The Christian's life light

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (kjv)

• A Christian should shine as a light in this world so people see their good works. 
• A Christian’s good works should be visible so people will glorify God the Father in heaven.
• Therefore a Christian should reflect God’s glorious light and not his own glory. 
• The true Christian should always direct the unbeliever towards praising God: not to themselves, a mortal sinner. 
• The Christian only has good works because of the work of God in him. 
• Without God, a Christian’s works are no different to anyone else's and he would cease to be a Christian.

Don't be saltless

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. (kjv)

It is important that the doctrine of the messenger is always profitable. Theology should never just be a purely academic exercise. Profitable teaching should always have a positive effect in seasoning those that accept the message. The bearer of the message ought to be seasoned in both word and deed.

For example, a religious doctrine that preaches righteousness through your own works is vain: it is without seasoning. A doctrine that teaches righteousness through Christ’s righteousness is valuable and full of flavour.

Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (kjv)

The scribes and Pharisees were often portrayed as having a very proud self righteous view of themselves. Those who are justified before God are those who are humble before him coming without their own righteousness. 

Read Luke 18:14 if you would like to read an example of this.

Be this the right attitude? part 8

Matthew 5:10, Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: (kjv)

If we are to be peace makers bringing the gospel of peace, it is likely that we will suffer persecution.

It is often those that try the hardest to bring peace that receive the least peace in return.

The love of a faithful servant is not usually reciprocated by the hearer, if it isn’t understood or appreciated. However, love is reciprocated in those that do understand the message of peace.

Be this the right attitude? part 7

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peace makers: for they shall be called the children of God. (kjv)

How do we become peace makers? Is it our own efforts at Christian peace that we must somehow bring to others? Is it all about our works and our ability to be tolerant of others? Is it about our doing lots of good things in order to make everyone happy? I don’t think so!

In Ephesians 2:14 we are told where peace can be found. It says, ‘He is our peace’: the Lord Jesus Christ is our peace. He gives us life. He makes it possible for us to be renewed and to live out the Christian life. He has removed the barrier between man and God. God’s peace is about bringing about oneness of relationship between God and his people. It is about the Lord Jesus Christ who has become the peace of Christians: the mediator between God and us.

So who are the peace makers? Those who proclaim Christ’s peace to all: those who proclaim the gospel.  Matthew 5:9 is about the gospel and evangelism.

In Ephesians 6:15 we are told to have our, “..feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

‘a peacemaker’: one who courageously proclaims God's requirements for making a person whole

Be this the right attitude? part 6

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (kjv)

In order to see God we must be pure. We must not be mixed with any impurities.

How is this possible when we are full of sin? Well, we need to be washed by God. Only the spotless Lamb of God can take away sin.

Psalm 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalm 51:7 ...wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (kjv)

Psalm 51:10, Create in me a clean heart, O God; (kjv)

If we are washed by God, we will certainly see him as he is. To see his purity we must be made pure lest our sin warps our view of him.

Be this the right attitude? part 5

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (kjv)

When a Christian has received mercy from Christ, the 'Bread of Life', he starts to become thankful and loving towards God. Because he comes to appreciate God’s merciful love towards him, he cannot help but love God. His love is born out of his trust in God's love by the Holy Spirit. This love of God and his mercy then helps to motivate him to become more merciful towards others.

1 John 4:19 We love him*, because he first loved us. (kjv)

Some modern scholars remove the word 'him' due to their textual preferences. Personally my textual preference is to keep it in. I'm not going to argue over manuscript evidence in this post, however, I believe this is the beginning of a logical argument through verses 19-21. First he loves us so we then love him. It is natural to reciprocate love to those who love us. This is common sense and fits with verse 19. When a Christian sees the mercy God gives him, he becomes thankful and begins to love him. As we learn to love him, we start to conform to his desires. Because we love his desires we begin to love those who he loves. This theme is developed in verses 20 and 21.

1 John 4:20 “If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar...” (kjv) 

Verse 20 prevents misinterpretation of verse 19. It prevents us professing that we fully love him without the necessary evidence of loving our brother. Verse 20 helps us to understand what loving God really means. The evidence of loving him is when we love our brothers (verse 20). 


It is a bit like this: if a teacher were to say to a class of children, "Have you all washed your hands?" Then, in response, all of the children put up their hands and shout, "Yes!" But then the teacher says, "Why then do your hands still look dirty?" 


The evidence of true hand washing is for your hands to look clean. To apply the example we can say, the evidence of loving God is to love your brother.

