Word of Salvation – Vol. 22 No. 04 – October 1975

 

The Necessity And Reasons For Good Works

 

Sermon by Rev. B. Gillard, B.A., B.D. on Lord's Day 32, question 86.

Scripture Reading: Romans 6:1-11.

 

Introduction:

The Church has always been faced with heresy – that is nothing new.  But how does heresy arise and get within the Church?  One way is when men think too logically, and not biblically.  There are many examples that one could quote in church history, where heresies have arisen because certain men have extended a biblical truth to its logical but unbiblical conclusion.

The Apostle Paul in Romans chapter six, is combating people who are doing that very thing with the great doctrine of Justification By Faith.

If you really think about the biblical doctrine of Justification by faith alone, and if you really understand the way of salvation that God has provided, then you too may be faced with this very logical question, "What shall we say then?  are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?" (Rom.6-1).  Or to put it in the words of the catechism, "Since then, we are delivered from our misery by grace alone, through Christ, without any merits of ours, why must we yet do good works?"

If Christ alone is the Saviour; If salvation depends entirely upon the work that He has done, and the price that he has paid for my sins; If salvation depends not upon myself, or anything in me, or anything that I can ever do; If it depends upon the free grace and mercy of God alone, who gives it without cost or charge to the sinner – then what is the necessity of good works?  Surely it does not matter how I live, or what I do.  Where sin increases grace will abound all the more.

There were two groups in Paul's day, who would have reasoned in the above way, but each one with different motives,

THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS PHARISEE

The first one was the self-righteous Pharisee.  The man who believed that salvation could be earned or merited only by keeping the law and performing good works.  The doctrine of Justification by faith, cut right across the teaching of the Pharisees.  If a person is saved through faith, and not through the law and good works, then this would overthrow all sound morality, and incentive for godly living.  It cannot possibly be right, therefore; it is dangerous teaching and must be opposed.  The fears of the self-righteous Pharisees were not altogether unfounded, for there was a second group in Paul's day who were arguing that it did not matter how you lived, just so long as you had faith.

ANTINOMIANS

This second group is commonly referred to as antinomians, meaning that they are against the law, or against good works – they are not necessary so long as one has faith.  As a matter of fact they were even drawing the conclusion that the more sinful one is, then the more God is glorified, because his mighty grace is most exalted when it shows that it can save even the worst sinners.  So then, they were saying, let us continue in sin, it doesn't matter how we live, it does not depend upon us, God can save us, so long as we have faith.

It is this logical, but wrong conclusion, that the Apostle Paul is combatting in the sixth chapter of the book of Romans.  And it is the same issue that is in view in the catechism in Lord's Day 32 and question 86.

On the one hand, we cannot accept the position of the self-righteous man, who says that the keeping of the law and good works are the way to achieve salvation.  But neither can we accept the conclusion that we are not also required to keep the law, or that it does not matter how we live, and what we do, just so long as we say we have faith.  Why then must we yet do good works?

The catechism provides us with several answers, and we shall now consider these.

THE REASONS.

1. GRATITUDE

The first reason why we do good works is because of what God has already done for us.  We do good works not because we want to get God to do something for us, but because he has already done something for us, and we wish to show our gratitude to Him.  We love Him, because He first loved us. (1John 4-19).  "You are a chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood, A Holy Nation, A People for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light."  So said the Apostle Peter (1Peter 2:9).

The story is told of a little girl who was upstairs in her bedroom when the house caught fire.  Before the mother realised what was happening one section of the house was a near blazing inferno.  She quickly dashed up the burning stairs to the little girl's bedroom.  Taking a blanket from the bed, she wrapped it around her little girl, picked her up in her arms and carried her out of the burning house to safety.  The little girl was uninjured but the mother was badly burned and scarred for life.  Some years later some friends of that little girl were making fun of her mother and saying how ugly she was on account of the scars she had received from the fire.  "Don't you dare say that about my mother", said the little girl.  "She received those scars saving my life".  She was unashamed of her mother, and her heart was filled with love and gratitude because of the sacrifice she had made for her.

That's the first reason why the Christian performs good works.  He wishes to show his love and his gratitude to his beloved Saviour and God, who was marred and scarred for him, when he rushed in to snatch and save him from the flames of hell, and the judgement to come.

There is no motive more powerful than the motive of love and gratitude.  It was because God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son to die upon the cross for us.  Let every true believer meditate and ponder more the love of God, and the sacrifice of Christ for him, and he will know why he must yet perform good works.

2.  VOCATION OR CALLING

The second reason why the Christian must perform good works is because this is his great vocation and calling in life.  The Apostle Paul points this out in Ephesians chapter two and verse ten, where we read, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them".

What would you think of someone who spent six years studying and preparing to be a doctor, and then at the end of all his preparation, went and took a job as a labourer?  You would probably say he was not created for that, he is not walking worthy of his true vocation.  He is not realizing or accomplishing his true potential.

