Good Works

Greg Dietrich·March 24, 2025·0 comments

Good works are only those which God has commanded in his Holy Word.1 Works which are without such warrant are devised by men out of blind zeal or on a pretense of good intentions but are not truly good works.2

These good works done in obedience to God’s commandments are the fruits and evidence of true and lively faith.3 By them, believers manifest their thankfulness,4 strengthen their assurance,5 edify their brothers and sisters, adorn the profession of the gospel,6 stop the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God.7 They are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, that having the fruit which leads to holiness, they may have the end, eternal life.8

Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves but wholly from the Spirit of Christ.9 To enable them to do good works, an actual influence of the Spirit in addition to his other graces is necessary for believers to will and to work for God’s good pleasure.10 Yet they are not, as a result, to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty without a special motion of the Spirit, but they ought to be diligent in stirring up the grace of God that is in them.11

Even they, who in their obedience, attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life are far from being able to pay back beyond what they owe or to do more than God requires. For they fall short of much they are duty-bound to do.12

By our best works, we cannot merit pardon of sin or eternal life at the hand of God. This is due to the great disproportion between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance between us and God. By these works, we can neither advantage God nor satisfy the debt of our former sins.13 But when we have done all we can, we have only done our duty and are unprofitable servants. As these works are good they proceed from his Spirit,14 but as they are produced by us they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of God’s punishment.15

Nevertheless just as the persons of believers are accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him.16 Their works are not accepted as though they were in this life wholly unblamable and unreprovable in God’s sight. But God, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, even though it is accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.17

Although works done by unregenerate men may be things which God commands and of good use to both themselves and others,18 yet because they do not proceed from a heart purified by faith,19 nor are done in a right manner according to the Word,20 nor to a right end, to the glory of God,21 they are therefore sinful and cannot please God. Nor can they make a man ready to receive grace from God,22 and yet the neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing to God.

    1. Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?  Hebrews 13:20–21 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. ↩︎
    2. Matthew 15:9 “In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”  Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men.” ↩︎
    3. James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  James 2:22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works. ↩︎
    4. Psalm 116:12–13 What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, ↩︎
    5. 1 John 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.  1 John 2:5 Whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.  2 Peter 1:5–11 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ↩︎
    6. Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. ↩︎
    7. 1 Timothy 6:1 Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.  1 Peter 2:15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.  Philippians 1:9–11 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. ↩︎
    8. Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. ↩︎
    9. John 15:4–5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ↩︎
    10. 2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.  Philippians 2:13 For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ↩︎
    11. Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  Hebrews 6:11–12 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.  Isaiah 64:7 There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. ↩︎
    12. Job 9:2–3 “Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times.”  Galatians 5:17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.  Luke 17:10 “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ” ↩︎
    13. Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.  Romans 4:6 David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works.  Ephesians 2:8–9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ↩︎
    14. Galatians 5:22–23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ↩︎
    15. Isaiah 64:6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.  Psalm 143:2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. ↩︎
    16. Ephesians 1:5–6 He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.  1 Peter 2:5 You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ↩︎
    17. Matthew 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”  Matthew 25:23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”  Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. ↩︎
    18. 2 Kings 10:30 And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”  1 Kings 21:27 And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.  1 Kings 21:29 “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.” ↩︎
    19. Genesis 4:5 For Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.  Hebrews 11:4  By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.  Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. ↩︎
    20. 1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ↩︎
    21. Matthew 6:2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”  Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” ↩︎
    22. Amos 5:21–22 “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them.”  Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.  Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. ↩︎

    Greg Dietrich

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