Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What Does Matthew Chapter 7 Mean?

Matthew 7 concludes Matthew’s telling of Jesus’ long Sermon on the Mount, begun in chapter 5 (Matthew 5:1–2). This passage is the source of phrases which have echoed through western culture. Among these are “judge not, lest you be judged,” “do not cast pearls before swine,” and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Jesus commands His followers not to judge each other—a statement easily and frequently taken out of context. What immediately follows, including most of the rest of this chapter, is a careful description of the right way to judge. What Christ condemns is arrogant, hypocritical condemnation (John 7:24). Those who presume to take God’s place as judge will be judged in the same way. Human beings are unqualified to pronounce judgment in the same way as God because they are unable or unwilling to see their own sinfulness. Only after a person has addressed their own sin, and admitted their own condition, can they help others address their sin. Even then, the goal is to help and not to condemn (Matthew 7:1–5).

This passage also offers a warning: not all people are receptive to truth. Some are openly hostile to it. While it’s important to shine as light in the world (Matthew 5:16), it’s equally important not to waste precious efforts on those committed to hatred or ignorance. The warning not to “cast pearls before swine” means nothing more or less than that: it’s wasteful and unwise to offer something others will hate, even if it’s valuable (Matthew 7:6).

Jesus promises radical attentiveness, from God, to the prayers of His children. Every one of God’s children who asks will receive. Those who seek from God will find. To those who knock, God will open the door. This applies to concepts like prayer, from a believer. It also suggests the way in which all people, in all times and all places, are obligated to seek and find God (Romans 1:18–20; Psalm 19:1). God answers sincere seekers of truth, because He is a good Father. Human beings are, by nature, sinful—and even they give their children what they need instead of what will harm them. God the Father does the same (Matthew 7:7–11).

The principle western culture refers to as the Golden Rule is rooted in God’s ultimate purpose behind His law and commandments. While other philosophies frame this as a restriction—”do not” do those things you would not like done—Christ poses something more challenging. His command is positive—”you should do” those things you would want others to do. This captures the spirit of all of God’s commands to His people (Matthew 7:12).

Jesus then describes two roads: one accessed by a narrow gate and one with a wide entrance. He commands His followers to enter by the narrow gate, which follows a seemingly harder path, but leads to life. He acknowledges that many will take the easier path through the wide gate, though it leads to destruction. This emphasizes the fact that Christ, alone, is the means of human salvation (John 14:6), and those who reject Him do so to their own ruin (Matthew 7:13–14).

The clearest example of a “false prophet” is someone who pretends to deliver messages from God. These liars are like hungry wolves in sheep’s clothing, disguising themselves in order to take advantage of their victims. Jesus warns believers to beware of them. False teachers can be identified, mainly, by what results from their lives and teachings. Healthy trees don’t bear bad fruit. Unhealthy trees will be cut down and burned. While this most directly applies to those claiming to be leaders and teachers, the idea of a false prophet can apply to anyone who promotes error or sin (Matthew 7:15–20).

The idea of liars who fool other people is only one side of spiritual deception. The other side is spiritual self-deception. There are those who will look at their supposedly great deeds and presume they deserve heaven. That may even include those who refer to Jesus as “Lord,” claiming to know Him and presuming He knows them. However, only people who actually do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of heaven—and that starts with legitimate faith in Christ (John 6:28–29). Doing great works while borrowing Jesus’ reputation is not enough. Those who are not truly Christ’s followers will be sent away on judgment day, rather than being welcomed in (Matthew 7:21–23).

Jesus’ sermon concludes with an illustration emphasizing the difference between merely hearing Jesus’ teaching and fully living by it. Those who apply His words are like a wise man who built a house on a rock. Those who don’t are like a foolish man who built a house on sand. When both houses are hit by the same storm, the house on the rock will stand while the house on the sand falls hard. Life brings challenges to all people. The foundations of life, faith, and belief will be tested by those experiences. Only those with faith grounded in something true—which is Christ alone (Acts 4:12)—will endure those storms intact (Matthew 7:24–27).

The crowds were astonished by Jesus’ teaching because He taught with authority. Rather than speaking in half-measures, or referring to the wisdom of others, Christ speaks as One who absolutely knows the truth, first-hand. Not only is the character of Jesus’ life different from that of Israel’s religious leaders (Matthew 5:20), both the style and substance of His teaching are unique, as well (Matthew 7:28–29).

Chapter Context
Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 5, discussing the Beatitudes and the idea that inner thoughts are very much part of sin and righteousness. Chapter 6 denounced hypocrisy, modeled prayer, and opposed anxiety. Chapter 7 discusses the proper manner of judgment, including how to gauge the teachings of others. Jesus also warns against spiritual self-deception. He concludes with an analogy about foundations and storms. The crowd’s amazement at Christ’s teachings leads into the miracles and encounters of chapters 8 and 9.

Verse By Verse

Verse 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.

This may be the most often-misused verse in the entire Bible. Modern culture garbles this comment into a command to never disapprove or correct the actions of another. This mishandling of Christ’s words is out of context three times over. First and foremost, Christ does not say “never judge,” He warns that there is a consequence to judgment. Second, this statement is immediately followed by instructions from Christ on the proper way to use judgment. Third, Jesus’ other teachings explicitly indicate that right judgment is necessary (John 7:24), while hypocritical or shallow judgment is wrong.

Even so, this verse—especially the first two words in most English translations—is a favorite quote of those attempting to twist Scripture.

Jesus has been teaching within the context of Israel’s religious leaders and the way they practice their righteousness (Matthew 5:20; 6:1). He has called out as hypocrites those who call attention to themselves as they give to the needy and pray and fast. Under their leadership, Israel’s worship of God had become about proving one’s worthiness to other people instead of humbly serving God. So, on the one hand, righteous acts were performed to get approval from others. On the other hand, controlling religious leaders looked for opportunities to express condemnation against those they didn’t see as sufficiently pious.

