Three ways to live

“Two ways to live” is a popular Australian gospel presentation - you can live according to your own way or God’s way. While this is clearly true, it is important to see that there are two quite different ways of living “your way”.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, starting from Matthew 7:13 Jesus gives a summary of the sermon in a list of two contrasting types: two roads (wide and narrow), two trees (with good and bad fruit), two builders (wise and foolish). A common interpretation is that these two ways are men’s way and God’s way. If that is true, then this should be alluded to in the body of the sermon. But Jesus does not compare those who give to the poor with those who don’t, he compares those who do it to be commended by people (e.g. for their own sake) with those who do it for the God’s sake (Matthew 6:1-4). Jesus does not compare those who pray with those who don’t, he compares those who pray for their own sake with those who pray for God’s sake (Matthew 6:5-8). To summarize, the sermon compares the gospel’s way with the way of hypocrites, Pharisees, who claim to serve God but are really serving themselves.

So the three ways to live are:

1) Rejecting God and living your way
2) Believing God, but serving Him to benefit yourself (salvation by works) - still living your way
3) Serving God for God’s sake, in response to what he has done (salvation by grace) - God’s way

The second way (serving to get a reward) is our default mode of operation, whether we claim to believe in God or not. We all are serving something for our own benefit, be it God, our job, spouse, body. The gospel offers a complete reversal of this pattern - Jesus got what we deserved (death) so that we can receive what Jesus deserved (a new status of being a part of God’s family). Only to the degree that we can understand this truth, we will be able to live “God’s way”.

You might also want to hear a shorter definition given by Tim Keller, the original author of the phrase “Three ways to live”.