In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus makes clear that God desires inward purity and a changed life that arises from that inward purity. He does not want empty obedience that is done half-heartedly in an attempt to please him.
Jesus makes this especially clear in Matthew 7:13-27 through an example of a fruit tree (a bad tree does not produce good fruit), a declaration that not everyone who does things in his name is a true disciple, and a parable about building proper foundations.
He teaches us that those who are true disciples are those who do the Father's will, which he explains as both hearing his words and doing them. Obedience requires action in Jesus' name--that's how we do the Father's will.
Jesus makes this especially clear in Matthew 7:13-27 through an example of a fruit tree (a bad tree does not produce good fruit), a declaration that not everyone who does things in his name is a true disciple, and a parable about building proper foundations.
He teaches us that those who are true disciples are those who do the Father's will, which he explains as both hearing his words and doing them. Obedience requires action in Jesus' name--that's how we do the Father's will.
| Doing the Will of the Father |
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