Faith Versus Works: What Does the Gospel of Matthew Say

I have been studying the Gospel of Matthew for 3 years, and I have discovered that the Gospel of Matthew does not support a popular version of “Christianity” that requires only “faith” and not “works” to go to heaven.  I would like to unpack these misunderstood words.

Jesus doesn’t talk much about “going to heaven,” but he talks a lot about what it means to be part of the kingdom of God.  His gospel is much more challenging than just a simple call to faith.  It's a call to action – to works.

According to the Gospel of Matthew, what does God expect of those who want to enter the kingdom of heaven?

There is nothing in the entire Gospel of Matthew that would support the idea that all you need to do to “go to heaven” is to say a few words or a “sinner’s prayer” to signal that you “believe,” and you will be saved.  That simplistic and distorted version of Christianity cannot be found in the Gospel of Matthew.

Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus describes an entire change of outlook and lifestyle that he expects to see in those who claim to follow him.  He expects faith to be put into action.  A sinner’s prayer might be a first step, but it is not the ultimate sign of a true believer in Jesus. 

Here are some of the things Jesus tells his followers to do:

• In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), Jesus says: Be pure in spirit and pure of heart; be peacemakers, etc., from the Beatitudes; don’t speak angrily to others; don’t commit adultery; love your enemies; be perfect; don’t make a public show of your almsgiving, praying, and fasting; don’t serve money; put you trust in your heavenly Father; don’t judge others; do to others what you would like them to do to you; etc.

• In Matthew 16:24-28, Jesus says: Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.

• In Matthew 18:1-5, he says: Humble yourself like a child.

• In Matthew 22:34-40, he lays down two Great Commandments: to love God with your whole heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.

• In Matthew 25, he tells us to be responsible and fruitful with what God gives us; and to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, care for those who are sick or in prison, etc.

If we aren’t doing these things, Jesus hasn’t given us any reason to think that we will be counted among the ”elect” (Matt. 24:31), enter into his kingdom (Matt. 25:34), and receive eternal life (Matt. 25:46).

Faith is demonstrated by our actions

Some may ask: Are you preaching that we are saved by our works?  Absolutely not!  We are saved by faith.  But “faith” is not just a bunch of words that come out of our mouth.

Jesus warns us in Matthew 7:21 that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the ones who do the Father’s will.  James says that even the demons believe that there is one God, but they shudder (James 2:18-19).

Claiming to believe in Jesus is easy.  Our calling is to not just make the claim but to actually live our lives for him.  If we do that, it will show in our actions.  If our actions do not back up our alleged faith, our claim that we are followers of Jesus is hollow.

Grace is necessary

Some may respond: That’s a high bar you are asking us to reach.  Actually, it’s a high bar that Jesus is asking us to strive for.  He wants nothing less than our whole selves.

This forces us to confront a problem: We fall short of Jesus’s high bar.  Yes, we do!  Even if we try to live our lives according to his teachings, most of us reach a point where we realize that, while we may do many things right, we still fall short and don’t give our lives fully to him.

But God doesn’t leave us there.

When we fall short, we need to recall what Jesus said about who can be saved.  Remember when he said it is harder for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle?  The disciples responded, “Then who can be saved?”  Jesus’s answer remains true today and applies to us: “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26, NABRE).

That’s what gives us hope – not our pious words, not even our most impressive actions, but God’s grace.  We are saved only by the grace of God.

The grace of God reaches deep into our sinful souls to heal us.  It reaches out to us even when we stray.  Jesus showed God’s love by putting it into action – healing, teaching, and feeding people, and giving his life for us on the Cross.  He told parables of God’s love.  He described God as being like a shepherd who searches for the one stray sheep even when he already has the 99 (Matt. 18:10-14), like an employer who ensures that every worker receives enough to live on even if they don’t find their way to the master’s vineyard until late in the day (Matt. 20:1-16), like a king who invites everyone to his son’s wedding feast (Matt. 22:1-14).

Jesus does not offer cheap grace

But the grace Jesus offers is not cheap grace.  We must never forget that we are being called to line up our will with God’s will and conform our actions with Jesus’s teachings and example – to give and serve, not just mouth the words.

We must not think that merely professing a few verses of Scripture will open up an easy door to eternal life with Jesus.  That’s not what Jesus teaches in the Gospel of Matthew.  He says the road is narrow that leads to life (Matt. 7:13-14).  Saying a few magic words doesn’t suddenly open the door for people who have no intention of living the life Jesus calls us to live.

Jesus helps us be more than we think we can be

But we are not on our own in trying to be like Jesus.  He is with us.  He has sent his Spirit to empower us and purify us (Matt. 3:16), and his Spirit lives in us and works in and through us (Matt. 10:20).  He understands our nature and is not scared off when we fall short.  On the contrary, he is right there beside us, continuing to love us and gently calling us to take up his yoke (Matt. 11:29-30) – to truly let him be the Lord and Master of our life.  The more we do that – the more we put our faith into action and let him work his character into our lives – the easier it is to enter into his rest (Matt. 11:28-29).

In summary, the Gospel of Matthew calls us to embrace the challenge of living fully for Jesus and loving everyone around us in concrete, tangible ways, with the assurance that he will help us be what we are called to be and that he will never give up on us.  It’s not a call to faith versus works; it’s a call to faith exemplified by works, a call to believe in Jesus and put that faith into action doing the works of Jesus.