Summary
Reese begins with Paul’s final words in 2 Timothy 3:16–17, arguing that one of Scripture’s major purposes is to equip believers for “every good work.” To understand what Paul meant, Reese spent two years examining all of Scripture. His study shows that good works are a major biblical theme from Genesis to Revelation and essential to Christian discipleship and witness.
Reese first surveys God’s own good works—creation, His response to the fall, Old Testament history, the Incarnation, Jesus’ ministry, and redemption—and concludes that believers are meant to participate in these works, not merely observe them. Throughout the Old Testament and New Testament, Reese identifies two categories: individual good works, which are unique callings tied to specific people and situations, and communal good works, which are the shared responsibilities of all believers, especially toward the vulnerable. Scripture shows that communal good works strengthen God’s people and display His character, while neglecting them leads to spiritual decline.
In the New Testament, Jesus defines communal good works as justice, mercy, and faithfulness, and the early church models sacrificial care for widows, the poor, and those with urgent needs. James, Paul, Peter, John, and even Revelation reinforce that good works are the visible outworking of genuine faith and that God will judge our works.
Reese then reflects on the contrast between God’s good works and Satan’s evil works, arguing that many modern cultural crises—addiction, family breakdown, sexual brokenness, suicide, mass shootings, declining church attendance—are symptoms of people doing Satan’s works. God’s answer, Reese writes, is believers doing His good works, which bring healing, justice, and life.
To do God’s works, believers must be saved, taught by Scripture, walk in fellowship with God, confess sin, and remain filled with the Spirit’s love and power. Reese outlines five circles of a believer’s responsibility—self, family, extended family, church, and neighbors—and offers biblical principles for communal good works (honoring widows, prioritizing fellow believers, giving generously, meeting pressing needs) and individual works (following spiritual gifts, discerning unique callings through Scripture, prayer, fruitfulness, and affirmation).
Reese concludes that a believer “equipped for every good work” is someone transformed by salvation, grounded in Scripture, empowered by the Spirit, attentive to pressing needs, and willing to pursue both communal acts of love and any unique mission God assigns. For Reese, this equipping is central to discipleship and vital to the church’s witness in a broken world.
Introduction
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Last words. What a person says just before they die –their “last words”– are often deemed some of the most important words they say their entire life. Those tending to their loved one bend over them and strain to listen as they whisper with their final breath their most important thought….an then….they’re gone.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 gives us some of Paul’s very last written words on this earth. He always had much to say about spiritual things. But in this, his last epistle, he knows his death by execution is imminent. “I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near,” Paul writes a few verses after this exhortation.
And so, as a final reminder, Paul whispers to us this most important truth: Scripture is critically important for every believer for this one primary purpose, to equip them for every good work.
But the problem with last words is that sometimes they are not always understood and the messenger is now deceased and we cannot ask them, “What do you mean?” They have just departed and left us only with questions.
This is the problem we have with 2 Timothy 3:16-17; what exactly did Paul mean by “equipped for every good work”?
To answer that question, I have spent the last two years doing what Paul implied that we should do: search all of Scripture and allow it to teach us, rebuke us, correct us, and train us in righteousness. If we do that, Paul whispers to us as he is about to die, we’ll understand what he meant.
Below is the record of my search through “all Scripture,” along with my answer to that question: What does it mean to be equipped for every good work?
What I Covered
The following posts are not the final word on a practical theology of good works. At least, I hope not. Hence, the term “Toward” in the title. I hope my work serves as a catalyst for an avalanche of publications in Evangelicalism on good works. We need much more study, much more writing, and much more teaching on this subject in the church, for it has been woefully ignored to the detriment of the church, of the people for whom good works are supposed to be a benefit, and of society as a whole.
Unfortunately, I am also concerned that, as the adage goes, “when all is said and done, more will be said than done.”. Not only do we need much more of the above, but we also need much more obedience, much more doing.
With that said, here is what I have covered over the last two years on the subject of a practical theology of good works.
Toward a Practical Theology of Good Works
Ignoring the massive biblical teaching on good works restricts the proper expression of our faith before a watching world.
Part 1: God and His Good Works, and How We Participate with Him in Them
When God finished creating the world, he invited Adam and Eve to join with him in cultivating the garden and filling the world with their descendants. Believers now live under the New Covenant in Christ, continuing God’s purposeful, life-giving work through the gospel, the Great Commission, and the New Commandment.
