Skip to main content

Does Jesus Preach Good Works?

 One of my peers in seminary recently proposed that Jesus preached a salvation through good works done in good faith.  He suggests that Jesus lays out a path on how to get to the Father and in this way, Jesus is still "the way" to the Father and no one can get to the Father except through Him (His teaching). Is that what Jesus suggested? My friend quoted the Sermon on the Mount: 

5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


This passage is often used to support Universalism-- an idea that says anyone can be saved as long as they good. This view suggests that since Buddhists are merciful, God will show them mercy on Judgement Day. Vegetarians and environmentalists are pure in heart, thus they will see God since they care for His creation. Criminals with a background of pain and hurt as a kid are poor in spirit, so theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. I've often heard it said that police/firefighters are peacemakers, so they are called the sons of God. There are many comic strips/illustrations out there of the 343 firefighters who died trying to save those trapped in the World Trade Center. They show up in Heaven and are welcomed in for their heroic act because they are peacemakers-- sons of God. 

It feels good to believe these things. But is that what Jesus truly is suggesting? I would strongly argue that this is an incorrect interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount. The key here is asking "To whom is Jesus saying these things?" In the mind of Christ, who is the audience? 

Verse 5: His disciples came to him.

Not just passerbys or pagans, but those who are willing to learn from Christ as their Rabbi (a Jewish teacher of God). Verse 11 gives us a clear audience, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." Jesus is clearly directing these promises to those who are already "on His account." 

Furthermore, let's jump down a few verses:

13 “You are the salt of the earth..."

14 "You are the light of the world..."

Who is Jesus saying is the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world"? It is His disciples. What are we to make of this passage then? It is to be understood as characteristics of those who are His. For example, those who are sons of God will be called peacemakers. Those of us who claim Yahweh as our Father will be peacemakers. So much so that when the world see Christians as peacemakers, they say "Ah. Those are the sons of God."

It gets really messy when Christians say "as long as the unbeliever is trying to hit these benchmarks, they will be saved because they obey Jesus."

We are not saved by obedience, but by grace through faith. Obedience is a response to that. If we can be saved just by following what Jesus says, this raises a LOT of alarming questions:

  • Why didn't Jesus just come and preach this message and then ascend to Heaven?
  • Why did Jesus have to die on the cross for our sins? 
  • Why is the Resurrection important?
Ultimately, this view rejects the Gospel and says that Jesus' death is unnecessary-- BLASPHEMY! 

May we examine closely the way we live. Those who profess Jesus as King, and Yahweh as our Father, do we live in the Spirit and exemplify the characteristics that Jesus teaches? 

Comments