The Sermon on the Mount as a guide for the 21st Century?!?!

Could we?

Should we?

Would we?

Bill and I have been faced with similar questions from two fronts. We both participate in a book study group which has been reading What’s So Amazing About Graceby Philip Yancey.
For four weeks the topic of discussion has been forgiveness. We all agree that forgiveness is an unnatural act for us. After all, why should we forgive? What’s the payback?

We have also been confronted with similar issues in another small group that we are part of. This is a group of five men who meet every Thursday morning at 6:30 AM. Our current Thursday morning pastime is reading the sermons of John Wesley.
We are on the second of three volumes in this series. This volume includes thirteen sermons, all from the Sermon on the Mount as told in Chapters 3-5 of The Gospel of Matthew.
Unlike the book study group, this group doesn’t read at home and get together to discuss. We read the sermons aloud, together on Thursday mornings. The group consists at present of a United Methodist minister, a Church of Christ minister, a United Methodist Youth Director, and Bill and I.

So many questions ........

Are the teachings of Jesus meant to be taken literally as a guide for Christian lifestyle?

Or..

Are the teachings of Jesus only meant to show us how life will be in the Kingdom of Heaven?

But...

Once we are baptized by water and the Spirit, aren’t we then citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven?

As citizens of the Kingdom, how are we to live?
This kind of thinking makes my head hurt.

We are the salt of the earth. How do we show our saltiness? Have we lost our saltiness? Have we hidden our lamp under a basket?

Let’s just see what the Sermon on the Mount tells us about forgiveness.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
(Mat 5:7 ESV)

Will we not receive mercy if we are not merciful?

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 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. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
(Mat 5:38-41 ESV)

Is this possible? How long would we last if we just lay down and let the bad guys rough us up? Where is the justice in that? After all, justice is the American way, right?

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 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.
(Mat 5:43-45 ESV)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
(Mat 5:9 ESV)

That’s two separate references that mentions “Sons of God” along with a call to make peace or forgive your enemies. If we don’t forgive our enemies or work for peace, are we disqualified from being “Sons of God”?

Here’s a hard one:

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
(Mat 6:14-15 ESV)

With the basis of all Christian doctrine being forgiveness of sin, how can we resolve this thought? Is my forgiveness of others a prerequisite of my forgiveness by God?

And finally:

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
(Mat 7:1-2 ESV)

I read a very interesting article about a year or so ago. I can’t even remember where. This article was written during the time everyone was all riled up because of attempts to remove monuments of the Ten Commandments from public buildings, specifically from courthouses. The article made a valid point: If we really wanted to show the world that we are a Christian nation, founded on Christian principles, instead of placing monuments of the Ten Commandments, we should place monuments dedicated to the Sermon on the Mount. Can’t you just imagine, emblazoned across the wall behind the bench of every courthouse:

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
(Mat 7:1-2 ESV)

and:

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
(Mat 5:7 ESV)

If you were a juror, what effect would that have on you? If Christians lived this way, what effect would it have on the world?