The idea of satisfying God by so-called “good works” and in virtue of them being entitled to a place in heaven not only characterized a long period of church history but is still to be found in our day. So, it should be stated right at the beginning of this article that good works will never bring us to God or secure our place in heaven. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:23-24); “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph 2:8-9).
On the other hand, Scripture speaks a great deal about good works, and it is our purpose to examine what the Bible teaches about this.
God, the source of all good
First of all, we must realize that everything good has its ultimate source in God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). The Lord Jesus, who revealed the Father here on earth, “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), and so He could say to the Jews, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” (John 10:32).
Everyone who is born of God possesses the divine life and will consequently show this divine character in his life: “He who does good is of God” (3 John 11). This shows that so-called “good works” done by unbelievers are only “dead works” in the eyes of God.
Good works in the epistle of James
Understandably, the Reformers had their difficulties with the epistle of James. These men of God had realized afresh the doctrine of the epistles to the Romans and Galatians concerning justification through faith without works, yet James speaks of justification through works. Martin Luther is said to have called it “the epistle of straw.” W. Kelly and F. B. Hole, among others, have pointed out that it is more an “epistle of iron,” a sledgehammer of God.
Let us be sure about this: there is no contradiction in the Word of God. There is no “theology of Paul” that contradicts the “theology of James.” The available space forbids our examining the epistle of James in detail, but two short remarks may suffice:
- While Paul speaks of justification before God, which indeed is through faith without works, James speaks of justification before men: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” (James 2:14, 18). My fellow men can only see my faith in my works.
- James is talking about works of faith, not necessarily those commonly considered to be good works. Abraham offered up his own son, and Rahab hid the spies in her home. Ordinarily, neither action would be regarded as a good work. On the contrary, one would be considered murder and the other treason. But these works revealed their faith in God, giving testimony to their love of God (Abraham) and their love of the people of God (Rahab).
Good works – the characteristic of believers
After Paul had made clear in Ephesians 2:9 that salvation is the work of God without any works done by men, he continues: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” This shows, on the one hand, that it is God’s purpose that His people should perform good works and, on the other, that we need not look out restlessly for the good works we are to do because God has ordained them for us. We simply have to abound in them. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).
The more we meditate on this subject, the more surprised we may be at how often the Word of God speaks about good works in the life of a believer. We will just mention a few passages, highlighting the particular exhortation contained in the different verses.
- “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
- “Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12).
- “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good” (2 Thess. 3:13).
- “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
- “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).
- “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work” (Titus 3:1).
- “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” (Heb. 10:24).
How numerous and clear are these verses that admonish us to be eager in good works! But the Bible is not less clear when talking about the omission of good works: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Reading this verse, I think we begin to see why William Kelly called the epistle of James a “sledgehammer.”
Who shall do good works?
The exhortation to do good works is, first of all, an exhortation meant for each and every one of us. But the Word of God also mentions special groups among the saints that are particularly encouraged to do good works:
Sisters
“That women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works” (1 Tim. 2:9-10). What a wonderful field of service opens for godly sisters. And certainly, the adorning with good works is far more valuable than any adorning with gold and pearls.
The servant of the Lord
“In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works” (Titus 2:7). Every servant of the Lord should be a good example in this matter.
The rich
“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share” (1 Tim. 6:17-19). They are admonished not to put their trust in uncertain riches but instead to use what God has entrusted to their stewardship for the benefit of those in need.
Former thieves
“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (Eph. 4:28).
God’s purpose is not only that we cease doing wrong but that we see and seize the privilege of doing good. If we inquire who should be the recipients of our good works, we will find the answer: all men, with a special emphasis on our brothers and sisters. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).
Two kinds of good works
It is interesting to note that the Greek has two words for “good,” and both are used in connection with the term “good works.” As we have seen above, sisters have a special place in doing good works, and it is nice to see that two sisters illustrate the use of these two expressions.
- One word for good is “kalos,” meaning “good in appearance, aesthetically pleasing,” but not necessarily beneficial for others. An example is Mary of Bethany, of whom the Lord says: “But Jesus said, ‘Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me’” (Matt. 26:10). This work was most precious and valuable in the sight of the Lord. Yet how many, even in Christianity today, wouldn’t consider this act of worship as a good work, just as the disciples at the time thought of it as “waste” (Matt. 26:8). But it was a good work indeed in the eyes of the Lord.
- The other expression is “agathos,” which means good, useful, and beneficial. A beautiful example of this is Tabitha in Acts 9:36: “This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds, which she did.”
So we see from Scripture that there is a real challenge for every believer not to be “weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Gal. 6:9). We don’t want to close this meditation on the subject of “good works” in a believer’s life without mentioning a word of our Lord which aptly describes the attitude that becomes us when doing anything for the Lord: “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do’” (Luke 17:10).
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