God’s good works in His response to humanity’s fall reveal His justice, mercy, and redemptive love. When Adam and Eve sinned, God did not abandon them but pursued them. Consequently, only through faith in Christ can believers be “clothed” in righteousness and empowered to do true good works that flow from redemption.
God works through individuals acting in faith. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets, and others embody how God uses human agents to advance His plans. Christians, too, are called to act by faith, demonstrating their salvation through good works—not as the cause of redemption, but as its evidence.
The Incarnation is the pinnacle of God’s good works and the ultimate model for how believers should live. To imitate Christ, Christians must lay aside personal ambition and pride and go wherever God’s love leads—even into hardship or service, just as Christ’s love led him to Bethlehem, the wilderness, and the cross.
Jesus’ earthly ministry is the perfect model of God’s good works and the pattern for believers to follow. Believers are called to do good works as Jesus did—Spirit-led acts of love, humility, and service aimed at discipling others, helping the poor, healing relationships, and glorifying God.
Redemption teaches believers two things about doing good works. First, we must live “functionally free from sin,” continually confessing sin and walking in fellowship with God, since sin disrupts our ability to serve Him. Second, redemption is not only something done for us but an example to follow—believers are to reflect Christ’s self-giving love by helping those in need, participating in God’s ongoing redemptive work in the world.
God intends for believers to participate with him in his good works, not just stand by and observe Him as he does them.
Part 2: The Practice and Teaching of Good Works in the Old Testament
Individual good works advance God’s purposes, while communal good works express God’s character and love. Together, they form the foundation of God’s vision for His people to create an “outpost of heaven on earth.
In the Old Testament historical books, there are many examples of individual good works but notes that communal good works are rare. Israel’s spiritual health flourished only when communal good works were practiced (Ruth–Solomon) but declined when they ceased.
These five books together reveal the moral, spiritual, relational, and practical dimensions of good works—rooted in love for God, guided by wisdom, motivated by hope, and expressed through faithful relationships.
The prophets’ unique good works—repenting, proclaiming truth, and obeying under persecution—ensured that God’s covenant purposes continued. Meanwhile, Isaiah and Jeremiah highlighted communal good works such as seeking justice, defending the oppressed, and caring for widows and orphans. God promised renewal if His people practiced these, but they refused, choosing judgment instead.
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.
Zechariah’s message serves as both a summary and a warning to the modern church: God still calls His people to build societies grounded in justice, mercy, and truth—communal good works that reveal His kingdom on earth.
Part 3: The Practice and Teaching of Good Works in the New Testament
Jesus defines communal good works as “justice, mercy, and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23). His Sermon on the Mount outlines how believers live out these values—handling conflict, loving enemies, rejecting hypocrisy, and living righteously. The two greatest commandments—loving God and loving one’s neighbor—summarize this life of communal good works.
People must be born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and walk in fellowship with God and one another. As they do, the Spirit produces love that moves them to meet others’ needs joyfully and selflessly. Without Christ’s love ruling the heart, communal good works remain impossible.
The communal good works described in Acts 2:42–47 and Acts 4:31–37 are not only descriptive of early Christian life but prescriptive for all Christians today. These passages reveal a deeply unified and sacrificial early church community where believers voluntarily shared their resources to meet the urgent needs of others—particularly widows, the poor, and the vulnerable.
The early church’s relentless care for widows and the needy unleashed powerful spiritual and cultural transformation, turning marginalized recipients into impassioned evangelists.
James’ letter reinforces the themes of communal care and good works that are foundational in Acts. The Book of James not only confirms the communal good works practiced in Acts but commands believers to continue them.
Communal good works are central to Paul’s theology and practice, running through every one of his epistles as both a command and a lived example. Paul integrated communal good works into his evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training—modeling generosity through his own bi-vocational ministry, urging believers to care for the poor and widows in their churches, organizing relief funds for believers in Jerusalem, and teaching that good works, though voluntary, must be disciplined and communal.
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.
Although Revelation discusses good works briefly, its statements are profound and consistent with two major biblical themes: God knows our works intimately and God will judge every person according to their works.
What I Learned
The topic of doing God’s good works comprises a major biblical subject that must not be ignored by the church.
When we think about what it means to do God’s good works, we must understand that the subject spans the entire Bible, from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. Everything that God does, as we learn from Genesis 1, is good. And everything that we do, as we learn from Revelation 22, will be the basis of our judgement. Thus, when Paul states in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “All scripture” is inspired and profitable for equipping believers to do good works, he literally means all scripture.
