To BE or to DO?

Kurt Vonnegut famously included this bit of bathroom graffiti in his novel Deadeye Dick:

To be is to do – Socrates

To do is to be – Sartre

Do Be Do Be Do – Sinatra

Apart from Sinatra, I’m not sure Vonnegut got the philosophers right, but no matter. 

Here’s the question: “Which motto best speaks for genuine Christ-like transformation?”

Matthew’s Paradigm

This post is part of a series introducing the Matthew Paradigm: making disciples of Jesus Christ for all of life. It recognizes the Gospel of Matthew as a manual for making disciples.

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is the first of the major discourses, or teaching sections, of Matthew.

Some say this teaches what is required to become a citizen of the kingdom. In other words, what we need to “do” in order to “be” a citizen of God’s kingdom. This is not what Jesus is teaching in his Sermon.

The Sermon on the Mount (SM) is focused on the inner character of the disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus is teaching his disciples (those who already “be”) what their essential character is.

Let’s look at Sartre’s maxim, “to do is to be.” 

To do is to be

This saying encapsulates much of our human insistence on self-determination. It has some merits at one level but is fundamentally flawed as a means of genuine transformation.

For instance, if convicted criminals want to “be” (or show themselves to “be”) model citizens, they must successfully undergo a course of study or treatment to reform their behavior—how they “do” life within society. But does this mean their character is changed?

This approach is fundamentally flawed when changing a person’s nature. It is an example of behavior modification, training a person to act differently. A person can learn to behave differently without the transformation of their ‘heart.’ Typically, religions and other institutions subscribe to behavior modification.  

Cleaning up the outside is not the same as transforming the inside. Peter illustrates this principle in 2 Peter 2:17-22.

A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.

You can give a pig a good wash and a dash of perfume, but that will not change the fact that it is, by nature, still a pig (no offense intended).

To do is not to be.

In the SM, Jesus reminds us of the law “Do not murder” and “Do not commit adultery.” But we still “be” full of anger and lust. The law might govern our behavior but cannot change our hearts (Matthew 5:21-30).

Near the end of the SM, Jesus tells us that (7:22-23):

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

These people say the right things and even do miraculous things, yet Jesus says to them, “I never knew you.” He then identifies their nature and what they “be”—“you evildoers!”

Again, to do is not to be—even when someone says the right things and does miraculous things. 

To be is to do

Whether Socrates said this or someone else—that person was on to something.

The SM begins with a series of beatitudes. For example (Matthew 5:3):

Blessed [favored (by God)] are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This is not the way we enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus is not telling us to “do” being poor in the spirit; he is blessing those who already “be” poor in the spirit.

In his commentary on the SM, Charles Quarles correctly observes that this refers to  

… the character and conduct of those whom God has already claimed as His children.

At the heart of the SM is the “Lord’s prayer” (6:9-13). How does it begin?

          Our Father …

Excuse my grammar, but the disciples who pray this already “be” His children. 

What God has done

We need a change of nature to “be” children of God. That change is an act of God through faith in Jesus Christ (e.g., John 1:12; 3:16; Romans 3:21-26; 10:9-10). That is what makes us “be” children of God.

Once we “be” children of God, we “do” children of God ‘stuff.’

Jesus speaks in this way as he draws the SM to a close (7:17):

Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

In other words, what we “be” by nature determines what we “do” as a way of life. “Doing” flows from “being” children of God. 

To be or to do

How do we discern between those who “do” and those who “be”?

One clue Jesus gives is: “by their fruit you will recognized them” (7:16). What the person is “doing” (fruit) indicates the nature of the tree. Yet, there are those “doing” miraculous things, and Jesus says that they are, by nature, “evildoers.”

It seems that “doing” miraculous things is not incontrovertible evidence of “being” a child of God. 

What Jesus is revealing in the SM is the character of his disciples. Their character is becoming like the character of Jesus Christ. Yes, that may involve the miraculous on occasion, but at its core, it is a person’s character becoming more and more like Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, to be (like Jesus) is to do (like Jesus).

If you “be” a child of God by faith in Jesus Christ—a follower of Jesus, a disciple of Christ (as flawed as you are)—then you begin to “do” or live a life like the life of Jesus Christ.

The Triune God (Father, Son, and Spirit) transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ. This transformation process is the essence of making disciples of Jesus Christ—a subject we will explore in future posts.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.

Dr. John B. MacDonald has served for decades as a lawyer and pastor-teacher. He is an associate with Outreach Canada and focuses on equipping and encouraging others to become more like Jesus Christ and to live all of life with God-honoring competence and joy. You can also find more articles from John on his website, living theology.