What Does the Bible Say About Fighting and Violence?

Jesus said turn the other cheek AND flipped tables. The Bible's view of violence is more nuanced than either pacifism or blanket permission.

What Does the Bible Say About Weather?

In the Bible, weather isn't random — God sends rain, directs storms, and Jesus commands the wind. Whether that's literal sovereignty or poetic language, the Bible treats nature as under God's authority.

What Are the Beatitudes?

Jesus flipped every value system: blessed are the poor, the mourning, the meek.

What Does the Bible Say About Revenge?

The Bible says revenge belongs to God — not you. That doesn't mean injustice is okay. It means you're not the one who fixes it with payback.

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Day 3 of 7

The Teaching

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The Sermon That _Rewrote_ Everything.

Q: What Does the Bible Say About Bullying?

The Bible calls believers to stand up for the vulnerable, respond with grace, and never return evil for evil.

Q: What Does the Bible Say About War?

The Bible contains wars commanded by God AND commands to love your enemies. Here's how Christians have understood both.

Q: What Does the Bible Say About Guns?

The Bible gives principles on violence, self-defense, and the value of human life.

Q: What Is Matthew About?

Matthew at a glance — authorship, date, key themes, and why it's in the Bible.

Q: What's the Difference Between the Old and New Testament?

The Old Testament is the setup. The New Testament is the payoff. Same God, same story — but the covenant changes everything.

Q: What Does the Bible Say About Pornography?

The word 'pornography' isn't in the Bible, but Jesus' teaching on lust makes the principle clear. The direction is unmistakable.

Matthew 5 — The sermon that satisfies no one and changes everyone

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Key Takeaways

Jesus told his followers they already are salt and light — not that they need to become it. Identity before action.

The Beatitudes bless the grieving, the gentle, and the persecuted — not a single name on the list would make anyone's 'winning at life' roster, and that's the point.
Jesus didn't lower the bar on the Law — he raised it, showing that outward rule-keeping means nothing if anger, lust, and dishonesty are running unchecked inside.
Real integrity means your word doesn't need backup — let your yes be yes, because trustworthy people don't need oaths or fine print.
The finale: love your enemies. Not because you're weak, but because you're operating from a completely different playbook.

📢 Chapter 5 — The Sermon That Rewrote Everything 🏔️

The crowds had been building for weeks. People were coming from everywhere — , the , , , beyond the — because had become impossible to ignore. Healings, teachings, an nobody had seen before.

Inside this Chapter

Love Anger Shame Justice Identity Marriage Integrity Sexuality

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Sermon on the Mount

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What Does the Bible Say About Bullying?

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What Does the Bible Say About War?

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What Does the Bible Say About Guns?

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What Is Matthew About?

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What's the Difference Between the Old and New Testament?

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What Does the Bible Say About Pornography?

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Reflect

Jesus set a standard higher than the religious leaders of his day. Does that feel intimidating or liberating?

Which specific teaching challenges you the most personally?

So he went up on a mountainside, sat down, and his gathered close. What came next was a sermon that would reshape everything — three full chapters, no breaks.

Who God Actually Blesses ✨

Grief

opened with a list of — and not a single one went where anyone expected. In that culture, "" meant you had the influence, the success story, the everyone envied. Jesus completely inverted it:

"Blessed are those who know they're spiritually empty — the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them.

Blessed are those who are grieving — they will be comforted.

Blessed are the gentle — they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who are desperate for righteousness — they will be completely satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful — they'll receive mercy in return.

Blessed are the pure in heart — they will see God face to face.

Blessed are those who make peace — they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing what's right — the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."

Then he looked straight at them:

"When people insult you, persecute you, and make up terrible things about you because of me — be glad. Genuinely glad. Your reward in heaven is great. They did the same thing to the Prophets who came before you."

Notice who made the list. The grieving. The gentle. The persecuted. Jesus was announcing a that runs on completely different rules.

You Already Are 💡

didn't tell them what to work on. He told them what they already were:

"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt goes bland? It's worthless. You throw it out.

You are the light of the world. You don't light a lamp and stick it under a bucket. You put it where everyone can see it.

Let your light shine in front of everyone. Let them see the good you do and give glory to your Father in heaven."

