Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel

by Russell D. Moore

On the other hand, many Christians act as though the Sermon on the Mount is comforting—a list of wise sayings to be crocheted and hanged on the wall. The Sermon on the Mount ought, though, to terrify us. Jesus articulated the righteousness of the kingdom, what sort of person would be an heir to it. And it’s devastating. Jesus pointed out that God’s law is not about merely external obedience, but about the direction of our psyches. It’s not just the furtive cheater who is an adulterer, but also the one who is enflamed with desire for those he should not have. It’s not just the fugitive killer who is a murderer, but also the one who is embittered with hatred. If we really get what Jesus was saying, we ought to be undone by this.