Good deeds or works fall primarily into two categories: man driven works and God produced works. Man-centered religion always works to improve self in the hope that we will reach the level of salvation. Even Christians fall into this trap. Man driven works is either the attempt to become a god or an attempt to become acceptable to God. God never accepts man-driven works. Isaiah 64:6 explains by saying, “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags”. Our righteousnesses are righteous acts and attempts on our part to become righteous or to do good deeds by personal effort.
God does not accept man’s efforts because God is holy and He requires holiness. Can a sinful man produce unpolluted works? This would be like a polluted pond trying to give unpolluted water. We can’t purify ourselves and we can’t produce pure works. On top of that, what can we give God that He does not already possess? What can we give God that can measures up to God’s holiness? There must be another foundation laid that is greater than ourselves.
The foundation of Works
Begin with 1 Corinthians 3:
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
The under girding principle in this passage is that no other foundation can be laid other than Jesus Christ. Until Jesus is the foundation of our life, there can be no godly works. The only works that are judged by God is what has been built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. All good deeds by mankind outside of Christ are considered as sin to God. Proverbs 21:4 says that even the plowing of the wicked is sin. Without Christ, people may till the soil and work to do good things, but since it is not of God, it will not be acceptable to God. The foundation must be laid before the house is built or it will not stand.
Good Works
In man-centered religious world views, man is always trying to improve himself and human nature corrupts these attempts. The focus is on self-improvement. In Christianity, we should always be seeking to improve, grow, and become better, but with an entirely different perspective. The difference is that we grow by becoming imitators of Christ, not improvers of man. In fact, we must die to ourselves before we can see the work of God in our lives. Look at John 12:
24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
25 "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26 "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
To hate our life in this world is to recognize the futility of having a temporary perspective. Career, possessions and our self-centered world view will all pass away and be forgotten. Yet when we see the calling of God and the eternal significance of knowing and loving God, we will be willing to lose our temporary life on earth to gain an eternal life and reward with Christ. We cannot hold on to this life and grasp eternal life at the same time. We will hold on to one or the other – but not both. The works we follow are based on the life we value the most. When we die to our life and live for Christ, the Bible says that we have been cleansed from our dead works to serve the living God.
The most important thing about works that you should understand is that you do not produce good works. God produces it through you when you are walking with Him. Look at John 15:
3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
How do you produce fruit from your work of labor? By abiding in Christ. When we surrender to Christ, His Spirit indwells us and He always abides in us. The role we play in works is to abide in Him. Works are produced by a consistent, daily fellowship with Jesus Christ. “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit”. Most people spend their whole lives trying to do something for God and struggling to find meaning. If necessary, forget everything you know about religion and focus on this one thing – you were created to have fellowship with God. It is out of that fellowship that works are produced. As you grow closer to God and abide in Him, He produces the desires for works. Instead of working to please God, you will work out of a heart of desire to please Him. These passages explain this beautifully:
Psalm 40:
6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
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8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart
Psalm 119:
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
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47 And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love.
Psalm 37:
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.
The reason a follower of Christ keeps God’s commandments is because it is a desire within our heart. If we do not desire to keep God’s commandments and we do not desire to do the work God has called us to, the problem is in our relationship with God. People suffer from burn out in churches because they begin carrying a load that God never called them to carry or they are working as a sacrifice instead of as a delight. When I delight myself in God, He produces the desire within me to live godly and do godly works. I then have the promise that He will fulfill those desires so that I can confidently apply myself to that work. Every Christian should have this delight in the Lord. If you do not have this, you know where the problem lies – in your personal relationship with Christ.
We don’t follow a list of do’s and don’t’s. The law of God is written in our hearts and we delight in keeping it. Because God is my delight, I want to do the things that please Him and I don’t want to do the things that draw me away from Him. Works are then an outflow of the heart. No longer am I looking for something to please God, instead I have the desire to do the work He has already within my heart to do.
