Beatitudes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Beatitudes - Essay Example If they follow Jesus, men escape from the hard yoke of their own laws, and submit to the kindly yoke of Jesus Christ." (Bonhoeffer, xxxiii) Therefore, the significance of the Beatitudes in Christian life cannot be overlooked in any case and they are the real cost for discipleship in Christianity. Analyzing the significance of the Beatitudes to all the followers of Christ, it is essential to respond to the remarks by Glen Harold Stassen and David P. Gushee who claim that Christianity is a nonsensical institution apart from its central figure Jesus. They raise the problem as that of the Christian churches and ethics which "are often guilty of evading Jesus, the cornerstone and center of the Christian faith. Specifically, the teachings and practices of Jesus - especially the largest block of his teachings, the Sermon on the Mount - are routinely ignored or misinterpreted..." (Stassen and Gushee, 11) Thus, Stassen and Gushee try to reclaim Christ for Christian ethics and moral life. To them, the Christian life consists of following Jesus and his teachings and they recover the Sermon on the Mount for Christian ethics. ... that condemns us and so prepares us to receive the 'gospel' of grace, Bonhoeffer came to see that the Sermon on the Mount was a charter for life lived by grace." (Gruchy, viii) Bonhoeffer connects obedient discipleship and justification by faith in his work and he demonstrates that following Christ is related to living by faith in Jesus. Therefore, Bonhoeffer provides a very useful exposition of the Sermon on the Mount which summarizes the significance of the Beatitudes. In a reflective analysis of the Beatitudes in the lights of the various studies concerning them, one notices how significant it is to live a life in the contemporary world according to the teachings of Christ. Following Christ in the contemporary context specifically requires living a life of according to Christ's teachings and the basis of all these teachings are the Beatitudes. From the preliminary studies in relation to the Beatitudes, one may comprehend some essential factors which may be helpful in leading the modern life in the way of Christ. Thus, every Christian needs to look forward the reign of God and prepare oneself in the Christian character. The primary learning I had from this analysis is that a "Christian is (or should be) defined as one who humbles himself or herself and chooses to enter into discipleship, to follow Jesus' path, to build his or her life upon his teachings and his practices even at great cost, to pass those teachings and practices on to others, and th us to enjoy the unspeakable privilege of participating in the advance of God's reign." (Stassen and Gushee, 30)Secondly, it is important to realize that the true followers of Christ will be heavily blessed and Jesus addresses his disciples blessed. "He calls them blessed, not because of their privation, or the