3 underlying questions for red letter People

 Read Matthew 5.

With the exception of four verses, every word in Matthew chapters five through seven are quotations from Jesus in what has become known as the Sermon on the Mount.  He covered a wide and diverse range of subjects that pertain to nearly every area of our spiritual, personal, and relational lives.  For this reason, several well-known phrases have emerged. 

1. "Just live by the Sermon on the Mount."
This statement comes from those who are asking how a person should live to please God.  In other words, if we behave and treat others as prescribed in these three chapters, then God will surely see our good works and accept us into His heaven.

The question is, "How does a person get to go to heaven?"
It is not by our good works.  It is only when one places their personal trust in Jesus for forgiveness of their sin.  Jesus said (also in red letters), "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  Good works is the proof of our genuine faith, not how one becomes a follower of Jesus.

2. "I only trust the red letters of the Bible."
A German by the name of Louis Klopsch (1852-1910), wondered if publishing a Bible with the words of Jesus printed in red ink was a good idea because there were no quotation markings in the King James Version.  In 1901, with the encouragement of T. De Witt Talmage, he did just that.  Over time, some have erroneously taken those red letters to be of more importance than the black ones.  That was never the intent of the Holy Spirit, the writers of the Scriptures, and the publishers.

 

The question is, "What is the Bible?"
Jesus said in 5:18, "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."  That reference is to all the Law and the Prophets; in other words, the entire Old Testament.  His mention of every single detail demonstrates Jesus' belief in the inerrancy of all Scripture. 

3. "Jesus never said anything about that."
This statement has become a mantra of sorts by those who do not know the Bible very well in order to justify some sinful behavior or false doctrine.  In an effort to be politically correct in an ever-challenging and changing culture, the attempt is to ignore the parts of the Bible that are undesirable.  Mainline denominations and their leaders continue to relax their beliefs and their standards so they may be popularly accepted by the rebellious.

The question is, "How are we to evaluate current issues and events?"
The Holy Spirit guided the Apostle Paul to pen, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."  Instead of changing one's behavior to align with God's word, culture will always want to change the teaching to rationalize their conflicting behaviors.

But for those who are committed to the words of Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount, a warning is included.  "Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven..."  (v.19a).