Evangelicals tend to shy away from the topic of good works. For example, in all of the literature that I have read on men’s discipleship, I’ve seen next to nothing written on the subject of good works. Our tendency to avert our eyes from the idea of good works stems from a number of factors.
First, we don’t understand the importance of good works in our daily life as believers. We have drilled into us from day one that our salvation is not based on our own good works, but on the work of Christ on the cross. And rightly so. Scripture clearly teaches this truth in a number of passages, such as Romans 4:5, “To the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” But the result of this deep conviction is a tendency to downplay the importance of good works following our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Second, we have only a vague idea of what the good works we are supposed to do are and what we’re to accomplish with them. If we can’t define the good works we are commanded to do in concrete terms, then we become confused and overwhelmed by overgeneralizations.
Third, believers and unbelievers alike do good works anyway. So what’s the big deal? Christians don’t understand the quality and uniqueness of the good works they are supposed to do.
Fourth, we confuse the general good works that all Christians are commanded to do with the specialized good works that only some Christians are called to do. By transferring in our mind the general commands to do good works into the specialized category, we justify our disobedience, thinking, “O, that’s only for a certain group of Christians who are called by God to do that.”
I’ve previously written on the first three problem areas relating to good works. In today’s post, I want to address the fourth problem area: confusing general good works with specialized good works.
Specialized good works relate to a believer’s giftedness and to a limited need in the body of Christ. For example, Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3:1, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, it is a good work he desires to do.” Not every believer is called to the pastorate. Only a certain subset of believers are called to do that: “If anyone aspires…”.
On the other hand, the Bible commands all believers to do good works relating to people in need. Here are some examples:
Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. (Titus 3:14)
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person. Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18)
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)
Here, the phrases “our people,” “If anyone,” and “each of you” demonstrate the universality of these commands. Thus, while only some believers are called to the good work of pastoral ministry, all believers are called to the good work of meeting pressing needs. The first is a specialized good work, the second is a generalized good work.
Keeping this distinction clearly in our mind when we read scripture will help us discern exactly what it is that God has saved us to do.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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