Jesus' Teachings Do Not Save

I believe the statement "Jesus' teachings do not save" to be a true statement. I heard it in a sermon preached by Tim Keller on the Prodigal Son or as he puts it the Two Prodigals.

Every religions teaches that if you follow their teachings then you will receive a reward. Ultimately, they are claiming that the advice they give for your life will benefit you the most if you follow what they are saying. Even atheism functions this way. Saying there is no God is better than saying there is a God and therefore ultimately benefiting your life. Even some "Christians" believe that by practicing or following the teachings of Jesus, you will receive the ultimate reward of salvation or eternal life.

If people received their reward based on following the teaching of a given religions, then there would never be any assurance of anything. Why? If you are "judged" on the conduct of your life then you will have to wait for your life to be over in order to know if you followed correctly. So, your reward is put on lay-away until you have fulfilled the requirements.

The gospel is completely different from all religions in two ways. One, the gospel has its affect right now. When you rightly understand the gospel and respond in faith, you have a partial reward of the gospel right then. We are told that the Holy Spirit will help us in our life, we have the immediate forgiveness of sin, and his assistance in all areas of our life to remedy the affects of sin. The gospel is the good news that we are sons and daughters of God. And with that comes all the immediate benefits. The gospel is the good news of a new kingdom where all the prevailing attitudes are reversed (to become great you become weak, to be rich you become poor, etc.). The gospel is the good news of what Jesus did for you now.

My second point is that Jesus' teachings do not save...JESUS SAVES. The work of redeeming all things is accomplished by Jesus. You can not follow Jesus' teaching and expect to receive a reward...your reward is a gift of grace from him. It was his grace that was extended to you, it was his work that paid for sin, it was his life that will change your life. Certainly, Jesus' teachings are accurate and true and profitable for the Christian to hold to and love and even live by. He is the greatest teacher of all time and his commentary on life will help those who already believe in him become more like him. But, salvation is accomplished by him and him alone.

The implications of this huge. Some people think that when they become a Christian then get a second chance at life and "Now, I need to live a good life." It's like Jesus gave them salvation, but now they have to keep it with their "righteous" behavior. No, no, no. The gospel is the good news that Jesus did accomplish your redemption and that he is still working in the life of believers. Jesus' teachings are important for the understanding of how HE works in our life. Your job is simple..."have no other gods before him." Jesus saves and we love him for it.