What Do Ye More Than Others? Christian Superiority in Action
Our Lord's piercing question at Matthew 5:47 demands honest self-examination: "What do ye more than others?" The Victorian expositors understood this was no mere rhetorical flourish but a call to radical Christian distinctiveness.
Christians possess incomparable privileges that necessitate corresponding obligations. We have received forgiveness of sins, peace with God, and fellowship with Elohim—realities utterly foreign to those outside the covenant. We anticipate resurrection of our bodies and perfect deliverance from sin's corruption. These blessings are not ours to hoard but to translate into action.
What, then, should distinguish us? First, gratitude that overflows into service. Second, love extended toward all mankind, especially the household of faith. Third, a higher standard of conduct informed by supernatural strength and divine obligation.
The question cuts deeper still. We do more because more has been done for us. We do more because more is expected of us. We bear responsibility for greater kingdom impact through our tongues, our pens, our purses—the very instruments of influence at our disposal.
Dr. R. W. Hamilton warned that "greater evil attaches itself to hollow friendship than open hostility." Christians prone to coldness and neglect betray their profession. Our superiority means nothing if invisible in tangible service, unfeigned attachment to Christ's cause, and strict observance of religious ordinance paired with extraordinary virtue.
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