Word of Salvation – Vol. 22 No. 40 – June 1976

The Nature Of Good Works

Sermon by Rev. B. Gillard, B.A., B.D. on 1Cor.10:31. (+ L.D.33)

Scripture Reading: 1Cor.10:14-33

Psalter Hymnal: 195; 430; 449; 314; 488

In Lord's Day 32 the question was asked and answered, “why must we yet do good works?”  In Lords Day 33 question and answer 91, the further question is asked: But what are good works?  It is this question that we are going to consider today.

The answer given in the Catechism is as follows, "Only those which are done from true faith, according to the law of God, and to His glory, and not such as are based on our own opinions or the precepts of men.”

1.  THE LAW OF GOD

The first thing that the catechism tells us is that God and not man is the one who must decide what is good.  Suppose for example that you as a parent gave your children some instructions to carry out in your absence, and upon returning home, you discovered that they had modified and altered those instructions to suit themselves.  Would you consider that they had carried out your instructions?

One day my wife gave our eldest child instructions to tidy up her room.  When she returned half an hour later everything looked very tidy, that is, until my wife went to the cupboard several hours later, and everything came tumbling out onto the floor.  The little girl had not really tidied up her room, she had just made a mess somewhere else.

I suppose most parents could tell of many similar incidents with their own children.  And the frustrations they have experienced as their young ones have not really done what they were instructed, but taken things into their own hands, and modified them to suit themselves.  Well, that is just what the Catechism is saying to us, both young and old.  God as our Creator and Redeemer is the one who decides what is good.  And we only do good when we acknowledge Him as such and seek to obey Him.

There are many examples in scripture to illustrate this point.  I would like to draw your attention to one incident in the life of King Saul, in 1st Samuel chapter 15.  King Saul was instructed by the Lord through Samuel the Prophet to go and put to death all the Amalekites, and to destroy all that they had.  This was because the Amalekites had sought to destroy the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.  When King Saul returned from their mission, however, they had only partly carried out what the Lord had commanded.  They had spared King Agag and brought back a great deal of the spoil.

Now I suppose that made more sense to King Saul and to the people.  Why destroy everything, especially the sheep and the oxen, and just think of all the other valuable things that they must have found amongst the Amalekites possessions.  After all God does not really know what is best.

When Samuel confronted King Saul with this act of defiance, he tried to maintain that he had obeyed the voice of the Lord and throw the blame off onto the people.  "I did obey the voice of the Lord (he said) and went on to the mission on which the Lord sent me, and have brought back Agag the King of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.  But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal”.

Now notice that it not only seemed to make more sense to King Saul and the people not to carry out the Lord's command strictly as it was given.  But their motive in altering the command was, according to them a very noble one.  It was that they might use part of the spoil to sacrifice to the Lord (verse 21).

But listen to the reply that rang in the ears of Saul from Samuel the Prophet.  "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry,

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.”

Well then, that is what the Catechism is affirming, good works are only those that are done in accordance with the law and will of God.  And this means that we don't try and alter it or manipulate it to suit ourselves or to suit the circumstances, or to suit any other thing.  Good works are only those which are done in accordance to the law of God.

2.  THE GLORY OF GOD

But that's not all the Catechism has to say about good works.  It goes on to tell us, that it is not only the external action that must be right but the internal motives must be right also.  It is not just what we do that is important, but why we do it.  As a matter of fact it is possible to do something that is outwardly in conformity with the law of God, but yet the reason for doing it is all wrong.  And so what starts out looking like a good work is in fact only a sin displeasing to God.  That's what Jesus meant when he said to his disciples, concerning the Pharisees: Do what they say, because they sit in the seat of Moses, but don't do what they do.

The second thing that the Catechism draws to our attention then is the motive and reason behind the external action.  A good work is only such as is done for the glory of God.

One morning about breakfast time we had a knock on our back door.  Upon opening the back door we discovered our next door neighbour, asking to make use of our telephone.  Her car had broken down and she was unable to get to work.  Well we were in a position you see to perform a good work, here was someone who was in need.  And the Bible says, "So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." (Galatians 6:16).  So perhaps we could do more than just let her use our phone.  Perhaps we could offer to drive her to work, or to the garage, or where ever she needed to go.

But now we must examine our motives a little bit and ask: Why should we do this anyway?

1.  Would we do it because we felt sorry for her in her troubles?  Well that would certainly seem to be kind and considerate.  But would it be a good work?

2.  Secondly we might do it because they have been such good neighbours to us, and they have often allowed our children in their home.  And perhaps we ought to do it to repay them for their kindness.  Well that would certainly be showing gratitude.  But would it be a good work?

3.  But perhaps we should do it, because it must may happen one day that my car will break down, or something else will happen, and then I will be in need of help.  And so, if I help her now, then I will put her in my debt, and when I come knocking on her door for help, then she won't be able to refuse.  Well that certainly would be wise in a worldly way.  But would it be a good work?