Following that example, the everyday people of Israel learned to perform religious duty for others’ approval, and to belittle those who did differently than they preferred. The result was a false religious experience: pride and fear of judgment instead of humility and graciousness to others.

In that context, Jesus says to the crowds of Jewish people following Him not to unfairly judge others in order not to be unfairly judged. He is talking about having an arrogant attitude: taking the place of God. Lack of humility and grace in how we perceive others leads us to wrongly declare one person’s righteousness worthy and another person unworthy merely based on our assumptions. To judge in this way is to assume authority over others that God has not given. In the end, God will judge those who judge in this way.

This does not teach that God’s people should never express an understanding of the difference between right and wrong. In a crystal-clear statement, Jesus teaches in John 7:24 that His followers must be careful to make right judgments instead of judging others by external appearances. Also, God often gives Christians the responsibility to make judgments about truth and falsehood (Galatians 1:8–9; Philippians 3:2; 1 John 4:1) and to hold fellow Christians accountable for sin (1 Corinthians 5:5).

What is condemned here is shallowness and hypocrisy: passing judgment on other believers as if one were God. This sneering kind of condemnation is clearly and repeatedly forbidden (Romans 14:10–13; James 4:11–12).

Verse 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

Jesus has commanded His followers not to judge (Matthew 7:1), but this statement is not meant to be ripped out of context and misapplied. Here, Christ begins giving some of the context needed to interpret those words. Christians should not take God’s place in declaring some people righteous and others unrighteous, when we look only using shallowness or ignorance. They must not be judgmental—implying something unfair or inappropriate—because God has not given them this authority. Those who pass judgment on others for differences of opinion, or doubtful matters, are attempting to take God’s place of judgment over His people. Those attitudes motivate people to perform righteous acts in order to be approved by others instead of God.

Jesus now offers a solemn warning. Those who pronounce judgment on others as if they were God will be judged with exactly the same force and to the same degree. Some commentators understand Jesus to be expressing a principle of human nature. Judgmental people always end up being judged by everyone else. Their attempt to hold everyone else to a higher standard provokes the people around them to measure every action they themselves take. Holding others to unreasonable standards leads to charges of hypocrisy. In that sense, this parallels the ideas of forgiveness and mercy (Matthew 6:14–15). Those who unfairly judge others lack understanding of their own limitations.

Other commentators understand Jesus to be warning about judgment from God, Himself: He will judge those who judge others. He will hold judgmental people accountable for attempting to take on His role. He will bring perfect justice by judging those who are wrongly critical with using the same exacting standards they attempted to afflict on others.

Verse 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother ‘s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Earlier verses contained a statement which is easily—and often—taken out of context. Jesus has commanded that His followers “judge not” (Matthew 7:1), but immediately begun to explain what this really means (Matthew 7:2). In short, what Christ condemns is shallow, hypocritical, or selfish criticism of others. Christ is clear that “right judgment” (John 7:24) includes distinguishing between good and evil (Matthew 7:15–18). Judging others as if we, ourselves, are the standard of goodness is evil.

God doesn’t give human beings authority to judge the righteousness of others using our own preferences as the standard. None of us are perfectly righteous ourselves. We are in no position to casually pronounce judgment because we ourselves can be guilty of sin.

Jesus shows in this verse that we are often blind to our own sins. This makes shallow condemnation towards others even more foolish. This again uses the technique of exaggeration for effect, known as hyperbole. Jesus asks why we are so skillful to see a speck in a brother’s eye and so unable to notice the log in our own eye. It seems human beings can recognize the smallest of sinful infractions in the lives of others while walking around with obvious and ugly sins of their own. This is human nature, and it is why God forbids His people to assume His role as judge over their brothers and sisters.

It’s crucial to realize, however, what Jesus says in verse 5. Once the “log” has been removed from our eye, we are told to then help remove the speck from our brother’s eye. The difference is that in helping our brother in this way, we are no longer attempting to be his judge. We are acknowledging the reality of sin, submitting to it ourselves, and serving our brother by helping him. Likewise, those “specks” and “logs” are truly sinful; the point is not that everything we see in others must be accepted, but that we should approach sin with humility and grace, not arrogance.

Verse 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?

Jesus is calling out the universal human tendency to inflate the wrongdoing of other people while minimizing our own. Jesus has forbidden His listeners from presuming God’s place by making shallow judgments of others (Matthew 7:1–2). One reason we are unqualified to pronounce judgment superficially is that we are so often blind to our own wrongdoing. We are capable of noticing “specks” in the lives of others, while the “logs” in our own may be far greater than what we’re trying to correct in another person.

The picture Jesus uses to illustrate this point is intentionally comical. In the rare cases where someone asks for help removing something from their eye, it can be hard for another person to see it. One can imagine the helper peering intently into someone else’s eyes, trying to see a tiny fleck of dust. In contrast, it’s absurd to think of that “helper” doing so while they have a huge stick jammed into their own eye. It would be a complete farce for someone impaled on a stick to examine others so closely that they can notice mere specks, and even more ridiculous to tell the other person they have an issue which must be fixed.

Some listening to Jesus’ words here, given during the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2) may have laughed. The imagery is meant to be extreme, and even humorous. The meaning behind this visual joke isn’t so funny. Jesus will call the one with the log in his eye a hypocrite in the following verse for being unwilling to deal with his own sin while calling out sin in the life of another (Matthew 7:5). However, it should be noted that Jesus does, in fact, endorse the act of helping another to remove their “speck.”

Verse 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother ‘s eye.

Jesus has told His audience in direct terms not to judge each other, else they will also be judged (Matthew 7:1). He does not mean that people should have no discernment about sin, even in the lives of other people. Instead, the command forbids playing God (Matthew 7:2). Christians are not to pronounce God’s judgment on other sinners while leaving our own lives unexamined or un-judged. We are not qualified to fill God’s sinless, righteous shoes. To judge the sin of others while ignoring our own is as absurd as criticizing someone with dust in their eyes, while our own eye is impaled by a stick (Matthew 7:3–4).