He didn't say "become salt." He said "you ARE salt." That's not a self-improvement plan — it's an identity. Salt preserves. Light reveals. The only question is whether you'll stop hiding what's already there.

He Didn't Come to Tear It Down 📜

You can imagine the getting nervous. Is he dismantling everything? addressed it directly:

"Don't think for a second that I came to abolish The Law or the Prophets. I didn't come to tear them down — I came to fulfill them. Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter, not the finest detail will disappear until everything it points to is accomplished.

Anyone who sets aside even the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same? Least in the kingdom. But whoever practices and teaches them? Great in the kingdom.

And unless your righteousness goes beyond what the Scribes and Pharisees have — you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

The Pharisees were the gold standard of visible — perfect attendance, every right answer, always seen doing the right thing. And Jesus said that's not enough. He wasn't lowering the bar — he was revealing how high it actually is.

It Goes Deeper Than You Think 😠

Anger

Here started a pattern for the of the chapter — take a commandment everyone agreed on, then reveal the real standard underneath:

"You've heard it said, 'Don't murder.' But I'm telling you — anyone who holds anger against a brother or sister is already answerable for it. Anyone who degrades someone is answerable to the court. And anyone who says 'You worthless fool' is in danger of the fire of Hell.

So if you're bringing your offering to God and you remember that someone has something against you — leave your offering right there. Go make things right first. Then come back and worship.

Settle disputes quickly. If you're on your way to court with someone, work it out before you get there. Otherwise the judge may hand you to the officer, and you won't get out until you've paid every last cent."

Most people pass the "don't murder" test. But the anger test? The grudge you've carried for months? doesn't just care about what your hands do. He cares about what's happening inside you.

What You Look At Matters 👀

Sexuality

Same pattern. took the obvious command and traced it to its root:

"You've heard, 'Don't commit adultery.' But I'm telling you — anyone who looks at someone with lustful intent has already committed adultery in their heart.

If your right eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away. It's better to lose one part of yourself than for your whole body to end up in Hell. If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off."

He wasn't being literal. He was using extreme language to make an extreme point: take your boundaries seriously. Whatever is feeding the problem — cut off the access. Don't manage it. Remove it before it removes you.

On Divorce 💔

This is a heavy passage, and treated it that way:

"It has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you — anyone who divorces his wife, except in the case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

He was speaking into a culture where men could end a marriage for almost any reason, and women had no say. Jesus wasn't piling guilt on anyone who's been through divorce. He was restoring the weight of a people had reduced to a contract.

Just Say What You Mean 🤝

Integrity

"You've heard it said, 'Don't break your oaths — keep what you've sworn to the Lord.' But I'm telling you — don't swear oaths at all. Not by heaven — it's God's throne. Not by the earth — it's his footstool. Not by Jerusalem — it's the city of the great King. Don't even swear by your own head — you can't turn a single hair white or black.

Just let your yes be yes and your no be no. Anything beyond that comes from a bad place."

If you're trustworthy, your word doesn't need backup. is describing a kind of that's almost extinct — you shouldn't have to swear on anything for people to believe you. The goal isn't better — it's becoming someone whose word is enough.

The Most Counterintuitive Thing He Ever Said 🕊️

This one would have been shocking in person:

"You've heard, 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.' But I say — don't retaliate against the person who wrongs you. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other one too. If someone sues you for your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If someone forces you to walk one mile, walk two.

Give to the one who asks you. Don't turn away someone who wants to borrow."

This is not about being a doormat. says: don't retaliate. Not because you're weak, but because you're operating from a completely different playbook. You don't match their energy — you overwhelm it with something they never saw coming. That takes more strength than retaliation. Not less.

Love the People You'd Rather Not ❤️

kept the hardest one for last:

"You've heard, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say — love your enemies. Pray for the people who persecute you. Why? So you'll be true children of your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on the evil and the good alike. He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

If you only love the people who love you back, what's remarkable about that? Even tax collectors do that. If you only welcome people in your own circle, how are you any different from anyone else?

Be complete — the way your heavenly Father is complete."

That's the whole arc of chapter 5. Anger, lust, marriage, honesty, retaliation, — every single one, Jesus took the place where people were doing the bare minimum and said: go further. The standard isn't "don't be terrible." The standard is to reflect the character of himself. And that changes everything.