Summary
Reese surveys the theme of communal good works in Hebrews, 1–2 Peter, 1–3 John, and Jude , distinguishing between individual good works (unique callings at specific times and places) and communal good works (ongoing acts of love and service expected of all believers).
Hebrews emphasizes that good works flow from faith. The writer highlights communal expressions of love, hospitality, care for prisoners, and mutual encouragement (Hebrews 6:10; 10:24; 13:1–3, 16). Yet the central message is that faith enables both individual and communal good works, as seen in the examples of Israel’s faithful ancestors (Hebrews 11).
In 1 Peter, Reese notes that believers are called to persist in good works no matter the opposition—whether slander, oppression, evil, or persecution. Good works serve as a witness to outsiders, preserve social order, and express Christian virtues. By contrast, 2 Peter contains no explicit references to good works.
John never uses the phrase “good works,” but equates love in action with them. Love is defined by God’s sacrifice in Christ and must be demonstrated in meeting the needs of fellow believers (1 John 3:16–19; 4:7–12). Genuine love is inseparable from deeds. While 1 and 2 John stress this link, 3 John contains no direct reference to good works.
Jude stands alone among New Testament letter writers in not mentioning good works at all, even indirectly.
Reese concludes that, apart from Jude, every epistle writer in this set—alongside Paul and James elsewhere—stresses the necessity of good works, especially communal ones, as the visible outworking of faith and love within the church. His next study will extend this survey to the Book of Revelation.
Introduction
As we near the end of our book by book Bible study on the topic of good works, scripture’s emphasis on good works, especially in the New Testament, becomes more and more clear. Again we see the centrality good works are to play in the Christian life in most of these epistles.
Book by book references to communal good works in Hebrews, 1,2 Peter, 1,2,3 John, and Jude
1. Hebrews
Passages referencing communal (and individual) good works:
Hebrews 4:9-11 “ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”
Hebrews 6:9-12 “Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
Hebrews 10:23-25 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 11:1-40 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. By faith Noah…”
Hebrews 13:1-3 “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
Hebrews 13:15, 16 “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.“
Summary
We do not know the authorship of the book of Hebrews. But, like other New Testament writers, we do see several concepts about good works emphasized, such as good works as the practical expression of love (Hebrews 6:10; 10:24; 13:1), the fact that God sees our good works and does not forget them (Hebrews 6:10), how God’s people should be the primary recipients of our good works (Hebrews 6:10; 13:1), and the importance of doing good works with the help of fellow believers (Hebrews 10:24).
But the one lesson about good works that stands out above all the others in Hebrews is the reality that we can only do God’s good works by faith. Using the same historical approach that I have taken in this series on good works, the writer to the Hebrews reviews Israel’s entire history and gives us over a dozen examples of how “the ancients” accomplished God’s good works by faith while enduring intense hardship in the process.
The interesting thing to note about Hebrews 11 is that the good works being described are in the class that I call “individual good works,” that is, good works that God uniquely calls individual believers to do at a certain time and place in order to further the kingdom of heaven on earth. Individual good works should be distinguished from “communal good works,” good works that God calls all believers to do at all times and in all places for the furtherance of the common good. As such, communal good works are the actual manifestation of what the kingdom of heaven on earth should look like.
2. I & II Peter
Passages referencing communal good works:
1 Peter 2:11, 12 “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
1 Peter 2:13-17 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”
1 Peter 2:18-20 “Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.”
1 Peter 3:10-14 “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
1 Peter 4:19 “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”
Summary
If there is one thing that Peter wants to get across in his first epistle, it is that absolutely nothing should stop the believer from doing good works. Here are four examples:
- Do good in the face of slander. 1 Peter 2:12, 14
- Do good in the face of oppression. 1 Peter 2:20
- Do good in the face of evil. 1 Peter 3:10-14
- Do good in the face of persecution. 1 Peter 4:19
Along with these four exhortations to do good works, Peter give four benefits that come from doing them:
- Doing good is the antidote for our sinful desires. 1 Peter 2:11, 12
- Doing good is the foundation for social order. 1 Peter 2:13-17
- Doing good ameliorates a slave’s condition. 1 Peter 2:18-20
- Doing good is an expression of Christian graces. 1 Peter 3:10
II Peter
Passages referencing communal good works:
In contrast to 1 Peter, there are no references to good works (communal or individual) in II Peter.
I & II & III John
Passages referencing communal good works:
1 John 2:9-11 “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”
1 John 2:29 “If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.”
1 John 3:15 “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”
1 John 3:16-18 “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 3:23 “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”
1 John 4:7-12 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
1 John 4:16 “We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ”
1 John 4:19-21 “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.“
2 John 5, 6 “And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
III John
Passages referencing communal good works
There are no passages in III John referencing good works (communal or individual).
Summary
Interestingly, there are no instances of the term “good works” in any of John’s three epistles. But in I and II John we do have several references to love; where it comes from and how we should express it. For example, in 1 John 3:16-19, John equates love with action that meets the needs of a brother or sister in distress.
John tells us that God is the very definition of love (1 John 4:16) and he proved it by giving us his Son (4:9, 10) as an atoning sacrifice for our sin. Then, Jesus Christ himself physically manifested that love by laying down his life for us (1 John 3:16). When we, as God’s children, dwell in love, we dwell in God (4:16). We dwell in love by loving our fellow believers (4:7, 11, 21; 2 John 5, 6). Just as God expressed his love for us by his actions (i.e. doing good for us), so we must express our love for our fellow believers by our actions (1 John 3:16-19). If we shut up our hearts toward a believer in need, or hate a fellow believer, we are not dwelling in love and, consequently, we are not dwelling in God (4:16-19; 19-21).
John is saying that genuine love must be expressed with good works when a fellow believer is in need.
4. Jude
Passages referencing communal good works:
There are no passages in Jude referencing communal or individual good works in Jude.
Conclusion
Jude is the only author of a New Testament epistle who does not mention good works, either explicitly or obliquely as John does with his concept of love that is proved with action. Along with James and Paul, and with the only exception of Jude and his brief epistle, the authors of all the other New Testament epistles — Peter, John, and the anonymous author of Hebrews — wrote extensively on the topic of good works, especially communal good works.
In my next post, I will conclude my survey of what the Bible has to say about good works with a review of good works in the Book of Revelation.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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