However, Christ also says we are qualified to help each other remove sin from our lives. To say to a brother or sister “let me help you remove sin from your life” is different from pronouncing God’s judgment on them. Of course, Jesus has emphasized that we are not qualified even for that role until we have addressed the obvious sin from our own lives. Otherwise, we become “hypocrites,” a term derived from the Greek word for “an actor or pretender.”

Once we have worked to remove some sin from our own lives—or at least dealt with egregious sins—we may be able to help remove the sin from another person’s life, in humility and service.

Verse 6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Here again is a phrase from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2) which most people, even non-Christians, have heard. The most common use of this comes from the King James translation, which warns not to “cast…your pearls before swine.” It’s easy to focus on the derogatory imagery of dogs and pigs and miss the real point, which is not meant as an insult. The message is about wasting things of value on those who not only won’t appreciate them, but might even be angered by the offer.

The long-promised Messiah, Jesus, came to preach that the kingdom of heaven was near (Matthew 4:17). Those who believed this and followed Him were eager to tell this fantastic news to others. Of course, not everyone believed it. Israel’s religious leaders, notably, would reject Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. They would accuse Him of heresy and blasphemy (Mark 14:61–65). What Christ said was true (John 14:6) and incredibly valuable (John 10:28), but the response of these men was rejection and hatred.

In Jewish culture, dogs were rarely pets. They were wild animals who roamed the streets in packs looking for food and attacking weaker animals. Dogs were symbols of immorality, barbarism, vulgarity, and ignorance. Pigs were officially unclean, according to God’s law (Leviticus 11:7), and likely also scavenged for food. Pigs are voracious eaters, and not especially selective about food. Yet pigs can become aggressive when hungry; giving a herd of pigs something inedible when they expect food merely antagonizes them.

To be called a dog or a pig was a great insult in Jesus’ culture. Still, He does not hesitate to compare those who reject Him as Israel’s Messiah to dogs and pigs. Crucially, though, His purpose is not to degrade anyone. The emphasis is not on other people, but on God’s people. This verse is a warning to Christians: don’t waste time or invite harassment from those who are obviously hostile.

Scripture embraces the value of seeking to convince others of the truth (Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 3:15; Acts 17:2). However, there is a difference between speaking to the willing, versus wasting time on the hard-hearted. In this verse, Jesus tells His followers to be aware of this difference. At times, we may not realize this until we’ve already tried to reach them (Matthew 10:14). Sometimes—such as pearls and pigs—we should know in advance that what we offer will be rejected. Spiritually speaking, “casting pearls before swine” isn’t an act of love towards the unbeliever (Matthew 5:16); it’s simply a waste of God-given resources.

Christ will give His disciples explicit instructions along these same lines, later in the gospel of Matthew (Matthew 15:14).

Context Summary
Matthew 7:1–6 delivers Jesus’ declaration that His followers must not pronounce God’s judgment on each other. Those who do try to take God’s role in this way will be judged in the same way themselves. Human beings are not qualified to pronounce judgment because they are blind to their own sin. To help another with a speck in his eye, a person must first remove the log of obvious sin from his own eye. He also warns against wasting time or effort on those who clearly have no interest; they won’t appreciate it and may attack you for it.

Verse 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew’s telling of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2) continues as Jesus turns the topic back to prayer. Instead of providing a model prayer this time, Jesus describes the attitude through which the children of God should bring their requests to Him. This statement also speaks to God’s willingness to answer those who sincerely seek Him (Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1; Matthew 7:8).

Scholars believe the wording here might suggest a rising intensity. This might be a poetic arrangement, where “ask” means a single request, “seek” refers to something more persistent, and “knock” implies deep persistence. That would imply something to the effect of “ask, ask again, and keep asking.” The Greek verbs here are in a form that implies constant action: Jesus is saying we ought to “continue to ask…seek…knock.”

The heart of Jesus’ point is that God is listening, paying attention to His people, and ready to give them good gifts. What a remarkable truth! The God of all creation cares so deeply about His children that He hears them when they pray. Even better: He answers. This also speaks to those with doubts and questions about faith. Those who lack faith, but pursue truth, will find it in Christ (Mark 9:24; John 14:6).

Since God is listening and loving, Jesus tells His listeners to ask, to seek, and to knock. When you ask, it will be given. When you seek, you will find. When you knock, the proper door will be opened. Jesus commands His followers to bring their requests, to look for answers, and ask to be let into God’s presence. Instead of putting limits and conditions on these promises, Jesus is even more expansive in the following verse.

Jesus will continue, however, to clarify that these promises are not a means of manipulating God. Prayer is never presented in Scripture as a means to merely get our way, as if He were merely magic or a system for success. Instead, these verses are an invitation to interact with a generous Father who loves to hear the prayers of His people.

Verse 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

In the previous verse, Jesus commanded His listeners to ask, seek, and to knock, with the promise that each action would be rewarded (Matthew 7:7). In the following verses, He makes it clear that He is talking about prayer: asking from the Father, seeking from the Father, symbolically knocking on the Father’s door. Some commentators suggest these words imply a progression. It’s possible that “asking” means making a request, “seeking” implies persistence or fervor, and “knocking” represents continued and ongoing persistence.

In this verse, Jesus doubles down on the promise. Everyone who asks of God receives an answer. Everyone who seeks Him finds Him. The door is opened to everyone who knocks. By including everyone, Jesus shows that God’s responsiveness to prayer is not based on the goodness of the one who prays, but on the goodness of God. We all know that among everyone, some are unworthy. God knows that among everyone, everyone is unworthy. Jesus shows that His Father does not only respond to the prayers of the super-religious, like the Pharisees (Matthew 5:20). He is ready to respond to the sincere asking, seeking, and knocking of each of His people.

