“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last quadrans” (Matthew 5:21-26; all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible).

As pointed out in a previous article, Matthew 5:21-26 introduces a segment of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus would quote a passage from the Old Testament and then say, “But I say….” He would go deeper. The Old Testament would condemn certain actions. Jesus would then reprimand the thoughts, intentions, and attitudes that lurked below the surface of behavior. One could be sinning without acting on his thoughts or desires. As it says in the prayer of confession from the Book of Common Prayer, “We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.” Actions matter, but so do thoughts, words, and at times, choosing not to act.

Holiness, from Jesus’ perspective, sounds even harder to accomplish than it did under the Old Testament law. After all, He had told His disciples that they would not enter the kingdom of heaven unless their righteousness far surpassed that of the religious leaders (Matthew 5:20). This has led some people to think there is a conflict between Jesus’ teaching and the apostle Paul’s teaching on salvation by grace through faith. Many will find their way around this by adopting an idea known as dispensationalism: they will say that Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, was speaking to His disciples as Israelites under the Old Covenant, since He had not died yet. On the other hand, according to this theory, Paul was writing to Christians under the New Covenant. Therefore, Paul’s teaching (that we obtain eternal life by having faith) applies to us, but Jesus’ teaching does not. This is a false teaching because it conflicts with Jesus’ command that his disciples were to teach people “to follow all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Nothing can supplant the words of Jesus; Paul’s doctrine merely supports it.

There is no conflict between Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount and Paul’s later teaching. There is, however, a widespread misunderstanding about the nature of faith.

I came to saving faith in Jesus during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in college. The following semester, I took my first psychology course and learned about the theory of reasoned action, which helped me understand the relationship between faith and works. Althought it used the language of psychology instead of theology, it seems that the religious/spiritual element is a valid aspect and application of this theory. (The following is a brief summary of the theory, skipping over some details. I am also summarizing much of it from memory of class lectures and reading from 35-40 years ago and adapting it with details from years of Bible study and serving the Lord, so there will be some modifications from the original theory while maintaining its essence.)

Martin Fishbein and Icek Ajzen introduced their theory in 1975. They taught that human behavior is influenced by three cognitive factors: attitude, belief, and intention.

Attitudes involve a general emotional response to or opinion about a person, place, thing, idea, action, etc. For example, an attitude might be “I like to feel good immediately” or “I do not like this particular religious, ethnic, or racial group.” Jesus summed up the ideal attitude of a child of God as follows:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39).

Love for God and others is the attitude of a child of God. We have not touched actual beliefs yet, though. Many Christians mistake beliefs for faith. Instead, we should think of attitude as the essence of faith.

Beliefs tend to apply to facts, details, evidence, etc., which we see through the lens of our attitude. For example, the person who wants to feel good right now might know all the facts about healthy living, but they would rather enjoy that delicious snack than worry about how it affects their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. A person who does not like a particular group of people will choose to believe data or “facts” about them: they will reject opinions or statistics that conflict with their attitude as “fake news,” “lies,” etc. (This mindset has become much more common in the modern Internet age, as we all have access to news sources and media outlets that will confirm our personal biases. We view everything from a contrary perspective as lies.)

From a Christian standpoint, beliefs include our understanding of Scripture or doctrinal statements of our churches; for some Christians, it will include the ancient creeds (like the Apostle’s Creed or Nicene Creed). Many of us mistake these beliefs for faith when they are merely the outgrowth or articulation of the faith. “I love Jesus” is the attitude of faith; what I believe about Him from the Bible explains what He is like and how I should respond to Him.

Intentions emerge from our attitudes and beliefs. They describe what we want to do and drive us to take action. So, the journey from faith to works goes like this: attitude (faith) → belief → intention → action (works). Note that this is not a 100% successful process: sometimes, there will be a disconnect. Misguided beliefs or incomplete understanding may hinder our faith. This might misdirect our intention. Even with the best intentions, we might not have the skills, wisdom, or resources to do what we want.

Again, that is a very basic summary. Fishbein and Ajzen wrote an entire book on their theory, covering some interrelated concepts without drawing a direct connection between faith and attitude. People who are curious about psychology can read about the theory here; you can also order their book online from Amazon. (It cost a lot less when I was in college.)

Jesus is not calling on us to change our behavior per se. He is inviting us to be transformed into a new person, who has a new attitude that is being renewed by the Holy Spirit. He will change who we are, how we think, and how we choose to live. This is the essence and outflow of faith in Him.

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to You, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly Yours, utterly dedicated to You; and then use us, we pray, as You will, and always to your glory and the welfare of Your people, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. (Adapted from The Book of Common Prayer.)

What are your thoughts about the relationship between faith, belief, and action? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.