When it comes to the question of what we should be doing as Christians, we cannot correctly answer it until we understand the entire Bible’s teaching on doing God’s good works.
God includes believers in doing his good works in the same way that Satan includes sinners in doing his evil works.
We do not have to look very far to see the effects of Satan, his demons, and sinners on American culture: coarseness is increasing, the institutions of marriage and family are disintegrating, the spread of sexual disease is increasing, the number of people addicted to drugs, porn, and gambling is rising, the rate of suicide is increasing, the number of mass shootings is increasing, and church attendance is in rapid decline.
Satan’s goal is to bring sinners to the point where they do his bidding. The result is pain, suffering, loneliness, and death. From the looks of it, Satan and his demons are doing a pretty good job in America these days.
What is God’s answer to this cultural implosion? God’s answer is believers like you and me doing his good works. The Bible tells us that we have been saved and sent into the world to do God’s good works. The good works God calls us to do result in healing, joy, communion, health, and overflowing life. Just as Satan recruits sinners to do his evil works, so God “recruits” believers to do his preordained good works, good works that unbelievers can see so that they come to repentance and faith in Christ.
There are requirements we must meet before we can do God’s good works.
Human nature is inherently anti-God in the sense that we are selfish, self-centered people who are pursuing our own agenda. This reality makes it impossible for the unbeliever to truly do God’s good works. Even the best unbeliever will substitute “kind gestures” and “quasi-good works” for the kind of good works God actually calls us to do. Therefore, we must first be saved from God’s wrath for our sin by placing our faith in Jesus Christ as the one who bore our punishment for our sin on the cross. After we have been reconciled to God, we must become students of God’s Word and allow it to instruct us, reprove us, and correct us so that we gain a deep understanding of God’s love and God’s will for us and for how we are to treat others around us. In addition, we must walk in constant fellowship with God through his Holy Spirit who indwells us, confessing sin when the Spirit convicts us of it. And finally, we must maintain a state of readiness by being filled with God’s love and the power of the Holy Spirit so that we are prepared to go anywhere and do whatever the good works are that God leads us to do.
There is a difference between communal good works and individual good works.
As I have pointed out many times during this series of posts, the Bible makes a clear distinction between individual good works — good works that are unique to the individual believer and the circumstances he finds himself in, or, as in the case of spiritual gifts, specialized good works that differ among believers — and communal good works — good works that all believers are called to do at all times and places. Moses leading his people out of Egypt was a unique good work that only he was called to do. Teaching is a specialized spiritual gift that not all believers have. But Ruth committing herself to support the widow Naomi no matter what was a communal good work and stands as an example for all believers to follow to this day.
As such, individual, or specialized, good works are always goal oriented. They are God using us to achieve his ultimate goal of establishing his kingdom on earth. Communal good works, on the other hand, are the end themselves. Believers doing communal good works are doing God’s will “on earth as it is in heaven.”
There are biblical principles that give us direction and wisdom for doing God’s good works.
Here are examples of biblical principles with respect to communal good works:
- Do not cast your pearls before swine.
- Honor widows who are widows indeed.
- The one who will not work, neither let him eat.
- Be generous to the poor, giving preference to fellow believers in your church.
- Those who are rich in this world’s goods should share with those who are not.
- If the need exceeds our ability to meet it, then plead the cause to other believers.
- Even a glass of water given in the name of Jesus Christ will not go unrewarded.
- Give feely and cheerfully and not out of guilt, fear, or obligation.
- Distinguish between the rightfully poor and the righteous poor.
Here are examples of biblical principles with respect to individual or specialized good works:
- The Holy Spirit has gifted believers in many different ways.
- We discern our individual gifts and calling through prayer, personal yearnings, volunteering, the affirmation of other believers, and effective ministry outcomes.
- God has given to the church specialized ministers such as apostles….
- Sometimes God calls believers into very unique ministries and works through unmistakable circumstances to guide them into those unique ministries.
The believer has five outwardly radiating circles of responsibility that help him prioritize his good works.
- Our self – This is the first and innermost circle. “Each one should carry their own load” scripture tells us in Galatians 6:5 and in Acts 20:34 Paul reminds the elders in Ephesus that “these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.” Paul couldn’t meet the needs of others until he met his own needs first. Becoming a mature, self-supporting adult is the first requirement for doing God’s good works for others. In our current culture, this takes 18 to 25 years, or more.