That universal sense of God’s response is especially important when looking at the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). Elsewhere, the Bible explains that there’s enough evidence of God in each person’s life that they should be seeking God (Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1). Those who want God will react to that evidence by searching for Him, and they will find Him.

That also means the context of God responding to the prayers of “everyone” is ultimately grounded in the context of Jesus Himself. He is quoted by John as saying, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Some requests are reasonable only from those who can legitimately call God Father. They also presume the person is approaching the “ask, seek, and knock” concept in a truly godly way (Matthew 6:9–13).

Verse 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

Jesus has made an amazing and expansive promise to His followers: Every one of them who asks will receive. Everyone who seeks will find. Everyone who knocks will experience the door being opened (Matthew 7:7–8). He now makes clear that He is saying these things within the context of children of God making requests of Him. This is not a blind, mindless guarantee that God will give anyone anything they ask for in prayer. The context of asking, seeking, and knocking is the very person of Christ, Himself (John 14:6).

Christ asks His audience (Matthew 5:1–2) which of them would give their son a stone when asked for bread. This shows exactly what kind of relationship Jesus is describing. When we ask something of God, we are not submitting a request to a corporation or a government or a religious system. We are asking our Father for something. That’s why God stands ready to hear and answer our requests.

Jesus’ negative examples in this and the following verse demonstrate the character of God. If a human parent would not give their son a stone when asked for bread, the only perfect Father would certainly never give a worthless thing when asked for something that was truly good. Jesus’ example may even suggest something worse. Scholars point out that small loaves of bread in Jesus’ day often looked like large stones. That creates a picture of a human father intentionally tricking his son with false food. Almost no human dad would do that, and neither would the Father give false things or lie to His children.

Verse 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?

Christ has asked, “Would you give your son a stone if he asked for bread?” (Matthew 7:9) as part of His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2). Now He asks, “Would you give your son a serpent if he asks for fish?” The main idea is that good human fathers don’t harm or spite their children when given requests. Scholars also point out that a large stone can look like a small loaf of bread, and a snake can look like a piece of prepared fish. If so, Jesus is not merely speaking of giving good things, but also the idea that God would not respond to sincere requests with deception and death.

The following verse clarifies why Jesus is asking this. He’s answering an unspoken question from His listeners: Why would God listen for my prayers? Why would He give when I ask, answer when I knock, or allow me to find what I seek from Him? This is a common question of skeptics, even today: why would an all-powerful God care about my prayers?

Jesus’ rhetorical questions reveal the reason: God is a good Father who would never give evil or emptiness when asked for good. We should notice here that the requests from this imagined child are for bread and fish, the most common foods eaten in this time and place near the Sea of Galilee. In other words, Jesus pictures a request to have a need met, not a request for great luxury or power or fame. A good Father will not turn away such a request if it is in his power to grant it—and all things are within God’s power.

Verse 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

This powerful verse reveals essential truth about both the nature of people and the nature of God.

Jesus is explaining why God stands ready to hear and answer every prayer from His people. Jesus asked His listeners in the previous two verses if they would ever give a stone or serpent to a child who asked for food? The implied response was that no good parent would ever do such a thing (Matthew 7:9–10).

Now Jesus drives the point home: God is a father—your Father in heaven—who gives good things to those who ask because that’s what fathers do. It is in the nature of God to give good gifts to those who make their requests in humility and sincerity. Of course, Jesus will also clarify elsewhere that nobody can come to the Father in this way except through Jesus, Himself Him (John 6:28–29; 14:6).

Jesus also reveals something about human nature. He begins by saying, almost as an aside, that even good parents are evil. This is one of the strongest evidences and clarifications of what is called the doctrine of human depravity. In short, this is the idea that human beings are sinful by nature and incapable of true righteousness or goodness. By definition, Jesus says, we are evil in our hearts. Paul says the same when quoting Psalms 14 and 53 in Romans 3:10–12, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

The fact that humans are naturally evil, compared to God, does not mean we’re incapable of doing any good, of any kind. Most human parents provide as best as they can for their children. Some even give themselves sacrificially to meet the needs of others. What none of us are naturally capable of is true, Christlike goodness, selflessness, or righteousness.

Verse 12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2) now comes to one of the most famous statements in all of Scripture. It is often referred to as the Golden Rule. A traditional English phrasing of this is “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It’s easy for modern readers to forget how much Christ’s teachings changed the world, and how ingrained some of His ideas have become into western culture. This statement is vaguely similar to remarks made by other spiritual leaders in history, but it comes with a drastically different perspective.

Jesus was not the first to commend evaluating behavior in light of how you would want to be treated. Earlier Jewish and Greek teachers offer it, as well, as a negative statement: some form of “don’t do to anyone what you would not want done to you.” In almost all cases, this mostly implies that one ought to “do no harm,” meaning not to actively do evil. Jesus’ phrasing goes much further: positive action is part of the rule. God expects us to do—to actively pursue—that which we would like to see from others. This idea is expanded in Jesus’ later comments about the commandments of God (Matthew 22:34–40).

The fact that Jesus taught the Golden Rule endorses this principle as the will of God. Jesus also teaches here that this was the proper explanation behind the Law of Moses and God’s word to Israel through the prophets. God wants His people to treat others as they want to be treated. This is an incredibly helpful maxim, since it can be applied to most situations in life without need for a specific rule for every possible incident.

Later in Matthew’s book, Jesus will describe another set of commands as the basis for all the Law and the Prophets: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34–40). What Jesus calls the second greatest commandment—to love one’s neighbor with the love one has for him- or herself—pushes the Golden Rule past simply treating others with decency to being motivated by love for everyone.

Verse 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

As Jesus nears the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2), He describes a series of choices His listeners must make. The first is between the narrow gate which opens to a more difficult path and the wide gate which opens to the easy path. While this analogy is purposefully simple, it carries several layers of meaning.

