In contrast, if we should submit our lives to Jesus, if we should put into practice what he has revealed, then we will be ready not only for the uncertainties of this world, but most significantly for that great day when all sins are exposed, the day of judgment. We will be building a house on rock and not on sand.
On this point, it is important to be clear on what Jesus is saying, and what he is not saying. He is not telling us that our obedience will complement his own so that we are judged on the basis of Christ’s work and the work that we have done as his people. As if there is a moment in time where we come to faith in Christ, our slate is wiped clean, so to speak, and then from that moment onwards we have to perform, we have to ensure that there are sufficient good works to prove that we truly belong.
No, we do not contribute to our salvation with our works and there is no final judgment where our works will be held up alongside those of Christ. He has fully secured our redemption. Even as those who belong to him, we cannot render the perfect obedience that God requires.1 Though there are some who teach this idea, individuals who talk of a final justification by works, such doctrine is nothing less than the works righteousness. It is a false teaching which Christ himself has condemned (Matthew 7:15–23).
To summarize, Jesus is not telling us that our works add to our salvation. What he is saying is that obedience is evidence of submission to him. To put it differently, we have not truly heard Jesus, and we are not part of his kingdom, if we do not seek to put into practice what he has taught. Those who hear his words and put them into practice are wise. They are the ones who live in the fear of the Lord. They are the ones who have been united to Christ by the Spirit so that his righteousness is imputed to them. They are the ones for whom he came to fulfil the law, to absorb in his flesh the judgment due to them. The sheep for whom Christ died are the sheep who hear his voice, the sheep who listen to what he says (John 10:7–18).
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.