Saved by works--but not our own!

CHAPTER 16: Of Good Works
(Parts One through Three)

Good works and the Christian faith are strange bedfellows—misunderstood more often than not. Consider the following statements:

God is good and He works, so all of His works are good (Mark 10:13).
God commands people to be good and to work, so good works are required of man, by God (Matthew 5:48).
The only human being to perform only good works is Jesus Christ. All others have sinned, and since the wages of sin is death, all human beings are in big trouble with God (Romans 3:23 & 6:23).
No amount of good works performed by any mere human can atone for, or reverse the effects of one bad work [sin] (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Even the best works sinful people can perform are unacceptable in God’s sight since they are not flawless, nor motivated solely for the glory of God (Isaiah 64:4). Our situation, if left to ourselves, is hopeless. That is the bad news of the gospel.

But God…

The saved are forgiven and declared righteous on the basis of good works. WHAT?! It’s true, but the good works that save us are not ours. They are Jesus’ good [no wait, perfect] works. Jesus lived the sinless life of good works God requires of all of us, that none of us have performed. Jesus died on the cross to pay for the sins we have committed (1 Corinthians 15:3). By faith we receive the reward of righteousness due Him for His good works, and He takes the penalty for our bad works.

That is the good news of the gospel.

(Part Two)

The message of the gospel is clear: our good works are not required for, nor do they contribute to salvation. Salvation is based on Christ’s good works on our behalf (both His sinless life and His death on the cross in our place.) But as Paul makes clear in the following passages, good works are an essential part of the life of those who are saved by God’s grace alone, received through faith alone in Christ alone.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Verses 8-9—We are not saved by our good works; but verse 10—we are saved for good works.

Titus 3:3-5, 8 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit… 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

Verses 3-5, & 8—Our good works do not save us; but as verse 8 clearly states, those who believe must be careful to maintain good works.

(Part Three)

We have no natural ability to perform “good works” (Romans 5:6). Even our best efforts are short of perfect (Isaiah 64:6), and God does not grade on a curve. Even the things we do that might be considered good are never done solely for the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Yet as believers we are to “be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8), not to gain God’s love or approval, but in grateful obedience to the Lord who has already given us His love and approval in Christ.

How then are believers to perform good works in grateful obedience to God for saving us? Here are a few pointers:

Do what God in His Word says is good, not what we may think is good.
Do good prayerfully, asking for the right motives.
Do good in the power of the Holy Spirit, for whatever is done in the strength of the flesh, is not truly good.
Do what is done for God’s glory—alone.

And consider this: If no one can do all that God requires, it is even more clear that no one can do more than God requires. Why? Because God requires perfection. “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

Saved by works—but not by our own!

CHAPTER 16 Of Good Works
(Parts Four and Five)

Here is a fantastic thought from the Confession regarding “good works”: Though our good works cannot save us, and cannot gain favor with God—beyond that which we have through faith in Christ and in what He has done to save us—yet God is pleased to reward His people for good works (Matthew 25:21).

That God would reward us for doing anything, since our best is less than He demands is fantastic enough. But in the same way that an earthly father might reward a child for doing a less-than-stellar job on a given task, God is pleased to reward His children for our less-than-perfect performance if we were motivated and directed by Him, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and do what we do for His glory (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

But to bring the subject full circle—back to the glory of God, what are His children seen doing with our rewards [crowns] in Heaven? (Revelation 4:9-11) Casting them at His feet. What a picture! Once in Heaven, those who are rewarded will see God and will immediately think, “What is this crown doing on my head? All glory belongs to Him.” And at that moment the crowns on our heads will be placed rightly at His feet, since our best is still below even His feet.

What an incredible God!

(Part Five)

Most people have no difficulty with the concept that our bad deeds count against us. Of course most people also routinely believe that their bad deeds are not all that bad, that they are certainly not as bad as others (you know, the really bad people), and that their good deeds will outweigh their bad deeds.

The fact is, anything less than the infinite holiness of God is infinitely short of His required standard of sinless perfection (see Matthew 5:48). The fact is, God doesn’t grade on a curve. The fact is, all the good deeds in the world cannot outweigh our bad deeds. (How many good things can a person do for you to outweigh a bad deed against you if that one bad deed was murdering your son?)

As stated, most people have no difficulty with the concept that our bad deeds count against us, but try this one on: our good deeds count against us too. Isaiah 64:6 states: “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.…” Not only does our worst condemn us, so does our best. Why? Because it is not equal to God’s best, and that is the standard by which we are judged.

Good news for the Christian: Jesus took all our deeds and gave us all His, so that those who are “in Him” stand before God as though we are as righteous as Jesus Christ Himself.

So then, we are saved by works—just not by our works, but by Christ’s!

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