Within the context of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5—7, it’s clear He is pointing to Himself and His teaching on inner righteousness as the “narrow gate.” He also indicates that this opens onto a hard path. In other words, those who follow Him should understand they are choosing a difficult road, from a worldly perspective (Matthew 5:10–12). It will, however, lead to life.

The choice most people will make is the wide gate leading to an easy path. The imagery of a “wide” gate implies something easy to see, and easy to get through. It also suggests something that accommodates our preferences: wide gates give us more choice over how to pass through than do narrow ones. Since what lies on the other side of that gate appears to be easy, it’s the choice most people will make. This has sad, heart-rending implications for the eternal fate of most people.

In part, Jesus is referring to those who will continue to follow the teaching of Israel’s religious leaders, the scribes and Pharisees. Their legalistic teaching about the Law required from Israelites no heart change, only outward, self-promoting obedience to the rules. This is “easier,” in a sense, because it only requires a person to pretend to be righteous. Jesus warned His followers that this was a too-easy road that lead to eternal destruction.

The alternative, given in the next verse, is a path that requires more submission and leads to a seemingly tougher experience. But the end destination of that gate is eternal life (Matthew 7:14).

Verse 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Jesus has commanded His followers to choose the more difficult of two metaphorical roads, each accessed by two different gates. They must choose the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13).

The wide gate opens onto a spacious, easily travelled roadway. Most will take that path, though it leads to destruction. Jesus is partly describing those who will continue to follow the teaching of the Pharisees and scribes (Matthew 5:20). Israel’s religious leaders emphasized that only outward actions mattered and not inward righteousness before God. Those trusting in their ethnicity, along with their own ability to “perform” the Law—without becoming righteous in their hearts—would follow the path to eternal separation from God. This is true because human righteousness can never reach God’s standard of perfect righteousness (Titus 3:5).

Being “wide” also implies that the gate leading to destruction accepts many different approaches. Scripture is clear that there is only one way to salvation, which is Christ (John 3:36; 14:6). Those who prefer to go “their own way” are simply going to their own doom. In other sermons, Jesus also indicates that He is the sole means by which men can be saved (John 10:7).

The narrow gate, though, opens to the hard way of following Jesus. This gate is “narrow” because there is only a single means of salvation, which is Christ (John 3:16–18; Acts 4:12). It is difficult because Jesus’ disciples will be persecuted by His enemies (John 15:18–25). It is the way His followers must travel, however (Matthew 5:10–12). The path of Jesus is the only path to eternal and abundant life.

Context Summary
Matthew 7:7–14 describes God as a generous Father eager to give good gifts to His praying children. Jesus commands His followers to continually ask and seek, with confidence that they will receive and find. Christ summarizes the intent of God’s commands in the Old Testament: doing for others what we want done for us. This is commonly referred to as “the Golden Rule.” The way of Jesus begins by entering a narrow gate and continues down a hard path that leads to life. He commands His followers to take that path instead of the easy road that leads to destruction.

Verse 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep ‘s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2) has already provided several phrases now common in western culture. This verse provides another: the idea of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. In previous verses, Jesus warned His followers they must enter the narrow gate and walk the hard road that leads to life (Matthew 7:13–14). Most people, He said, enter the wide gate and walk the easy path to destruction. Christ, Himself, is the narrow gate (John 10:9; 14:6) and the only way of salvation (Acts 4:12). The life of inner righteousness is harder than the shallow, performance-based hypocrisy modeled by so many (Matthew 5:20).

Here Jesus tells His followers to beware of false prophets. This can refer specifically to those who claim to be literal “prophets,” or leaders. It also applies, in general, to those who make false religious claims. Such people may put on the appearance of innocence or brotherhood. In truth, they are as deceptive and dangerous as hungry wolves wearing sheep skins. Jewish people of Jesus’ era would have grown up hearing stern warnings about listening to false prophets.

In this statement, Jesus is pointedly identifying those who oppose Him—those who lead people along the wide path of destruction—as false prophets hungry to devour an easily-led people. The most prominent examples of these, for Jesus’ original audience, were the religious leaders of Israel. Those men will end up accusing Jesus of falseness and blasphemy. He is warning His listeners ahead of time that those men are the false prophets. They “devour” in the sense that they rely on the continued fear-driven submission of the Jewish people to maintain their own power and position (John 10:10).

This is the first half of a two-part lesson. After explaining how it’s possible to be fooled by others, Jesus will go on to warn about the danger of fooling ourselves (Matthew 7:21).

Verse 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Jesus has warned that false prophets may disguise themselves to look like sheep when they are in truth ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15). This is yet another example of how the Bible calls believers to sensible, informed, mature faith (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1). You can’t judge a self-proclaimed prophet by their outward appearance. Appearing smart, authoritative, moral, or “nice” does not mean what they say is true. Rather than judging shallowly, Jesus commands believers to use right judgment (John 7:24). When it comes to self-proclaimed teachers or prophets, that means looking at what comes from their teaching and from their lives.

Grapes and figs were common fruit in the diets of Jesus’ listeners. People learned early on to recognize that the little berries on thorn bushes were not grapes on grapevines; the flowers on thistles were different from the petals on a fig tree. Parallel to this, people may appear impressive at first glance. They may come across as very religious and holy. Time, however, will reveal that person’s character. Do their actions match their teaching? Do they give care to others when nobody is watching? Are those who follow their teachings people of good reputation? In the case of a supposed prophet, do their prophecies come true? Do they fit with what is known from Scripture?

If the plant does not produce grapes, it is not a grapevine. Or, it is diseased, according to Jesus in the following verse (Matthew 7:17).

