Summary Reese observes that communal good works were rare in the Old Testament because they run contrary to fallen human nature. While individuals like Ruth, Judah, and Jonathan performed great personal acts of goodness, communal expressions of righteousness soon faded as Israel and Judah turned to sin. Even God’s prophetic […]
Herb Reese
683 posts
Summary Reese summarizes the Old Testament distinction between individual and communal good works: individual acts fulfill God’s specific purposes in time and place, while communal works reflect His character and heal the community. The Gospels reveal both the problem—sin preventing good works—and the solution—regeneration through faith in Christ. He surveys […]
Summary Reese explains that after Judah’s seventy-year exile, God mercifully moved both His people and foreign rulers to rebuild the temple and Jerusalem’s walls. The prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi guided this restored remnant, urging them to rebuild not only physically but spiritually—through renewed obedience and communal good works. In […]
Summary Reese observes that while the minor prophets contain little direct teaching about good works, they play a crucial role in preparing believers to do them—by teaching the importance of rebuke. Drawing from 2 Timothy 3:16–17, he argues that Scripture’s rebuking power is essential for training in righteousness. Before believers […]
Summary Reese begins by stressing that while God is patient, His patience has limits—persistent sin provokes His wrath. Israel and Judah both reached that point: Israel was destroyed by Assyria in 722 BC and Judah by Babylon in 586 BC. These judgments fulfilled prophecy and revealed God’s holiness and justice […]
Summary Reese examines what Old Testament poetry and wisdom literature teach about doing good works, using a thematic approach across Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. From Job, Reese explains that righteous people may still suffer deeply and that believers must avoid transactionalism—doing good works to get blessings […]
Summary After studying good works in the Pentateuch, Reese observes several emerging biblical truths: sin affects how believers experience God’s plan for their good works, though not His ultimate plan; doing good works often brings suffering in a fallen world; there are two types of good works—unique (individual callings) and […]
Summary After studying God’s good works in creation, history, and redemption, Reese turns to examine believers’ good works, beginning with the Pentateuch. These early examples—from Abel’s offering to Moses leading Israel—show how people of faith joined God in His purposes through obedience and faith. Their works were not random but […]
When it comes to God and his good works, God calls all believers to participate with him as he does them Some of my fondest and earliest memories are of my father teaching me how to straighten old nails. A survivor of the Depression, Dad made it a practice of […]
Summary Reese explains that although physical slavery has been abolished, humanity remains trapped by addictions, emotional bondage, and most of all, spiritual slavery to sin. Like the Israelites in Egypt and the Jews under Rome, people often misidentify their main problem as external oppression rather than internal bondage. Admitting our […]