There are many works that Christians do that God does not honor. God working within us will always be honored. When I abide in Him, He has promised that I will bear fruit. Jesus clarified that the branch that is not attached to the vine will not produce fruit, for without Him, we can do nothing. Like the vine, when we are abiding in Christ, He works through us to produce fruit. The branch does nothing except abide. The Spirit of God flows through us and then He produces the fruit of our labor. Any work outside of Him is wood, hay and stubble.
False Works
False works are the works that we produce of ourselves. We may do good things and these may be very honorable by human standards. However, God only honors and rewards what He produces. Look again at 1 Corinthians 3:
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
We already know that God only tests the works that are built on the foundation of Christ. Once we know Jesus Christ as our Savior, our work begins. Many Christians work hard and some work so hard that they suffer from burn out. Burn out is the result of human effort trying to accomplish God’s work. Human effort can also be our pursuit of worldly works and desires. Human effort is also the wood, hay and straw that will be destroyed by the fire of God’s testing. If our works are destroyed, we will still be saved because our foundation is Christ and will always remain. I am not rewarded for the works that I accomplish but for the love I have toward God. Look at Luke 17
7 "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ’Come at once and sit down to eat’?
8 "But will he not rather say to him, ’Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’?
9 "Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.
10 "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ’We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ "
At first glance this seems like a hard saying. I suppose that if we look at Christian service from the human perspective this is hard to accept. When we labor for God, we have not done a commendable deed; we have only done our duty. We must remember that God has paid our debt to sin. He has given everything for our benefit and we owe Him everything in return. The Bible says that we are not our own but have been bought with a price. If God has paid a debt for us that we can never repay, what can we do for Him that is worthy of a reward? The apostle Paul emphasized this in 1 Corinthians 9:
16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!
17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
Paul’s call was to preach the gospel. Each person has a calling of God and He has a plan for every life. When we work for God, we don’t have anything to boast about, we have only done our duty. Romans 4 tells us that the one who works for salvation is not earning grace, but paying a debt. The same is true after salvation. All our labor is expected service and we can be obedient or disobedient. Those who obey can do this willingly or out of obligation. The reward is not in the work; instead our reward is a blessing from God when we abide in love for Him. We willing serve – even eagerly serve because we love God. Everything we do for God is expected, but God loves and rewards the cheerful servant. When it comes to giving financially, the Bible says not to give grudgingly but out of a cheerful heart because God loves a cheerful giver. The reason is that God does not need your money nor does He need your service. He desires for us to give out of gratitude and as an acknowledgment of trust in Him. Tithes are dead works unless we are delighted to give God what He has given us. Good deeds are dead works unless we are delighted to give ourselves to God in loving service.
Jesus said, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”. You cannot earn your reward in Heaven. Every blessing from God is a gift. It gives God pleasure to give to His children. The love of God is expressed toward us and we abide in Him by loving and walking with God. The Bible says that we love God because He first loved us. When we abide in Him, He not only produces good works, but He rewards us with many gifts. God expresses His love toward those who will receive it. The more we love God, the more God can express His love toward us. He gave Himself to us through the cross, we give ourselves to Him through service, and He continues to give Himself to us through rewards and blessings. Our service and works are an act of love. As we abide in His presence, He is able to bless us as an act of love. We can merit nothing from God; we can only walk in a loving relationship with Him.
Revelation 2:
2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;
3 "and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.
4 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
It is our duty to serve God but it is our pleasure to delight in Him. It is His pleasure to express His love toward us and give to us His kingdom. The overlooked principle is that we abide in His love instead of trying to earn it. Works without love is worthless. The Bible says:
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3)
Works is an act of obedience but the attitude of our heart should be to give ourselves to God as an expression of love. Every reward we receive is a gift of God. Once we try to earn it, it is no longer a gift. It is God’s delight to reward me out of His grace and it should be my delight to do His will. God has called us into a loving relationship where we receive unmerited favor and return love for God.