Verse 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

Jesus is warning His listeners to beware of false prophets. They may look like sheep, but they’re actually hungry wolves. The way to properly identify them is by their fruit: what grows from their lives and teaching. Grapes don’t grow on thorn bushes, and figs don’t spring from thistle plants (Matthew 7:15–16). In the same way, legitimate spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22–24) comes from a true believer.

Christ clarifies that point even further, here. Healthy trees bear good fruit, sick trees bear bad fruit. That law of nature is true of people, as well as trees. “Healthy” prophets and teachers demonstrate through their lives and character that they are authentic messengers of God (1 John 4:1).

Jesus’ words here are close to what John the Baptist said to the Pharisees: “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:7–8). Jesus has also challenged the teaching and practice of the Pharisees throughout the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:20).

Verse 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.

This statement complements the teaching given in the previous verse (Matthew 7:17). Jesus is making it abundantly clear that false teachers can always be known by their fruit: what comes out of their lives. He has said that healthy trees bear good fruit and diseased trees bear bad fruit. Now He adds that healthy trees cannot bear bad fruit and sick trees can’t bear good fruit. It just doesn’t happen.

Jesus wants His followers to pay attention not just to the words of self-proclaimed prophets or even of Israel’s religious leaders. He wants them to look at a religious leader’s life to see how they live and behave. This is the only way to judge whether a supposed prophet brings messages from God or not. This is part of correctly judging (John 7:24), and an important aspect of the Christian faith (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11).

Verse 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Jesus is warning His listeners, followers, and disciples to beware of false prophets. The term “false prophet” most literally applies to anyone who claims to speak on behalf of God, when they do not. The warnings against false prophets also apply, in broad terms, to anyone who promotes deceptive or errant spiritual claims. In part—and certainly for His original audience—Jesus is warning against the teaching of the Pharisees and Israel’s other religious leaders (Matthew 5:20). They are the ones who lead their followers on the wide path that leads to destruction. Jesus’ path is hard, but it leads to life (Matthew 7:13–14).

Now Jesus directly echoes what John the Baptist said to a group of religious leaders, Pharisees and Sadducees, who came to see him in the wilderness. After calling them a “brood of vipers,” John commanded them to “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” Then he warned them: “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:7–10).

Diseased trees, Jesus has said, bear bad fruit. The only thing they are good for is to become fuel for fire. Jesus’ mention of fire is meant to refer to the eternal fires of hell and separation from God. False prophets and false religious leaders that do not live what they teach and lead others in the wrong direction are like sick trees. They will be burned (John 15:1–6).

Verse 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

This sums up Christ’s warning to His followers about false prophets (Matthew 7:15–19). This is part of Matthew’s continuing record of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2). This alert against false teachers applies across all of history, and is part of the Bible’s encouragement towards wisdom and truthfulness (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1). For His initial audience, Jesus is specifically warning against the leadership of some of Israel’s religious teachers. Jesus does not make a blanket statement that all Pharisees or Sadducees or priests are false. Rather, Christ extols a form of cautious skepticism: see what comes out of their lives beyond just their words.

That spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22–24) may include a leader’s character as revealed in the way they treat others, their honesty, their humility, their commitment to living with inner righteousness, as well as external obedience. Their fruit may also include the lives and attitudes of their own followers and disciples.

Jesus has also been clear that those who most fully fall under the category of “false prophets” are not simply wrong about what they believe. The worst and most dangerous of the wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15) are intentionally deceptive. They lie, to promote their own position and power. Look closely at their teachings, and what they create, commands Jesus.

This concludes the first half of a two-part warning. After speaking about those who would fool others, Jesus will warn against fooling ourselves (Matthew 7:21).

Verse 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

This verse is deeply challenging, and the subject of many debates. Scripture is clear that salvation is entirely by grace through faith, and not earned by good deeds (Titus 3:5; Galatians 2:16; Romans 11:6; John 6:28–29). The Bible also strongly reminds believers that all people—even those who are born again—have sin which needs to be addressed (1 John 1:9–10; Hebrews 4:14–16). However, God’s Word also indicates that those who are truly born again will see that salvation reflected in their attitudes and actions (James 2:14–17; John 14:15). A similar tension exists in this passage—emphasizing that Christ, not deeds, is what saves (John 14:6), and yet submission to Christ is an expected result of salvation (Luke 6:46).

While this verse is commonly mis-applied by those who claim that good works are required to be saved, the very next statement Jesus makes destroys that interpretation. In fact, those who primarily define their faith by what they’ve done for God have placed their faith in something other than Christ (Matthew 7:22–23). In these few verses, Jesus explicitly explains that to do the will of God means something more than mere action—it requires genuine faith.

Having warned His listeners to beware of false prophets, Jesus made it clear that it’s possible for other people to “put on” a show of faith and fool us. Christians should be aware of false leaders, and other people who claim to represent God when they do not (Matthew 7:15–20). Here, He offers the other side of this two-part alert: beware of false followers. Specifically, Christ is warning those who hear Him not to fool themselves into thinking they are true believers, when in fact they are not.

Jesus declares that not everyone who refers to Him as “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. The title of “Lord” implies a master, a leader, and someone to whom the speaker submits. In prior teaching, Jesus indicated that mere words and actions are not enough—they must be motivated by sincerity and truth (Matthew 6:1, 5, 16). In that same way, Jesus states in no uncertain terms that merely referring to Him as Lord is not enough. Neither are acts of supposed righteousness. Entrance to the kingdom of heaven is limited to those who truly, fully do the will of His Father in heaven (2 Corinthians 13:5). That starts with sincere faith in Christ (John 6:28–29) and extends to humility in how we live our lives (John 14:15).

For the first time in this sermon, Jesus refers to God as “my Father.” Jesus Himself did the will of His Father in heaven. Those who truly follow Him will do the same.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus taught that Jesus’ arrival on earth meant that the kingdom of heaven was near (Matthew 3:1–2; 4:17). This is Christ’s eternal kingdom, which will begin in the hearts of all who are truly His (Jeremiah 31:31–33; Hebrews 8:6–7). This will eventually become a true and political kingdom where God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven (Revelation 20:4–6). Only those who come to the Father through true faith in Christ will become citizens of that kingdom forever.

