John Stott's exposition of Matthew 5-7 emerged from his decades of preaching and teaching at All Souls Church, Langham Place, where he wrestled with making Jesus's most famous discourse accessible to modern congregations. Writing in 1978, Stott addressed a widespread tendency to either dismiss the Sermon on the Mount as impossibly idealistic or to reduce it to general moral principles, seeking instead to recover its intended force as both ethical instruction and gospel proclamation.
Stott argues that the Sermon functions as Jesus's manifesto of kingdom living, describing not laws for earning salvation but the character and conduct expected of those already transformed by God's grace. He demonstrates how the Beatitudes establish the fundamental attitudes of kingdom citizens, while the subsequent teachings on salt and light, law and righteousness, and love for enemies flow naturally from this foundation. Rather than presenting an impossible standard, Stott contends that Jesus describes the new life made possible through regeneration, though he acknowledges the ongoing struggle between the old nature and the new. His treatment of difficult passages like turning the other cheek and going the extra mile emphasizes their call to creative, costly love rather than passive submission to evil.
This commentary has endured because Stott combines careful exegesis with pastoral wisdom, avoiding both legalistic interpretation and antinomian dismissal of Jesus's ethical demands. His balanced approach has influenced evangelical preaching and discipleship training for decades, offering a framework for understanding Christian ethics that takes Jesus's words seriously while remaining grounded in grace. Pastors preparing to preach on the Sermon and Christians seeking to understand how Jesus's teachings apply to contemporary life will find Stott's careful verse-by-verse exposition invaluable. Those looking for detailed technical commentary or innovative scholarly insights may prefer more specialized academic works.
Message of the Sermon on the Mount
by John R. W. Stott
John Stott's exposition of Matthew 5-7 emerged from his decades of preaching and teaching at All Souls Church, Langham Place, where he wrestled with making Jesus's most famous discourse accessible to modern congregations. Writing in 1978, Stott addressed a widespread tendency to either dismiss the Sermon on the Mount as impossibly idealistic or to reduce it to general moral principles, seeking instead to recover its intended force as both ethical instruction and gospel proclamation.
Stott argues that the Sermon functions as Jesus's manifesto of kingdom living, describing not laws for earning salvation but the character and conduct expected of those already transformed by God's grace. He demonstrates how the Beatitudes establish the fundamental attitudes of kingdom citizens, while the subsequent teachings on salt and light, law and righteousness, and love for enemies flow naturally from this foundation. Rather than presenting an impossible standard, Stott contends that Jesus describes the new life made possible through regeneration, though he acknowledges the ongoing struggle between the old nature and the new. His treatment of difficult passages like turning the other cheek and going the extra mile emphasizes their call to creative, costly love rather than passive submission to evil.
This commentary has endured because Stott combines careful exegesis with pastoral wisdom, avoiding both legalistic interpretation and antinomian dismissal of Jesus's ethical demands. His balanced approach has influenced evangelical preaching and discipleship training for decades, offering a framework for understanding Christian ethics that takes Jesus's words seriously while remaining grounded in grace. Pastors preparing to preach on the Sermon and Christians seeking to understand how Jesus's teachings apply to contemporary life will find Stott's careful verse-by-verse exposition invaluable. Those looking for detailed technical commentary or innovative scholarly insights may prefer more specialized academic works.