In verse 21, again the emphasis is first a focus on loving God and then the evidence of that is to have love for your brother. In verse 19 it makes less sense to me to describe love as a generic, non-specific love, otherwise the progression of loving God to loving our brothers is less apparent. I believe the fruit of God's love is that we love him, and the fruit of loving him is to love your brother.


It is important to remember that no christian has perfect love. We will be made perfect by the Holy Spirit. When a Christian has faith in Christ, a process begins which is called progressive sanctification. God works in them so that they start to become practically righteous. When a Christian's love fails they are forgiven through faith in Christ. 

agapáō 'to love': actively doing the Lord's desire


The type of love we need to have is love which reflects the love Christ has for his people, namely a love that is self-sacrificial and forgiving, love that shows mercy.

Be this the right attitude? part 4

Rumbling for righteousness


Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (kjv)


We must hunger and thirst after righteousness. The idea of hungering and thirsting suggests we are looking for nourishment outside of ourselves. 


The righteousness we should seek is found in the Lord Jesus Christ: the living bread and water of life. It is not found in us, but in Christ.  

Be this the right attitude? part 3

Meek's meaning

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth (kjv)

Meekness in the Biblical sense is nothing to do with weakness: it is all about having strength, but having it with gentleness.

1. We must come to God poor: spiritually destitute of good.

2. We must come to God mourning: figuratively, due to our dead relationship with him.

3. We must come to God meekly. In other words, come with faith of the Holy Spirit which tames our sinful will. Faith enables Christians to be directed by the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. 

Be this the right attitude? part 2

Be aware of your loss


Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: (kjv)

Mourning is what we do when we have lost someone precious. Due to our sin we have lost our relationship with God. We need to recognise this loss and seek him for his righteousness and not our own.

Be this the right attitude? part 1

Christ begins preaching and the first thing he says is:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

Matthew 5:3 (kjv)

If we are to be blessed by God and want to see God’s kingdom, we must first be humble before him. This is the difference between much of the religion of that time and today. Religion is often full of the self righteous. 

First we should come before God humbly accepting our sin and weakness. We must have faith that his is the standard to follow and not ours. We should submit to his words, recognising we are hopeless and helpless without him.

Fighting sin with words

In Matthew 4:4 it says,”..  Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (kjv) Receiving God’s words brings life.

The context of this verse is when the devil tempts Jesus.  The devil suggests that Jesus should turn stones into bread to ease his hunger. Jesus resists the devil by reciting this verse to him. 

In John’s gospel 1:1 Jesus is described as the Word of God, and then in John 6:35 Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (kjv) In a metaphorical sense we need to eat the Word of God.  God’s words must be in us so we can fight temptation. 

In Matthew 4, Christ continues to be tempted by the devil.  Each time he is tempted he uses the words of God to counteract the devil’s temptation.  It is Christ’s righteous, trust in God's words that enables him to overcome temptation.  When we struggle with sin we must understand that the answer to fighting it is not within ourselves.  Strength to fight sin is always by the Holy Spirit convincing us of the words he gives us.  To focus on Jesus Christ, is also to focus on his words: for Jesus is the Word.  It is no good saying to a believer, who is struggling with sin; ‘fight your sin’ unless they have God’s words within them as a sword and faith as a shield.

Whenever we lack anything we are told to ask of God.  In the Lord’s Prayer we are exhorted to ask God for “our daily bread” and to pray, “Lead us not into temptation”. In order to fight sin practically in our lives it is never just a matter of getting on with it and never thinking it through. Today people who spend time thinking about their faith are sometimes thought to be impractical. After all faith is more than just thinking, it’s all about the fruit, isn’t it? Well, in order to overcome sin practically it is necessary for us to prayerfully seek God for his grace and to meditate on his Word. I know I have failed at this and I am sure many others have. In fact this is one reason why I am writing this blog. It is to help me have a more disciplined focus on God’s Word. His word is a matter of life.  It is out of my desperate need for his grace and the knowledge that the world needs it as well. Neither do I see any reason to keep these thoughts private even though they could leave me feeling vulnerable.  To be open is one way to shape faith through testing. We are commanded not to hide under baskets. To my shame I have often retreated at this command.

Christians must continue examining themselves in the light of scripture. What are we looking for when we examine ourselves? Well, are God's words in us by faith, producing some fruit? When we examine ourselves we should not be looking to find ourselves, but God working in us, by his words and Spirit leading us to practical spiritual fruits. O Lord, increase our faith and take away our pride. Help us never to think we can achieve sanctification without you.

