Much controversy has surrounded the Sermon on the Mount. Some have seen it as the statement of the ethical code and standards of behavior required to please God, and they have taught that it contains the instructions necessary for salvation by good works. Others have gone in another direction and hold that it is the manifesto of a kingdom which was offered to the Jews, rejected by them and thus postponed to some future date. As such, it is claimed that there is little or no relevance
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