Should We Do and Talk About our Good Works in Public?

Sharing is caring!

I know. I know. You’re getting a little queasy. “Herb sure is talking about good works a lot in his blog. And often he talks about his good works. Didn’t Jesus teach that we’re not supposed to do that?”

At first blush, it seems like He did in His famous Sermon on the Mount.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1, NIV).

And then Jesus goes on to give three examples: 1) giving to the needy, 6:2-4; 2) prayer, 6:5-15; and 3) fasting, 6:16-18. All of these, He says, should be done in private.

The practical result of this passage in evangelical circles is that we tend to self-censor ourselves when it comes to the topic of good works. We simply do not talk about good works, especially our own, because we do not want to appear to be bragging.

But I want to point something out: Jesus seems to say exactly the opposite about good works in the same Sermon!

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16, NIV, Italics mine).

Not only does Jesus seem to contradict himself in his own sermon, but there are specific, concrete instances in the Bible of believers publicly talking about their good works. Here are two of them:

The first example is Job defending himself to his three “friends.”

Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help and the fatherless who had none to assist them. The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing. I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth. (Job 29:11-17, NIV)

The second example is Paul speaking to the elders from Ephesus.

I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:33-35)

These two examples point out an important principle. We can’t talk about good works in general unless we talk about our own good works as well. Why? Because if we don’t, we run the risk of hypocrisy-i.e., do as I say, not as I do. We have to be able to say, as Paul said more than once (1 Cor. 11:1; Phil. 3:17): “Follow my example. This is how God has enabled me to do the good works I’ve done and here’s how you can do them too.”

So what does Jesus mean when He says–in the very same sermon–on the one had that we are to practice our good works so that everyone can see them, like they’re a bright city on a hill, like they’re a light on a lamp stand, and on the other hand, to be careful not to practice our righteousness to be seen by men?

What I think Jesus means is that there is to be a very public side to our relationship with Him and a very private side to our relationship with Him. What we do in private with Jesus–what I think of as personal piety–is no one’s business. But what we do in public with Jesus, what I think of as good works, is everyone’s business.

In other words, our relationship with Jesus Christ is similar to our relationship with our spouse, if we’re married. On the one hand, there is a private side to our marriage. And it would be weird indeed if we talked about it publicly. But on the other hand, there is a public side to our marriage. It would be equally weird if we were ashamed to be seen with our wife and/or ashamed to talk about her.

That’s the way it is with our relationship with our Lord. Do you have a private, personal walk with Christ that no one knows about? Do you sometimes give money to needy people just because you know it pleases our Lord? Are you finding fulfillment in that relationship for its own sake? But on the other hand, are you proud to be a Christian? Is your life full of good works that other people see and glorify our Lord for? Do you talk about good works with others and how to increase them in your own life?

This is the type of balanced Christian life Jesus is aiming for in the Sermon on the Mount: believers who are in love with Him, walking privately with Him, but exhibiting blindingly brilliant good works that are impossible to ignore.

So what’s your take on the topic of good works? Have you ever felt awkward talking about them and practicing them?

_______________________________________________________________

Learn how to form teams of men for every widow, single mom

and fatherless child in your church at NewCommandment.org.

_______________________________________________________________