Good works

We know from John 3:16 that we are not saved by any works that we do, but purely on the grounds of our belief in the fact that Jesus died for our sins in our place; that He conquered death by rising again on the third day as the Firstfruit of all of us who will be resurrected from the grave and follow His example; and that He now sits on the right hand of our Father in heaven, waiting for us to join Him there. Whether we go to heaven one day is not determined by weighing our good works in the scales against our sinful behaviour and seeing which weighs more – we cannot earn our salvation by doing good works.

This does not mean that we as Christians now do not have to do any good works at all, or that our good works are in vain. On the contrary. What it means is that we now do them with a distinct perspective in view – a heavenly perspective. Our Lord Jesus wants to reward us in heaven one day, as we read in 2 Cor 5:10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. (‘evil’ is translated as ‘worthless’ in many translations). If we have no good works to show, we will not be punished, but will suffer loss in heaven because we will not receive rewards, as we read in 1 Cor 3:13-14 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.

But what are the good works about which we are talking? Eph 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. This is the most incredible truth, displaying the matchless greatness of our God: every one of us was designed by Him to do certain good works, which no one else can do! Imagine for a moment how God the Master Planner had thought about certain works that He wanted done in a certain time and place; then thought about what characteristics and giftings and experiences the person that had to do it, had to have; and then He formed YOU to precisely match that profile! No other person on planet earth or in history can fit that space!

God designed a plan of good works just for you. You were maybe not meant to be a Billy Graham, or a Mary Slessor. But what if your son or daughter is? What if your God-ordained good works are only to bring up your children to fulfil those roles, much like Mary was designed to be the mother of Jesus? We all need to become sensitive to the promptings of Holy Spirit, guiding us to do certain things which form part of God’s plan of good works for us, and stop persistently questioning our purpose in life, or striving to accomplish something which was never in God’s plan for us to do. Here is one way of knowing: you will experience joy in fulfilling God’s plans for you!

Points to ponder:

Consider Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. It shows that your rewards are meant for the time after Jesus’ second coming. It is not meant for you during your time here on earth. Be prepared therefore to face persecution and even hardship during your lifetime, using those experiences to earn your rewards in heaven!