Jonathan Cruse | Paradox People: Learning to Live the Beatitudes

What does it mean to be truly blessed in the kingdom of God? In this episode, Camden Bucey welcomes back pastor and author Jonathan Cruse, pastor of Community Presbyterian Church (Orthodox Presbyterian Church) in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to discuss his latest book, Paradox People: Learning to Live the Beatitudes (P&R Publishing). Together they explore how Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:3–12 turns worldly expectations upside down—and how the Beatitudes offer not a checklist for salvation, but a portrait of Christ and those united to him by faith.

Drawing from pastoral experience and theological insight, Cruse explains how the Beatitudes call Christians to a counterintuitive life: one of meekness, mourning, mercy, and spiritual hunger. Yet far from being burdensome, this vision of kingdom living flows from the grace already secured in Christ. The conversation also touches on inaugurated eschatology, Christian distinctiveness in the culture, and how the Beatitudes equip believers to live faithfully as pilgrims between two ages.

Listeners will be encouraged to see the Beatitudes not just as commands, but as Christ-centered comfort—anchoring our present obedience in a certain future hope.

🎟️ Don’t forget to register for the Reformed Forum Theology Conference on September 27, 2025: reformedforum.org/conference

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Chapters

• 0:00 Word & Deed
• 2:19 Introduction
• 9:35 The Heart of the Beatitudes
• 15:08 The Present Needs and the Applicability of the Beatitudes
• 18:24 It Begins with Blessings Not Commands
• 21:52 Christ Has Lived the Beatitudes
• 26:58 The Future Orientation of the Beatitudes
• 31:32 Pursuing Holiness
• 34:32 Struggling with the Beatitudes
• 41:02 Driving in the UK
• 44:15 Being Salt and Light
• 50:04 Resources on the Sermon on the Mount
• 54:15 Upcoming Projects
• 59:11 Conclusion