- Our family – If the believer is married and has children, then his next circle of responsibility is his family. In 1 Timothy 5:8, Paul reserves one of his worst condemnations for any believer who refuses to support his family and extended family, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
- Our extended family – Our extended family encompasses our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. While this may seam like we are casting our net too wide, if the need is greater than our own resources, we should rally the rest of the family to help. Historically, nuclear families like we have in modern America were rare in ancient cultures. In earlier cultures, normally multiple generations lived under the same roof.
- Our church – This is the believer’s fourth circle of responsibility. I call this circle “the missing middle” because it is often overlooked. (I will have much more to say about his “missing middle” in my next post. This circle of fellow believers in the local church has priority over unbelievers in the general culture, as Paul states in Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” The primary purpose of our good works in the church is to meet pressing needs: “Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.” (Titus 3:14)
- Our neighbors – But while our fellow believers have priority over those in the general population, we should not forget that “we are to do good to all” whenever the opportunity arises. “Love your neighbor as yourself,” the Bible commands us.
We are now in a position to understand what “a servant of God who is fully equipped for every good work” means.
I. Equipped to do every good work
Within the context of doing God’s good works, a servant of God who is “fully equipped” refers to someone who has been born again, knows the Word of God, the heart of God, and the power of God, and is walking in fellowship with God so that he has the faith and the will to do all the good works God calls him to do. As such, he zealously and wisely pursues God’s good works in his home, his church, and his community, knowing that God will provide everything he needs to do them, all the while encouraging other believers to join him. Thus, becoming equipped to do every good work is a critical element in the discipleship process.
2. Equipped to do every communal good work
Communal good works are the responsibility of every believer and are primarily intended to meet pressing needs in the local church body so that the church can say, “there is not a needy person among us.” When believers have been equipped to do communal good works, they know how to distinguish between a mere need and a true pressing need. They will be highly alert to any pressing need within the body of Christ and take immediate action when they encounter one, enlisting the help of fellow believers if needed. The people in the church who most often need this type of help are widows, widowers, single moms and single dads, fatherless and motherless children, the disabled, and the poor. Believers who are equipped to do every good work will make sure that people in their church with long term pressing needs will have long term solutions to their pressing needs.
While giving priority to fellow believers in their church, people who have been equipped to do every good work will also respond to needs outside their church when needed.
3. Equipped to do every unique, individual, and specialized good work God calls us to do
We now come to good works that are not the responsibility of every believer. At a certain time and place, God may call a believer, or a small group of believers, to do a good work that is unique to their circumstances. For example, Martin Luther, nailing his 95 thesis on the Whittenburg door and thereby starting the Reformation, was doing a unique good work. Translating the Bible into an illiterate tribe’s language and then teaching them how to read it is a unique good work that only a very few people have been called to do.
How do we know when God is calling us to do a unique good work? We know in several ways: by reading the Word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to highlight a certain truth from it in our hearts, by the counsel of godly people, and by the circumstances God brings our way as we pray and put that truth into practice in our daily life.
And while all Christians have spiritual gifts that enable them to do God’s good works in a specialized way, not all Christians have the same gift. We find these various specialized spiritual gifts in Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28; Ephesians 4:11; and 1 Peter 4:10-11.
How do we know what our spiritual gifting is? We know by volunteering to serve in our church body, by seeing fruit from what we do, and by the affirmation of other believers while we do it.
Conclusion
How do we put all of this teaching into practice as believers? Here are two suggestions:
- Volunteer to serve in your church and thereby find out what your spiritual gift is.
- Ask God to lead you to someone in your church with a long-term pressing need, such as a widow, and make sure she is going to be okay. (You can learn specifics on how to do this at Newcommandment.org.)
By doing these two things, you are performing both a specialized and a communal good work. Your volunteering is furthering the work of God (a specialized good work that only you and maybe a few others in your church will be doing) while your sacrifice for a believer with a long term critical need is doing the will of God “on earth as it is in heaven” (a communal good work the kind of which everyone in your church should be doing).
Epilogue
“Modern American Christianity, Doing God’s Good Works, and the Church’s Missing Middle” (This epilogue will be my last post in this series, coming 12/1.)
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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Learn how to form teams of men for every widow, single mom
and fatherless child in your church at NewCommandment.org.
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3 thoughts on “What it Means to be a Servant of God Who is Fully Equipped for Every Good Work”
What a tremendous summary you have provided, Herb! Thanks for tackling this topic and explaining the details backed up with Scripture!