Salvation vs Condemnation: Matthew 12
score:2
I think Jesus is trying to say a few things here.
Given the context, I think he's warning against hypocrisy. He calls his listeners a "brood of vipers" - they are hypocrites for trying to sound good when, at the heart, they are evil. They are painting their bad fruit to look good.
Watch your mouth. Like James, ("the tongue is a fire"), he warns that even a careless word of spite or a biting remark is a sin, a sin against a holy God, and as such it warrants punishment. On an eternal scale, sinful words are no different from sinful deeds.
Heart ⇒ Mouth. What you say comes from what you think, which comes from who you are. Ultimately, evil or unkind words only come from an evil person.
So Jesus isn't contradicting salvation by grace; rather, he's proving its premise: depravity. Everyone says things they shouldn't, and if evil words really come from an evil hard, everyone is sinful at heart and deserves God's wrath and condemnation.
But grace offers a change of heart. Because Jesus had a perfect heart, he never spoke a wrong word. He always spoke good, and his record of righteousness is transferred to us. Not only do we get a clean record (so God looks at our words and sees Christ's), we also get a new heart so that we begin to speak without evil.
Upvote:1
But those who reject Christ, who curse him, for instance, would not be accepting his gift.
So there are two points:
If it is as he says, out of the mouth the heart speaks, those who curse God with their words may be revealing that they do not accept him in their heart, which is to say, they do not accept the salvation that he offers them. This is directed at all people - particularly the Pharisees - who were supposedly holy people, but would curse Christ and condemn him to death. How could any of them claim to be holy if they were condemning God with their mouth? And furthermore, will God accept those who do not accept him?
Even more subtly, the words you speak affect how you act; so one who speaks ill and curses all of his life will fill himself with evils and set his heart on wickedness. A person should not expect for themselves that they can live in such a way and then have a sudden turn around just in time to accept the thing they have been rejecting all of their life to fulfill their desires?
This appears to be addressed to all readers and hearers, but it is not to be applied by the reader or hearer to another person besides themselves.
Upvote:1
Quick answer
This message is for the Pharisees, whom Jesus is rebuking for their self-righteousness. The Pharisees were very confused about their spiritual condition, so Jesus was trying yet again to show them their wickedness and need for a Savior. There is no conflict between this passage and salvation by grace.
Explanation
The Context of Scripture
This might go without saying, but the spiritual truth that God is trying to communicate through scripture is a lot "bigger" and is very "different" than the way we generally think of things. (Isaiah 55:8-9) Throughout the Bible, I get the sense that God is continually trying to "explain it a different way..." or "in other words..." or "approach it from a different angle", in hopes that once we have seen truth from all of these different angles, we might finally have a clear picture of what reality actually looks like from God's perspective. (e.g. Hebrews 1-2)
For this reason, I think it is important to seek "God's meaning" by careful study of all of the relevant passages, rather than focusing too much on the details of word definitions, etc. (Matthew 4:1-8)
"Bad Tree!"
Jesus is clearly trying to make a point by drawing a contrast between "good trees" and "bad trees". He is talking to a very confused group of people (the Pharisees) who think that being "religious" is the same as being "good". Jesus, once again, is trying to explain that they are not "good". This time he is pointing out the wicked things that are coming out of their mouths, and indicating that they will be judged for every last one of them. (Consider the context of the passage - blaspheming the Spirit.)
Salvation
Is Jesus teaching "salvation by words"? Not really. (Mark 7:6-7, James 2:14-17) If He was, we would all go to Hell. (James 3:2, 2:10) We should understand this passage in the same way that we understand the law... it is the perfect standard of God, which we should all live up to, but which no man actually does live up to, and which we will all be judged by... (James 2:10-11, Matthew 5:48) ...unless we return to Him and are cleansed from our sin by His gracious gift of salvation via the sinless sacrifice of Christ. (Romans 3:19, Galatians 5:18)
Judgment Day
I may be wrong in this, but to me it looks like "judgment day" is reserved for the wicked, and the "righteous ones" aren't there for that event... (Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15, 2 Peter 3:7, John 3:18)
More post
- 📝 Why did God only cure Naaman?
- 📝 144,000: is there any denomination or group holding this symbolic interpretation?
- 📝 Could you please help me locate this hymn?
