Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Matthew 7:21 NASB
What does it really mean to be born again? Is it just a matter of believing? Paul teaches us in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith…” We are taught that “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). So, is that it? Is believing enough?
Did Paul contradict what Jesus was saying here?. Jesus said that only those who do the will of God will enter heaven. Simply believing cannot be everything because even the devil believes, and he trembles (James 2:19).
So, are we saved by our faith or our works or not?
James explains that faith without works is dead. So, perhaps he is merely clarifying what both Jesus and Paul were saying rather than contradicting them. Sure, Paul taught that it is by faith alone that we are saved, but James helps us understand that faith isn’t truly faith unless it is backed up by our works. If we truly have faith, works will naturally follow. Works are the evidence of authentic faith.
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. James 2:21-22, 24 NASB
We cannot possibly please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6), but if our faith is genuine, it will extend to both a transformed heart and doing the will of the Father. If we try to do only works to please God, then we are like the religious Pharisees who washed the outside of the cup only, but the inside remained dirty. They were a bunch of legalistic hacks! We can never do enough to earn God’s grace by our works alone.
However, if our faith is genuine, then let’s prove it by our works. Let’s live a life that honors and pleases God, from the in-side-out!
Jesus explained in verses 13 and 14 of chapter 7 that the gate is narrow, and the way is difficult, but only a few will find it. Many will continue trying to earn their way to the heart of God by obeying church rules and traditions. There are also numerous people who are deceived by a hyper-grace teaching that says that as long as you believe in God, everything goes. He will forgive you by His grace anyway. Rather, we must find the middle ground that gives a clear understanding of true faith in God that is proven by our works.
In verses 15-20, Jesus gives guidelines to ensure that we won’t be dooped by false teachers. It is interesting that at the beginning of the chapter, Jesus warns us against judging, and then just a few verses later, he tells us that we will know them by their fruits. We actually do need to judge teachers to ensure that we aren’t being seduced by false teaching. We will know them by the fruit they produce, and we must be careful to evaluate their fruit according to the Word of God.
Finally, Jesus concludes this chapter with a simile to understand the difference between merely listening to His words and actually putting them into practice. When we obey, we are like the one who built his house upon a strong foundation of rock, and when the storms came, and the winds beat upon the house, the house stood strong. However, when we allow His words to go in one ear and out the other, we will be like the one who built his house on the sand. When the storms came, the house went splat!
Verse 28 says that the people were astonished by Jesus teaching. We have learned so much from studying the Sermon on the Mount these past few days! Let’s take these things to heart and live by them. Let us put God’s Word to practice in our lives and find that narrow gate!
