The Sermon on the Mount would certainly be one of the most familiar teachings of Jesus. It is often referred to in various literary writings and political speeches, and those who embrace religions other than Christianity frequently quote it. I would even assume that that when an unbeliever decides to read his Bible, he probably turns to Matthew's Gospel, and before too long he is reading the Sermon on the Mount. However, I would also venture to say that the multitudes that read it, quote from it, or hear it quoted, have absolutely no clue what it really means. Even many Christians have distorted views because of certain theological presuppositions or faulty hermeneutical assumptions. Before we turn our attention to the text of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel, I would like to present several important introductory considerations. Taking time to do this will be beneficial to our study because there is a great deal of diversity of thought as to how the sermon is to be interpreted. Thus we need to to understand the setting in which it was first delivered, and the purpose for which the discourse was given. I also want to expose some of the theories about the purpose of the sermon, because they generally drive the interpretation procedure and method. From there we will set the appropriate guidelines for interpreting this special portion of the word of God.
A course notebook for this series is available at a nominal charge on request.
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Richard Goswiller, M.A., D.B.S., Th.D., is the founder and director of Living in Christ Ministries. Rich was raised in southern California and began his walk with the Lord there in 1975. Rich entered full timeChristian ministry in 1978. Since then, he has been serving the Lord...