Saturday, September 12, 2009

On Words, Hell, and Morons

21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

- Matthew 5:21f (NASB)

Jesus' teachings from the Sermon on the Mount are already convicting. After reading it in the Greek I was all the more convicted. Here is what struck me the most. In vs. 22 fiery hell is literally... fiery hell (hies ten geennen tou puros) and fool is the word moros (the word where moron comes from). The summary is, words are not simply noises. With intention and meaning there is eternal ramification. Even with something as mundane and simple as words my soul must submit to Christ. It's something simple but it's a good reminder: indeed, I am great sinner. And thankfully I have a great Savior who appeased the wrath of God, nullified the curse of death, and died in my place for my sins. Indeed, I am justified by faith in Christ alone.

1 comment:

Ched said...

Thanks for these good "words."