The Place of Good Works in the Life of a Christian
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul makes it clear that our salvation is altogether of God's mercy, love, and grace: "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (2:4-10; ESV).
Our pastor taught through Paul's letter to Titus several years ago. One expression which got my attention is that of good works. These are not saving works; that has been accomplished once for all by the perfect life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.
Good works: Titus 2:13-14--"waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, who are zealous for good deeds" (ESV).
Good works: Titus 3:8--"The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people" (ESV).
Good works: Titus 3:14--"And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful" (ESV).
What might these good works include? It depends on how the Lord has gifted each one of us, but they are all important to the full functioning of the body to the glory of God.
See Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 12:
"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to thing more highly of himself than he ought to thing, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them" (vv. 3-6a; ESV).
But there are commands to all, whatever gifts we might have:
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own estimation. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing so you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:9-21; ESV).
And of course these positives and negatives from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (ESV).
Lord, grant me the gracious power by your Holy Spirit to so love and to so serve that those who see my good works might glorify the Father who is in heaven, as the Lord says in Matthew 5:16. Amen.
Our pastor taught through Paul's letter to Titus several years ago. One expression which got my attention is that of good works. These are not saving works; that has been accomplished once for all by the perfect life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.
Good works: Titus 2:13-14--"waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, who are zealous for good deeds" (ESV).
Good works: Titus 3:8--"The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people" (ESV).
Good works: Titus 3:14--"And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful" (ESV).
What might these good works include? It depends on how the Lord has gifted each one of us, but they are all important to the full functioning of the body to the glory of God.
See Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 12:
"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to thing more highly of himself than he ought to thing, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them" (vv. 3-6a; ESV).
But there are commands to all, whatever gifts we might have:
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own estimation. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing so you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:9-21; ESV).
And of course these positives and negatives from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (ESV).
Lord, grant me the gracious power by your Holy Spirit to so love and to so serve that those who see my good works might glorify the Father who is in heaven, as the Lord says in Matthew 5:16. Amen.
posted by Ebeth | 10:04 AM
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