Full of WorrySýnishorn

The character of salvation

The Sermon on the Mount is a sermon full of contrasts. It begins with the beatitudes, then the Lord goes on to describe the character of His people. As He does that, He’s describing the character of salvation because what is different in His people is explained by salvation. Our Lord declares the character of those who will inherit the Kingdom. Then, He describes, in one category after another, how His people are different from the rest of the world and different from religious hypocrites.

The Lord’s emphasis throughout this sermon addresses the Pharisees because they were so influential in the lives of the Jewish people. But more than once throughout this sermon, the Lord also makes mention of pagans and gentiles. God’s people, His church, are different from the rest of the world.

Children of God are not to be like those who would use religious excuses to take advantage of other people. Nor are we to retaliate when we’re mistreated. We must be different in our giving, different in our praying and fasting, and different with the things we see as treasure and what we’re pursuing in this life. As a result, we’re different in where we devote our service, what we prioritize, and what we’re committed to. What is non-negotiable with us is different from what the rest of the world considers non-negotiable.

God’s people are also distinguished by their trust in God. The world of lost humanity does not trust God because it doesn’t know Him. This is why the world is full of worry, anxiety, and pride: self-confidence, self-reliance, and self-protection. An unsaved man doesn’t trust God. He trusts himself.

Not so with God’s people. God is faithful to His people. We look to our Father in Heaven, and we trust Him to take care of us. As we see with each of the distinctives from the beatitudes, we can truthfully say that we will be different because our Lord has saved us. We will be characterized over a lifetime by our trust in God.