“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matthew 5:22 KJV)
What does the Bible say about calling your brother a fool? On the surface this looks like a straightforward prohibition. But here’s the question that forces us to think: Does this warning apply to you and me as members of the body of Christ today? Or is it part of a different program with different instructions?
Failure to rightly divide the word of truth here produces all kinds of confusion — and fear. These are the words of Christ as the minister of the circumcision (Romans 15:8), preaching the gospel of the kingdom to Israel while the kingdom was “at hand.” They are not the words of Christ revealed through the Apostle Paul for us Gentiles in this dispensation of the grace of God.
The Homogenizing Mistake
Most Christian scholarship tries to mash everything together into one big pot. Take Matthew Henry’s commentary as a classic example. He spiritualizes it away, saying “by our brother… we are to understand any person,” and then applies it directly to “our being reconciled to God through Christ.”
That sounds pious, doesn’t it? But it’s exactly the kind of mixing that Paul warns against. Christ Himself said:
“But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24 KJV)
The gospel of the kingdom was to the Jew first — actually, to the Jew only at that point. The instructions were for those living under the law, expecting the earthly kingdom, and still capable of falling back under judgment. Paul’s gospel is something else entirely.
What Paul Reveals About Our Standing
Under the revelation of the mystery given to Paul, believers in the body of Christ have already been reconciled. Not “being reconciled” — we have been reconciled.
“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ… To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them…” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19 KJV)
We are complete in Christ, spiritually circumcised from the body of the sins of the flesh, risen with Him, and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise until the redemption of the purchased possession.
“…and ye are complete in him… In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands…” (Colossians 2:10-12 KJV)
“…after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance…” (Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV)
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). We are not in danger of hell fire — period. The threat in Matthew 5:22 belongs to the program that was set aside when Israel fell (Romans 11:12, 25).
Even Jesus and Paul Used the Word
If Matthew 5:22 is a universal rule for the body of Christ, then both God and Paul broke it.
God Himself said:
“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee…” (Luke 12:20 KJV)
Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
“Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die…” (1 Corinthians 15:36 KJV)
Neither one was in danger of hell fire. Why? Because context and dispensation matter. Paul was rightly dividing. He was addressing foolish thinking under the present truth of grace, not pronouncing kingdom-style judgment.
The Real Danger Today
The real danger for us is not calling someone a fool. It’s listening to teachers who mix law and grace, kingdom and body, and then put you back under fear and conditional acceptance. That kind of teaching produces exactly what Paul fought against in Galatia — people turning from the hearing of faith to works of the law (Galatians 3:1-5).
Ask yourself:
If I’m already forgiven of all trespasses (Colossians 2:13), sealed until the day of redemption, and complete in Christ, why would I live in fear of a kingdom warning that was never spoken to me?
Why do so many believers feel like they’re one slip-up away from losing everything when Paul says we stand in grace (Romans 5:2)?
That unsettled feeling is exactly what the enemy wants. It keeps people focused on their performance instead of Christ’s finished work.
Believe the Words of Christ Through Paul
The Apostle Paul is our pattern (1 Timothy 1:16). He magnifies his office as the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13). Christ is speaking in him (2 Corinthians 13:3). When we rightly divide, we see the glorious liberty we have in Christ — liberty to walk in newness of life without the constant threat of kingdom judgment hanging over us.
So if someone is teaching you that Matthew 5:22 is directly binding on the body of Christ today, you can lovingly (and rightly) say: “Thou fool” — not in hatred, but in the same spirit Paul used when confronting foolish thinking that frustrates the grace of God.
We are not under the gospel of the kingdom with its “if you don’t forgive, you won’t be forgiven” conditions. We are under grace, where God has already forgiven us all trespasses for Christ’s sake and tells us to forgive others because we have been forgiven (Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13).
That’s the difference right division makes. It’s not just academic — it’s the difference between living in fear and walking in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free (Galatians 5:1).
Will you believe what Christ revealed to Paul for us today? Or will you keep mixing programs and live unsettled? The choice is yours, but the rightly divided word is clear.
Grace and peace to you, beloved in Christ. Stand fast in the liberty of the gospel of the grace of God.
© 2023 Edward R. Cross Revised April 30, 2026
