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Question 9

Bercot calls it “a terrible heresy” to treat Jesus’ teachings before the cross (including the Sermon on the Mount) as not applying to Christians today, citing “the law and prophets were until John; since then the kingdom of God is preached”—what teaching of Jesus have you personally been tempted to sideline as “not for now,” and what would obedience look like if you stopped using that escape hatch?

Another way to ask: Bercot says it’s wrong to treat Jesus’ pre-cross teaching (like the Sermon on the Mount) as not for Christians today. What teaching of Jesus have you been tempted to set aside, and what would it look like to obey it now?

Direct Answer The transcript doesn’t name one specific teaching you personally sideline, but Bercot’s main point is that Jesus’ pre-cross teaching belongs to the kingdom message preached “since… John.” Obedience, in his framing, would mean no longer dismissing hard teachings as “another era,” but accepting them as part of the Christian gospel.

Support from Transcript:

Bercot cites Jesus: “the law and the prophets were until John… since then the kingdom of God is preached.”
He uses that to argue, “Jesus’ teaching was part of the Christian gospel. It wasn’t something from the Old Testament.”
He criticizes a common evangelical move: saying the gospel age begins only “until Jesus died,” so “everything He said before He died… doesn’t apply to Christians.”
He stresses this often targets “99% of His teaching, including the Sermon on the Mount,” to “totally rule out” Jesus’ commands.
He labels that approach: “That is a terrible heresy,” adding early Christians would have called it heresy and demanded repentance.

Discussion Follow-ups If the Sermon on the Mount is for Christians now, which command becomes most unavoidable in your life? What concrete habit would you need to change first to stop treating Jesus’ words as optional?

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