Matthew 5:33-48
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Reflection
The word “perfect” here refers to completeness and maturity (Matt. 5:48). It is possible to do many good deeds and still not be “perfect” in this sense. The perfection Jesus is speaking of is a heartfelt devotion to God that finds him more satisfying than anything else. In this sense, those who believe in Jesus are “perfect” because their satisfaction and complete trust are in God. In light of the outrageous love of Christ shown in his suffering and death on our behalf, we are free to bank all our hopes on this Savior.
Romans 4:1-12
4: What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Reflection
Both Abraham (Rom. 4:1–3) and David (vv. 6–8) found earthly and eternal favor in God’s sight. Because they believed in God’s promises, he graciously gave them a clean and perfect record (“righteousness”; vv. 3, 5), despite their sin. This gift “covered” their sin (v. 7) so that they will not receive a guilty verdict on the day of judgment (v. 8).
Abraham serves as “the father of all who believe” (v. 11) in the sense that those who hear and receive the gospel “walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had” (v. 12). Just as Abraham did not earn God’s favor through some meritorious act or religious ritual, Christ’s followers are accepted by God apart from any of their own moral achievements or religious exercises. We are declared righteous (“justified”) by faith apart from our works (3:28).
Psalm 109:30-31
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. 31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.
Those who genuinely put their hope in Christ will not be condemned on the day of judgment because they have already been declared “righteous” in God’s courtroom. Believe God’s promise and bring your praise and requests to him with confidence in the finished work of Christ.