by William Perkins
in ePub, .mobi & .pdf formats
Edited by Honza Pokorny <[email protected]> December 3, 2018 in Canada
“Hereof I have chosen to entreat,” says Perkins, “because it is a most divine and learned sermon, and may not unfitly be called the ‘Key to the whole Bible’; for here Christ opens the sum of the Old and New Testaments.” The fact that Perkins saw the Sermon on the Mount as unlocking the meaning of Scripture in its entirety suggests that his understanding of what Christ declares in Matthew 5–7 was pivotal to the development of his theology and piety.
“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying..” Matthew 5:1,2
The Sermon on the Mount is clearly one of the most spiritually rich, yet misunderstood, sections of sacred Scripture. This sermon is one of the most studied, quoted, yet also ignored, chapters of God’s Word. “The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed.” The Savior’s sermon is crucial—for it is one of the lengthiest, most complete expositions of what Christ expects from His disciples in their attitudes, behavior and service to God. (Schwertley) In our day of antinomianism, the church growth movement, the health and wealth prosperity gospel, the so-called progressive Christian movement, nationalist evangelicals, Charismatic mysticism and widespread nominalism, the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is as needed and relevant as ever.
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