However, when we do sin, and we do, there is still hope. Jesus did what we cannot do: he fulfilled the law by overcoming the temptations of the devil and by giving up his life in the place of sinners. He is our advocate when we sin. The Lord asks us to symbolically eat and drink of his body by taking communion together. This again is an act of humility, expressing our need of him to forgive us and sustain us. The idea of eating anyone is hideous to me. Yet it is by this thought that we remember that it was because of our sins that Christ died. It is by spiritually consuming him that we can have life. God justifies us and then promises to renew us by his Spirit: God working in us, not forcing us in every decision we make, but healing us where our decisions are broken and making sure nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Are you a snake’s offspring?

Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 

8, bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: (kjv)

Here we have John the Baptist who had been preaching,”Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.  He had been preaching in the wilderness of Judea.  People from Jerusalem, Judea and from around Jordan had come to John the Baptist confessing their sins.  They were baptised by him in the river Jordan.  When John saw that there were many Pharisees and Sadducees amongst those who had come to his baptism he calls them a ‘generation of vipers’. These two groups were both very religious and often concerned with their own self-righteousness.

 The way John speaks to them sounds quite harsh and judgmental.  The phrase ‘generation of vipers’, I am informed, was an expression used to express those filled with malice; those with evil intent. How might you feel if someone called you an offspring of a snake? By calling these groups, John illustrates who they were and that their teachings were harmful or poisonous. He is not judging them in a condemnatory way. He is not passing sentence on them. It is not wrong to point out faults in others provided we remain humble and do it out of love.

                Often when someone points out a fault in us we can feel wronged. After all, doesn’t Jesus say it is wrong to judge one another? Well, judgement is different from correction. Judgment brings with it destruction whereas correction will hopefully lead us to repentance: a turning to what is right. I don’t think it is easy for us to get used to being told that we are wrong by others. However, this is not always a bad thing provided it is said to us by those who love us. We must never despise the correction of those who are looking out for our welfare. Indeed it is those who turn a blind eye and never seek to correct us that probably love us the least. For example, if a father only wants to be popular with his children he may never correct them due to his fear of losing popularity. A loving father always corrects, as necessary, for the sake of his children's welfare, not just for his power or ego trip. Discipline must always be carefully measured and mixed with an abundant expression of love.  God gives immeasurable love to his children, but only ever gives measured discipline to them; just for a season. He never deals them a hand of judgement once they are his. His love removes sin as far as the east is from the west and therefore deals with guilt.

Sometimes the person that appears to be most against us is the one that loves us the most. However, be careful to understand the difference between someone who genuinely cares for you and an abuser of power. The abuser will ask you to do things for the abuser's profit and not your betterment. Those that love you care about your life choices and desire your success. However, no one loves perfectly and there needs to be a huge place for forgiveness in our relationships. God tells us, those he loves, he corrects. Although John the Baptist may have sounded harsh he actually doesn’t seek to prevent the Pharisees and Sadducees from finding peace with God. He told them in verse 8 to be fruitful in repentance. He gave them good advice that would have helped them if they had listened. Rather than being so self righteous, they should have come humbly before God, accepting their unrighteousness. A necessary step to changing for the better is to accept our own emptiness and need of God and then he can fill us with his righteousness.  We need to be shown our faults in order to know about our need to change.  God first of all reveals to us our sin by his law. He criticises us to show us our need of him and then he turns our eyes towards his salvation away from our sin. As a loving father and shepherd he then leads us in every area of our lives, by loving correction and instruction, leading us towards practical righteousness.

Is there a Christian class system? 3 of 3

3 of 3

If you haven’t already read the first or second parts of this post please click the links:

Part One

Part Two

Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (kjv)

Following on from yesterday’s post we now have an insightful comment with regard to the scriptures.  When preaching or teaching God’s word, it is always important to get things in context and give the correct emphasis.  In order to prevent objection to the instruction of supporting the weaker christian brother or sister, we are now given the reason as to why the Scriptures were written.

The whole of these scriptures, their historical accounts, the examples of the Fathers, the Prophets, the records of God’s laws, judgements, power, grace and love to mankind etc. was all for a reason: that it might lead his people to hope. 

Therefore, we should then support the weaker brother or sister with humility so they might be edified toward that hope. The Bible always leads towards hope for the believer. Christ is the believer's hope.