is totally undeserved.

But God's free gift is not at all to be compared to the trespass [His grace is out of all proportion to the fall of man]. For if many died through one man's falling away (his lapse, his offense), much more profusely did God's grace and the free gift [that comes] through the undeserved favor of the one Man Jesus Christ abound and overflow to and for [the benefit of] many. Romans 5:15

For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God's] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Romans 5:17

But then Law came in, [only] to expand and increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting opposition]. But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God's unmerited favor) has surpassed it and increased the more and superabounded, So that, [just] as sin has reigned in death, [so] grace (His unearned and undeserved favor) might reign also through righteousness (right standing with God) which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) our Lord.  Romans 5:20-21

So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit]. Romans 8:4

Here is what I have found, when we focus on what we have to do, we fail. But when we are empowered to understand the Truth that it is not what we have to do, but what Jesus has to do through us, then we will succeed. Too many of us focus on our problems or shortcomings, so we continue to do the things that we do not want to. It is only when we are enlightened by the Spirit to understand that its not what we do, but what Jesus did and is doing for us and that He is completely responsible for us, that we will ever stop the things that we shouldn’t be doing. Now here is the powerful part, there is now no condemnation for us, Romans 8:1, so even if we haven’t yet been fully enlightened with the full power of the Truth, we are still the children of God.