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Dr. M. R. DeHann, a highly
respected Bible teacher of yesteryear, made this observation in
his little book Law or Grace:
“The greatest deception which
Satan, the enemy of our souls, has foisted upon humanity is the
false, but appealing doctrine, that man can do something to earn
his own salvation by keeping the law of God. The second greatest
error is the teaching that we do not have to do anything after
we are saved. The first error says that it makes no difference
what you believe, just so you live right. The second error
teaches that it makes no difference how you live, just as long
as you believe right.”
The subject of “works” in the
life of the Christian has become a highly volatile issue among
many today. In fact, many sincere believers seem to be divided
over the issue. Here are some observations from the Bible on
this subject.
Should Believers Practice Good
Works?
There is no doubt that Christians
are to do good works. Christians are created in Christ for this
very purpose.
"For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Eph. 2:10)
At the moment that faith is
placed in Christ, the one believing is spiritually immersed into
a permanent union with the body of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).
The believer is instantly and forever changed! The believer
becomes a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), receives new
life in Christ (Eph. 2:1; 1 Jn. 5:11-13), and a new
righteousness in Christ (Phil. 3:9). The believer also receives
a new relationship with God in Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). We become
children of the living God! And finally we become citizens of
heaven in Christ (Phil. 3:20-21). We become pilgrims and
strangers in this earth. We live here, but we do not belong here
(Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 2:11). We are here as ambassadors of Christ
(2 Cor. 5:20).
Also, at the moment of this
fantastic transformation, God the Holy Spirit takes up permanent
residence in our bodies. Our bodies become the dwelling place of
God (1 Cor. 6:19).
However, God by His infinite
wisdom did not choose to remove us from this sin filled planet,
which is occupied by Satan and his evil army (Job. 1:7; Job 2:2;
2 Cor. 4:4). Nor did He choose to eradicate the sinful fleshly
Adamic nature within us (Eph. 4:20-32; Rom. 7:15). Rather, God
chose to place us upon this earth and, with all that is against
us, use us to glorify Him.
Will a Believer Work for God?
"So then, my beloved, just as
you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now
much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear
and trembling." (Phil. 2:12, emphasis added)
Paul did not ask us to work
for our salvation but to work out the salvation that
God has already placed within us. This is the process that the
Bible calls “sanctification.” Our sanctification is gained the
same way as our justification, by God’s grace alone
“But by His doing you are in
Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and
righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that,
just as it is written, “Let
him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:29-31)
In other words God is the one who
places us in Christ and we are sanctified “in Him.” God has
predetermined the good works that will do. Notice that Paul
brings this to light in this next verse.
"For it is God who is at work
in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
(Phil 2:13)
God is sovereign in our lives.
This goes back to Ephesians 2:10 which says that God has
foreordained the works that we will do. Paul, writing to the
Corinthians, mentions this dual process.
"What then is Apollos? And
what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as
the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos
watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the
one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God
who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters
are one; but each will receive his own reward according to
his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are
God’s field, God’s building." (1 Cor. 3:5-10)
Paul pictures the body of Christ
as a plant which is to be cultivated. Believers are to cultivate
the field, but it is God who produces the fruit. This is why
Paul calls Christians "fellow workers" with God.
Equipped for the Work
God has equipped us to work in
His field. He has given us His Word to teach us what to do.
"All Scripture is inspired by
God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man
of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2
Tim. 3:17)
God has also given us sufficient
tools with which to do the job of cultivating His field.
"And He gave some as
apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and
some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the
saints for the work of service, to the building up of the
body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature
man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the
fullness of Christ." (Eph. 4:11-13)
We are each given a supernatural
ability for service in order to help build up the body of
Christ. We are to discover our unique giftedness and to begin
to use it in His body.
"As each one has received a
special gift, employ it in serving one another as good
stewards of the manifold grace of God." (1 Pet. 4:10).
It is interesting that the gift
of teaching/preaching is called a work (1 Tim. 5:17). Evangelism
is also called a work (2 Tim. 4:5), and even the gift of giving
is called a work (2 Cor. 8:7). We are given the responsibility
to be stewards of God’s grace. Our stewardship is to perform the
ministry task that we have been assigned! In other words God
has not only told us that we are going to do good works but He
has told us what good works need to be done and He has also
equipped us to do them.
Fruitful "Good Works" vs. Fleshly
“Acts"
It is often impossible to tell
the difference between God’s good works resulting from a
relationship with Christ and human works that are produced by
the flesh. The flesh produces good works counterfeiting the work
of the Spirit.
