Are the beatitudes best to read for a“good life guide?"
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: Someone said that if we want to know Jesus, read the Beatitudes, for they list the good things that all religions usually agree on because they are ethical teachings from Jesus of humility, mercy, peacemaking, moral philosophy, etc. They are a “good life guide.” Is this a fair picture of Jesus? – P.J.
A: The Beatitudes are not the whole of Jesus’ teaching, nor is even the Sermon on the Mount. The entire Sermon on the Mount can be read in chapters 5 through 7 of the gospel of Matthew. There is much else that Jesus taught during the three short years of His public ministry. But Jesus was more than a great teacher.
Who was this man Jesus, who changed the entire course of human history? Some have said that Jesus’ main role was as a social reformer, coming to change society and liberate people who were bound by injustice and oppression. Others have said He came merely as an example, showing us by His acts of love how we should live. Still others have dismissed Him as a misguided religious reformer with no relevance to a modern, scientific age.
But none of these are adequate to explain Jesus Christ as we see Him clearly pictured in the New Testament. The Bible, in fact, makes a startling assertion: Jesus was not only a man, but He was God Himself, come down from the glory of Heaven to walk on this earth and show us what God is like. Christ “is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15, NKJV). More than that, He is the divinely appointed Savior who died for sinners, bearing their transgressions upon the cross. He died to save all, but not all receive Him. Jesus was sent by God to speak His words, for God gives Him the Spirit without limit (see John 3:34).
(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
©2026 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(c)2026 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
Comments