- 📝 Is the eternal life unique as it is?
- 📝 What is an overview of arguments given by churches that allow women to plait their hair to support that practice? (1 Peter 3:1-6)
- 📝 What are the Catholic Church's instruction on kneeling down in prayer in churches?
- 📝 According to the Catholic Church, is taking Anabolic Steroids for enhanced physique and greater workout power sinful?
- 📝 What was Samuel Rutherford's view on the role of pastors in wedding ceremonies?
- 📝 Is there a significance of the "Christian name"?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for the husband being the main/(sole) provider?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, why are some demons more difficult to cast out than others?
- 📝 Would frozen holy water still retain its blessing?
- 📝 Do any Protestant denominations organize a canon starting from a collection of books other than the Roman Catholic Church's canon?
- 📝 What do Christians mean by "Jesus took our illnesses upon himself on the cross" and why?
- 📝 Does reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation change a Catholic's standing the Church?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, can you hit someone in self defence?
- 📝 View on divorce after civil marriage in Protestant Churches?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, when a person dies, is that person's spirit/soul limited as to where it can be present?
- 📝 Christ in the context of Predestination
- 📝 Why do Christians thank God for specific things?
- 📝 Why do Jehovah's Witnesses have a problem with my relationship with one of their members?
- 📝 What movement was Chesterson writing about in "Orthodoxy"
- 📝 Are there other explanations of ”right hand” than masturbation (Matthew 5:30)?
- 📝 Christ doesn't come back until ______?
- 📝 Are translations of the book of Mormon into other languages made from English, or are the golden plates stashed in a temple somewhere?
- 📝 How do we get morals?
- 📝 When a Jehovah's Witness is reinstated how does the congregation react?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, why do we need a resurrection if we have an immortal soul?
- 📝 Questions about soul
- 📝 How does a non-God Jesus sitting as King forever correct the rejection of God as King that began in Samuel's day?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How does Matthew 25:31-46 ("The Sheep and the Goats") reconcile with salvation by faith?
- 📝 Salvation vs Condemnation: Matthew 12
- 📝 How do the proponents of the doctrine that salvation can't be lost usually explain Matthew 7:21-23?
- 📝 Biblical basis for baptism as a prerequisite for salvation
- 📝 What is the Roman Catholic view on Matthew 23:9?
- 📝 Is the "sinner's prayer" important for salvation and why?
- 📝 What did Jesus mean by "this generation will certainly not pass away.." in Matthew 24:34?
- 📝 How do Protestants interpret Matthew 16:13–20?
- 📝 How does the Catholic church explain Matthew 19:9, which seems to allow divorce in case of sexual misconduct?
- 📝 Are there Old Testament Scriptures that mention salvation for the Gentiles?
- 📝 If both the Orthodox and Catholic Church affirm salvation by grace through faith, why did the Protestant Reformation happen?
- 📝 Why does the (N)KJV put Jesus' name in all caps in Matthew 1:21 and Luke 1:31?
- 📝 Why does the Salvation Army not administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper?
- 📝 What does Matthew 5:27-30 ("Cast off your eye/hand/etc") mean?
- 📝 How does the Arminian view of salvation account for God's sovereignty?
- 📝 What is the message of Matthew 9:5?
- 📝 Is there a significant difference between salvation by faith with works and salvation by faith and works?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for salvation by faith alone (sola fide)?
- 📝 In what language was the Book of Matthew written?
- 📝 What does "gates of hell" mean in Matthew 16:18?
- 📝 Did Satan really not understand God's salvation plan?
- 📝 Are there any Christian groups that follow Matthew 23:9?
- 📝 How do the proponents of the idea that salvation once received cannot be lost explain Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26-29?
- 📝 How is the view of guaranteed salvation for infants justified?
- 📝 On the topic of marriage in heaven, how does the LDS church reconcile Matthew 22:23-33?
- 📝 How is Matthew 24:36 explained by trinitarians?
- 📝 How is Matthew 18: 8-9 explained in the context of non works-based salvation?
- 📝 Is Levi from Luke 5:27 and Mark 2:14 referring to the apostle Matthew
- 📝 How does 1 John 2:19 fit with the teaching that Christians can lose their salvation
- 📝 What is the Plan of Salvation in LDS theology?