Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Matthew

[Sarah Rose]

I also got stuck on this verse. This one actually bothered me the most. Is it really saying if we ever call someone something that we could be sent to hell?

[jimwalton]

Jesus is saying that murder is not the true problem, but the anger that wells up in the heart and demeanor on the way to murder. If we could stop the escalation, we would never get to the perpetration! (Ha, I just made that up.) He uses the "rule of three," with each verse a little bit louder and a little bit worse.

The first is anger. Anger is always an attack. It's the beginning of hostile feelings, the first steps in the road to doing something wrong. The angry word is like a punch or a stab, but with words. This kind of malicious attitude and action is wrong and disrupts one's relationship with God.

The next step is name-calling, slander or contempt. It's not just anger, but letting anger motivate one to disrespect, verbal attack, words of spite and insult—verbally despising and putting down another. Acting on your anger in inappropriate ways is worse than having the feelings of anger and just seething inside.

The third one is the Greek word Μωρέ, where we get our word "moron." It is laid out by Jesus as sort of a curse pronounced from one to another, not just name-calling. Now this person has crossed another line, not just feeling angry and not just insulting, but actually wishing detriment and harm to the other person. It's a loss of control and compassion that motivates one to honestly wish harm to another, possibly even to the point of perpetrating harm to the other. You can see how this is the road to murder. Jesus says they're all wrong, from the first infraction to the final action.

In direct answer to your question, he's not just talking about calling someone something or carelessly (or even meaning it) tossing out an insult. We shouldn't call names, and we should toss out insults, but those are more in "Stage 1" of what Jesus is saying, not "Stage 3."

Does that help? Feel free to talk more if ya want to.

[Sarah Rose]

That makes a lot of sense. I'm still stuck though—say we get to "stage 3" does that mean we have a chance to go to hell? Not that I'm planning on it haha but the thought that you could do something to not allow you to go to Heaven even after you've asked for forgiveness is something I've never heard in any teachings. This section in Matthew has definitely created quite a few questions!

[jimwalton]

Great question. The Bible is quite clear that we go to heaven if we have the nature of Jesus, and you don't go to heaven if you are still in your sin nature. Heaven doesn't have to do with being good or bad, but with whether we've been re-created from our sin nature into Jesus' nature. Let's just make sure we're clear about that.

Look carefully at the verse. Jesus says that people at "Stage 3" "will be in danger of the fire of hell." Did you catch it? He doesn't guarantee that people who do that are going to hell. His point is that those who continue in a lifestyle and attitude of ignoring God's Word and will, taking upon themselves the power and "right" to bless and curse others, perpetrating harm and possibly even injury—these are not God's people. God's people don't act this way, and therefore this person is in great danger of hell.

The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus' manifesto of the new Kingdom of God. It's a lifestyle guide of what it means to be a child of God, and how to have a relationship with Him. In this text Jesus is saying that you're not being godly just because you don't murder people. That's not good enough. We also have to be godly in our attitudes, in our hearts, and even how we think about other people and how we treat them. It's a whole package, not just not being a terrible person (a murderer).

[Sarah Rose]

So in short it's basically a warning to those that say that they believe but don't do anything to change. For example a friend who says they believe in God but makes no effort to know him or try to follow what is asked of us? If we are truly trying to be more like Christ and follow what he wants for us then that is when we know we have a place in Heaven? Sorry to bother you! Just an important topic I thought I understood but turns out I didn't completely.

[jimwalton]

Yeah, that's a decent summary. Beware of false religious stances that don't have any substance. True Christianity will transform every part of your life, not just your schedule on Sunday morning. Good to talk to you!