"For all of us have become
like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are
like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and
our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." (Isa. 64:6)
It is quite possible for
unbelievers, through tradition and self –righteousness, to live
respectable moral lives and to produce plenty of “fleshly good
deeds.” These righteous acts (works) may look exactly like the
fruit that comes from God through believers. These non-Christian
good deeds may even appear to exceed the Christians’ works.
"Good works" form the basis upon
which godless religion is founded. But appearances are
deceiving. Satan, the master of illusion, is in the business of
blinding people to the gospel of grace by using a barrage of
counterfeit good deeds (Gen. 11:1-9). His major plan of
deception may be to produce as much human good as he
possibly can in order to confuse. It is extremely difficult for
the world system to tell the difference. In any given local
assembly there are both. This is why it is not wise for us to
compare ourselves with others.
"For we are not bold to class
or compare ourselves with some of those who commend
themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves
and compare themselves with themselves, they are without
understanding." (2 Cor. 12:10)
Nor are we ever to allow
ourselves to become judges of other believer’s works. God does
not give us that divine responsibility, much less the means. We
are not to play the role of the Holy Spirit for anyone. We are
not given the responsibility to be “fruit inspectors” for other
Christians or even for ourselves (Prov. 21:2).
“In fact, I do not even judge
myself. For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not
justified by this. But He who judges me is the Lord.
Therefore judge nothing before the time. Until the Lord
comes who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness
and reveal the counsels of the heart. And then each one will
have praise of God.” (1 Cor. 4:3-5)
There are unbelievers who may use
their good deeds to masquerade as Christians. And there are true
believers who may be out of God’s will. There are also true
believers who are still in the process of being sanctified. They
may not as yet come to the place where they understand fully
exactly what God wants them to do.
There are many immature believers
in various stages of Christian growth. They are still taking in
God’s word and “working out their own salvation.” Because they
are babes, they often act like babies. They at times live out of
fellowship with Christ, but they are still believers. But it is
God’s responsibility to bring them to maturity (Phil. 1:6).
When people acknowledge that they
have trusted in Jesus Christ alone to save them, then we are to
love them, teach them, and live an example around them. The
Word of God wielded by the Holy Spirit is to become the critic.
It is living and powerful and more than sufficient for the task
(Heb. 4:12-13). God reserves the exclusive right to judge.
The grace that God has provided
to us in Christ gives us sufficient freedom to grow up and
become productive for God, free from the unbiblical expectations
and judgment calls of others. His grace provides the freedom to
fail and yet not become a failure. God is the Potter and we are
the clay.
Think of this. If we were judging
salvation by observing lifestyles, then there would have been
times that we would have questioned the salvation of the likes
of David, Abraham, Jacob, and certainly Judah.
The overwhelming challenge for
every believer is to present our bodies a living sacrifice to
Christ (Rom. 12:1-2) and to maintain a close, personal, private,
intimate relationship with Christ (Rom. 6:6-12; Eph. 5:18; Col.
3:16; Gal. 5:16-22; Jn. 15:1-8; 1 Jn. 1:7).
We Will Be Held Accountable
Each of us who knows Jesus Christ
will stand before Him and be held accountable for our own
spiritual production.
"For not one of us lives for
himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we
live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord;
therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to
this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord
both of the dead and of the living. But you, why do you
judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your
brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the
judgment seat of God. For it is written, ‘AS I LIVE, SAYS
THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL
GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.’ So then each one of us will give an
account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one
another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an
obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way." (Rom.
14:5-8)
Every life will be used of God!
No life will be wasted— saved, lost. We will all face a day of
reckoning before our Creator. Unbelievers will stand before God
condemned because they have not believed in Christ and will face
various degrees of eternal punishment based upon their deeds.
Believers will never face the judgment of hell but rather a
judgment that will determine eternal reward or loss. This
judgment will focus on how the believer carried out their
stewardship responsibility.
"But each one must examine
his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in
regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For
each one will bear his own load. Do not be deceived, God is
not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also
reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the
flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit
will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose
heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do
not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us
do good to all people, and especially to those who are of
the household of the faith." (Gal. 6:4-10)
"Whatever you do, do your
work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing
that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the
inheritance." (Col. 3:23-24)
But the final outcome is all in
God’s hands.
So should a believer produce good
works? Yes! Will a believer produce good works? The answer is
also, yes. God has a plan for every believer on this planet and
He will not be frustrated.
“Who are you to judge the
servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls;
and he will stand. For the Lord is able to make him stand.”
(Rom. 14:4)
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