Verse 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

The prior statement, part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2), boldly indicated that not everyone who refers to Jesus as “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Rather, it is those who do the will of God the Father who will be saved (Matthew 7:21). Those words are often misapplied and misunderstood. Mostly, this happens when someone assumes Jesus is requiring that good works are a condition for salvation. Not only would such an interpretation conflict with the rest of Scripture (Titus 3:5; Romans 11:6), it ignores what Jesus goes on to say here. In this verse, He specifically says that it’s possible to fool yourself into thinking your actions are in service to God, when in reality, they’re not.

Christ says that “on that day” some judged to be non-believers will protest. “That day,” when used in the New Testament in the context of future events, often refers to the “day of the Lord” when Christ will return to establish His kingdom on earth. In broad strokes, this is a reference to the point where a person is judged by God.

The complaint of some people, Jesus says, will be that they performed all kinds of impressive deeds—doesn’t that prove they deserve heaven? As Christ goes on to state in the next verse, it does not (Matthew 7:23). It is possible to declare one’s allegiance to Christ, to serve others supposedly in His name, and to do so without legitimately trusting in Christ for salvation. Jesus indicated that the first and foremost “work” demanded by God is belief in His Son (John 6:28–29).

This statement comes after Jesus declared that good actions, themselves, are not righteous unless motivated by sincerity and truth (Matthew 6:1, 5, 16). It also follows His warning that false believers can be identified—to others—by their spiritual fruit (Matthew 7:15–20). The only means to assess the spirituality of others is what they say and do (1 Samuel 16:7). We can, and should, do this (1 John 4:1; John 7:24), but always with a recognition of our own fallible nature (Matthew 7:1–5). Our own hearts, however, we can judge according to motives—and we should do so (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Christ’s upcoming analogy, referring to foundations, will further enhance this idea (Matthew 7:24–27).

Verse 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Jesus’ words may sound harsh to us, but they also contain great truth. Great works will not earn a person entrance into the kingdom, even astounding good works like those listed (Matthew 7:21–22). Jesus has said that on “that day,” when He comes to establish His kingdom, some will point to their good works of prophesying, casting out demons, and doing other powerful works in His name. Those people will claim that their performance has earned, or at least proven, a place in Christ’s kingdom.

To those people, Christ will simply say He never knew them, dismiss their supposedly great deeds as works of lawlessness, and command them to depart.

If performing such mighty works does not provide a way into His kingdom, what will? This is an example of how Scripture often presents statements requiring careful understanding. Jesus has said (Matthew 7:21) that only those who do the will of His Father will enter. However, the will of God for every person is to believe in Jesus, to receive the gift of the forgiveness of sin made possible by His death on the cross and to be declared righteous before God in that way (John 6:28–29). Those who refuse to believe in this way commit the sin of unbelief (John 16:9; Hebrews 3:12), eliminating the only way to be known by Christ and welcomed into His kingdom (John 3:36; Ephesians 2:8–9).

It’s important to notice that Jesus is making an enormous claim in this verse about His role in the kingdom of heaven. He is the One who will declare whether someone can enter the kingdom of heaven. He is the Judge who will grant entrance or condemn those who have not placed their faith in Him alone. They will be separated from Himself and the Father.

This completes the second half of a two-part warning. Christians are not called to be naïve, either about others or themselves. Believers ought to be sensitive to spiritual deception from others (Matthew 7:15–20), as well as spiritual self-deception.

Context Summary
Matthew 7:15–23 contains a two-sided warning about false believers. A religious leader may appear respectable and wise, but you must look at the fruit of his life in order to know if he truly represents God. In the same way, it’s possible for a person to claim to follow Jesus, referring to Him as “Lord,” when they are not true believers. Only those who do the will of the Father will be allowed into the kingdom of heaven—which Jesus defines as beginning with true belief (John 6:28–29). Our good works might fool other people, and might even fool ourselves, but they cannot fool God.

Verse 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.

Jesus is bringing the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2) to a close. He has revealed in the previous verses that He alone will declare who is allowed into His kingdom and who will be turned away (Matthew 7:21–23). The deciding factor will be whether He knows a person and whether they did the will of His Father, which begins with believing in Jesus (John 6:28–29; 14:6).

Christ has made clear that false prophets and false followers will not be welcome, even if they claimed to follow Him—even if they did supposedly-great works in His name. There is a real difference between “these words of mine,” as Jesus describes His teaching, and that of the false prophets and religious leaders. Israel’s religious leaders modeled obedience to God as outward performance of religious practices in order to be noticed and respected by others (Matthew 5:20). Jesus has emphasized that true righteousness should begin in the heart and be only for the notice of God. In that way, it becomes an expression of true faith in God’s Word (Matthew 6:1, 5, 16).

Now Jesus uses yet another word picture to show the difference between those who practice what He has taught and those who continue to follow the false path of the false prophets. Living according to Jesus’ teaching, He says, is like a wise man who builds his house on a foundation of rock. The following verses will illustrate the positive effects of building a life—and one’s beliefs—on a solid foundation. They will also explain the disaster which comes from poor foundations (Matthew 7:27).

Verse 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Certain false teachers try to convince Christians that faith in Jesus always results in prosperity, ease, and freedom from disease or harm. This is not only false, it’s a blatant lie. Jesus Himself warned His followers of exactly the opposite: that the path to life was a difficult one entered through a narrow gate (Matthew 7:14; John 6:33). Now He describes difficulty facing every human life, using the picture of a great storm. The rain will fall. The floods will rise. The wind will strike.