The apostle Paul is using a similar argument in Romans chapter 6, where he argues against the Antinomians who say that good works are not really necessary.  Don't you know, he says, "that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death?  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

In other words, the Apostle Paul is saying: a real Christian is not just someone who has some facts in his head, but he is one who has received a new nature from Christ.  Therefore he must perform good works, just like a peach tree must produce peaches.  Good works are natural to the new nature that he has received, just as bad works are natural to the old nature.  If the good works do not appear, then this only goes to prove that the new nature is not there either, and our profession of being a Christian is only an empty shell.

We must perform good works, therefore, to prove that our faith really is genuine, and that we have been called out of darkness into his marvellous light.  James put it very bluntly for us when he said in his epistle, chapter two and verse 17, "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."

3.  ASSURANCE

A third reason, related to that of vocation and calling, is assurance of salvation.  The Westminster Confession of Faith gives as one of the grounds of assurance, "the inward evidences of those graces unto which the promises are made."  Good works are not only necessary in order that we might fulfil our true calling, but also that we might assure our hearts that we truly are children of God.

How can we be really sure that we belong to Him and have received the new birth from above, if we do not see in our life some evidence of a changed nature, expressing itself in a life devoted to good works, out of gratitude to Him who has called us?

Of course we must not try and find all our assurance of salvation by examining our hearts and actions.  We often see there many contradictions, and our own hearts may deceive us.  Above all we must look to the cross and to the Lord Jesus and what He has done for us, and put all our trust in Him.

However, it is not right either, if we do not look within, for some evidence of God's renewing and transforming grace.  Not to do this would be to commit the sin of presumption, and presume that all is well, when it may not be.  The Apostle Peter exhorts the readers of his second epistle, in chapter one, to add to their faith such things as, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and Christian love.  For if these qualities are yours, he says, and are increasing, they render you neither useless or unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2Peter 1-8).

The Apostle John also had much to say about this in his first epistle.  How do we know if we have passed out of death and into life?  Well, one way, says John, whereby we might know that, is if we love the brethren. (1John 3-14).  But he hastened on to say that true love must express itself in works and in actions.  "Whoever has the world's goods and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?"  And so he says, "Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth."( vs.18).

So we see that the performing of good works, such as taking care of the needs of those who are in want, will be an indication of the true state of our heart.  From which we may be able to make an assessment as to whether or not we have really passed out of death and into life.  That's one more reason why we must yet perform good works.

EVANGELISM

The final reason why we must yet perform good works is evangelism or, as it is expressed in the catechism, "that by our godly walk our neighbours also may be won to Christ."

It should be the true and earnest desire of every true believer, to win others to commit their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Himself commanded us to do this when He said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the age.” (Matt.28:29-20).

Not everyone is a gifted speaker and preacher, not every believer can explain the gospel with the same crystal clarity.  But yet there is a way by which we can all witness to the gospel of Christ's redeeming love, and that is by living a life of good works out of love and gratitude to God for what He has done for us.

This surely is what Jesus had in mind, when he said to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Math,5:16).

I remember meeting a new convert to Christ fairly recently, and I asked him how he had become a Christian.  He told me that it was mainly through the witness of another Christian who worked in the same office.  And so I asked him, what did he do.  Did he preach to you?  And the new convert said: No, not at first, he befriended me and invited me to his home for a meal because I was a stranger in town, and then after a while he told me about Jesus, and what he meant to him.  Sometimes our actions speak louder than our words.  Sometimes of course, our actions speak so loud that people can't hear what we are saying!

Let the world see Christ living in you, don't hide your light under the bed, or perform your good works in a corner, but by your godly walk seek to win your neighbours to Christ.  That's one more reason why we must yet perform good works.

These then are the answers to that objection that was raised by the antinomians against the great doctrine of justification by faith alone.  This is the catechism's answer to the question, "Why must we yet perform good works?"  It may not satisfy all in a logical way, but it is the biblical answer, and that is what we are concerned with.

We do not do good works in order to earn salvation for that is impossible.  For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Salvation is by grace alone through faith in God's unmerited gift of His own beloved son who died upon the cross in our place.

But once we are truly saved, then we cannot help but live a life of gratitude to Him, who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light, and saved us from our sins.

That new life that has been planted within must express itself in godly living and righteous deeds.  And by this we shall assure our hearts that we are His and He is ours.  And others will come to see Christ in us.

Let me ask you this in closing, beloved.  Do you feel this debt of love and gratitude to Him?  And are you moved by this powerful motive of love to live a life of daily consecration to Him in the performance of works that are well pleasing in His sight?

If you do, then you may feel assured that the grace of God has taken root in your heart, that you are a child of His, and that He has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.

And if not then don't despair, look to Christ while there is still time.  Trust in Him and ask Him to fill you with a sense of His own greatness, and to fill your heart with an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude for what He has done for us, and then go and live a life of gratitude to Him.

Amen.