4.  And then again, perhaps I should do it, because if I do, the neighbours will think well of me, and like me, and think I am a kind and considerate and thoughtful person.  Well that would certainly promote good neighbourly relationships, but would it be a good work?

5.  But then finally, perhaps I should do this simply because I am a Christian.  And because I want to glorify God by obeying His law.  And because I want others to see in me something of the grace and goodness of God.  Not that I will necessarily get any benefits from it.  But that I might have the opportunity not only to reflect the glory of God, but that I might also witness to Him, and for Him, through this opportunity to do good,

This you see is what the catechism is saying when it says: "Good works are only those which are done to His glory".  All other works, even though they may be outward conforming to the law of God, yet, if the reason and motive for doing them is not to glorify God, then according to the Catechism, they do not qualify to be called good works.  And if they are not done with a view to glorifying God, then they must be done to glorify man.

Well I suppose most of the time we don't really stop and think about things like that, do we Congregation?  Most of the time we just react, and then the thing is done, and we sometimes think about it afterwards.  It seems to me that we ought to try and think more like this.  There is a very good biblical basis for doing so.  The Apostle Paul said in 1st Corinthians 10-13, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  If we could be guided more by this principle and motive, then certain results would surely follow.

1.  It would certainly move us to a greater performance of good works, because we would be more God-centred in our thinking.  And you cannot be God-centred in your thinking without being stirred to action.

2.  Secondly it would certainly bring greater blessing to our own lives; remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive' Acts 20-35.  It would certainly fill our lives with much more meaning and purpose if everything we did was for the glory of God.  Everything we do would have eternal and lasting value.  It would be like the gold and silver and precious stones of which we read in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 12.

3.  Then thirdly just think how much more effective we would be in our witness for the Lord if we were motivated by a desire for his glory in all that we did.  Have you never heard it said that actions speak louder than words?

4.  And then just think of the peace and harmony that would prevail in the church and in the world if everybody was motivated by a desire to glorify God in all that they did.  And not motivated by their own personal and selfish ends.  Yes, the world would be a much better place to live in, and so would the church, if we all engaged in good works a little more according to the definition of good works found in the Catechism.

3.  WHO CAN PERFORM GOOD WORKS

Well, perhaps by now you are thinking to yourself, Who can really perform good works according to the catechisms' definition?  Who can say that their motives are always to glorify God in the things they do, and not tainted with some vain and secret selfish ambition?  The whole thing seems hopeless so why don't we just forget about the whole matter?  Well before we reach that conclusion we had better notice one more thing.  The Catechism does not reach the same conclusion.  You will notice that the Catechism answers its own question in a very positive way.  And that brings us to our third and final consideration.  WHO CAN PERFORM GOOD WORKS?  And the Catechisms' answer is, only those who do so from the standpoint of true faith.  The non-Christian, the person who has never bowed the heart and the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ, and received Him through repentance and faith, would have a hard job trying to perform a good work according to the definition given in the Catechism.  Even if they do perform good works externally, they could never be for the glory of God if they are not done from the standpoint of true saving faith.  At best they would be done to find favour with God and to earn and merit salvation.  And to offer our works to God in order to merit salvation, in the Light of what He has done for us in delivering up His Son to die the accursed death on the cross to atone for our sins, would not be a good work, but an insult hurled into the face of God.

No, there is only one truly good work that the non-Christian can perform, and that is to recognise his own wretchedness, to recognise that in the sight of God he has never done anything good.  He has not lived to glorify God, but he has lived only to glorify and serve himself.  And then to repent and ask for God's forgiveness.  But once the sinner has done that, and become a saint, can he even then perform works that are good and pleasing in the sight of God?  I believe with the catechism that the answer is, yes.  For once we truly see the greatness of God, and what He has done for us in delivering up His Son to be our Saviour, then the attitude of our hearts towards God and towards ourselves must change.  We will want to perform good works to glorify Him.  And then, even though those works may yet be imperfect, God will be pleased for Christ's sake to receive them as such.

Let me try and illustrate that in this way.  You remember the illustration that we started with concerning the little girl who was told to clean up her room, and who put everything in the cupboard?  Well suppose the attitude of her heart had been different.  Suppose she really wanted to do the best she could, and tidy up that room in such a way that her mother would be pleased.  And suppose she got in and did her best.  Now when the mother comes around to inspect the room a little later on, she might notice that there are one or two things that are not perfectly as they could be.  But what does she do about it?  Does she reprimand the child because things are not perfect?  I do not think so, if she knows that the intention of that little girl has been to please her, and she has acted accordingly, then the mother is pleased to accept her work as good, because the motive is right and she has endeavoured to carry out the mother's instructions.

So it must be with our merciful and compassionate God.  If the desire of our hearts is to glorify Him, and walk in obedience to His ways, then in due time we will hear Him say to us, "Well done good and faithful servant..... enter into the joy of your master.”

May God help us to see more and more, that apart from Him we can do nothing at all.  But once we have come to know Him and to be joined to Him in true saving faith, we are called to be a people zealous for good works, to the honour and glory of His name.

Amen.