Christ does not promise that there will be no storms. What He does promise is that those who trust in Him will survive that storm. He is using the word picture of building a house. This “house” is a person’s spiritual strength, their beliefs, and the life they construct as a result. Those who live by His teaching will be like a man who has built a house on a foundation of rock. The rain fell, the floods came, the wind beat on the house. The house stood through it all because the foundation was sound.

The same storm will come against those who do not trust in Christ and follow His teaching. The following verses show the result for their “houses.”

Verse 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Jesus is illustrating the difference between living by His teaching versus not living by them. The person who follows Jesus’ teaching is a like a man who built a house on foundation of rock. When the violent storms came, the house stood firm. The “house” of one’s beliefs and faith must be built on something solid and true—which is Christ only (John 14:6)—in order to withstand the attacks of the world (Matthew 7:24–25).

Now Jesus says that those who don’t follow His teaching, once they have heard it, are like a man who built a house directly on the sand. He calls this man foolish for using sand as the foundation for a house. The result for this house, once the storm hits, will be very different than for the wise man’s house.

Jesus is emphasizing that the difference is not between merely hearing or not hearing His teaching. The difference comes in living by Jesus’ teaching. Those who truly believe Jesus’ words will follow them as they carry out their everyday lives (John 14:15).

Verse 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Jesus concludes His simple illustration of two houses built on two different foundations. The one built on solid rock stood firm when the storm assaulted it. The one built on a foundation of sand fell hard. The first builder was wise; the second, foolish (Matthew 7:24–26). The point of this teaching is not merely about selecting the right building site for a home. Christ’s imagery is meant to explain that only a worldview built on something solid—which is Christ alone (John 14:6)—creates a life that can withstand the natural attacks of human life.

A person who does as Jesus has taught, including His lessons in this Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2) is wise. No person, Christian or otherwise, is promised to escape the storms of life. Those who are solidly rooted in Christ, however, will stand strong through them. The person who hears Jesus’ words but continues on without doing them is foolish. The same storm will level that person’s life. The consequences will be dire—not the least of which is an eternity separated from God (John 3:36).

Context Summary
Matthew 7:24–27 contains Jesus’ famous illustration contrasting two foundations for life. One is lived according to His teaching, the other is not. Foundations matter, both in construction and in the way a person views the world. Those who follow Jesus’ teaching are like a wise man who built a house on a rock. Those who ignore Him are like a foolish man who built a house on sand. One will survive the violent storm. The other will fall hard. The same is true of those who face the storms of life.

Verse 28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,

Jesus’ teaching in Matthew chapters 5—7 has become known as the Sermon on the Mount. The event likely took place just north of the Sea of Galilee near a town called Capernaum. Matthew began simply by saying that Jesus went up on a mountain—in the context of that region, an elevated spot above the crowd—sat down, and began to teach. His disciples were there, and so were “the crowds” (Matthew 5:1–2). That message focused on clarifying the purpose of God’s laws and commandments.

Common to that series of lessons is that God looks on attitude and motivation just as much as outward behavior. Hypocritical or performance-based shallowness is not real righteousness. God knows the difference and expects His people to do more than serve out of selfishness and pride.

Having finished his report of Jesus’ sermon, Matthew describes those crowds as “astonished.” The Greek term here is exeplēssonto, which literally means to be “struck.” Christ’s convicting and challenging words fit the meaning of a common English expression: “hit like a ton of bricks.” His audience had never heard teaching like this in their lives. They didn’t just nod along in affirmation. They were genuinely surprised by what Jesus said.

In addition, the crowds are also staggered by the way Jesus taught. Rather than speaking as someone passing along the wisdom of others, Jesus speaks as the Source and Authority of these ideas (Matthew 7:29).

Verse 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus has concluded what we now call the Sermon on the Mount, found in chapters 5—7 of the gospel of Matthew. Matthew has reported that those who heard Christ in person were “astonished” at His teaching (Matthew 5:28). That description uses a Greek word that literally means being “struck.” At least part of their surprise is the way Jesus fully explained the purpose of God’s law and commandments (Matthew 5:17), mostly by condemning hypocrisy and shallow, performance-based religion (Matthew 5:20).

Now Matthew adds another reason why Jesus’ original audience was so shocked by His words. Since the crowd was mostly made up of Jewish people who participated in Israel’s religious system, they had heard a lot of teaching in their lives from many different local Rabbis and teachers. Jewish scholars often taught the Scriptures by presenting multiple viewpoints of any given subject. They might point to different Rabbis, with different views, and leave it to the listener to decide which was closer to the truth. This was not Jesus’ approach.

Jesus Christ taught with authority. He stated clearly, even bluntly, what was true and what was false. He called out sin and falsehood and even Israel’s religious leaders themselves. He didn’t build His arguments on the basis of other people or rely on their reputations. He spoke as One with first-hand, personal, absolute knowledge of the truth (John 3:13).

That’s not a surprising approach, given that Jesus is the Son of God. As God incarnate, He knew exactly what God intended in every passage of Scripture and exactly what God wanted from His people. Jesus spoke with authority because all authority—even declaring who will or will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:23)—belongs to Him (Matthew 28:18; Philippians 2:10).

Context Summary
Matthew 7:28–29 describes the reaction of the crowds after Jesus had finished teaching what we now call the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2). They were astonished. They had never heard teaching like His. Accustomed to the more philosophical teaching of the Jewish rabbis, they were shocked to hear Jesus be so authoritative and definitive about truth and error, right and wrong, life and destruction.

Chapter Summary
Matthew 7 is the last of three chapters that record what is now known as the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus commands His hearers not to pronounce shallow or hypocritical judgment. He describes God as a generous Father eager to give good things to His children when they ask. He commands His followers to enter the narrow gate and walk the hard road to life. False prophets can be recognized by their fruit, meaning their actions and choices. At the same time, good deeds are not absolute proof that someone has true faith. To live by Jesus’ teaching is like building the house of your life on a solid foundation instead of shifting sand.