The Scrputures and Good Works # 1

The Scriptures and Good Works # 1

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10).

The truth of God may well be likened to a narrow path skirted on either side by a dangerous and destructive precipice - in other words, it lies between two gulfs of error. The aptness of this figure may be seen in our proneness to sway from one extreme to another. Only the Holy Spirit's enabling can cause us to preserve the balance. Failure to do so inevitably leads to a fall into error - for error is not so much the denial of truth, as the perversion of truth, the pitting of one part of it against another.

The history of theology forcibly and solemnly illustrates this fact. One generation of men have rightly and earnestly contended for that aspect of truth which was most needed in their day. The next generation, instead of walking therein and moving forward, warred for it intellectually as the distinguishing mark of their party, and usually, in their defense of what was assaulted, have refused to listen to the balancing truth which often their opponents were insisting upon. The result being that they lost their sense of perspective and emphasized what they believed out of its scriptural proportions. Consequently, in the next generation, the true servant of God is called on almost to ignore what was so valuable in their eyes - and to emphasize that which they had, if not altogether denied, almost completely lost sight of.

It is certain that men, left to themselves, have ever found it impossible to keep the even line of truth between what appear to be conflicting doctrines, such as the sovereignty of God - and the responsibility of man; election by grace - and the universal proclamation of the Gospel; the justifying faith of Paul - and the justifying works of James.

Only too often, where the absolute sovereignty of God has been insisted upon - it has been to the ignoring of man's accountability; and where unconditional election has been held fast - the unfettered preaching of the Gospel to the unsaved has been let slip. On the other hand, where human accountability has been upheld - the sovereignty of God and the truth of election have generally been whittled down or completely ignored.

Many of our readers have witnessed examples which illustrate the truth of what has been said above - but few seem to realize that exactly the same difficulty is experienced when an attempt is made to show the precise relation between faith and good works. If, on the one hand, some have erred in attributing to good works a place which Scripture does not warrant - it is certain that, on the other hand, some have failed to give to good works the province which Scripture assigns them. If, on the one side, it is serious error to ascribe our justification before God to any performances of ours - on the other side, they are equally guilty who deny that good works are necessary in order to our reaching Heaven, and allow nothing more than that they are merely evidences or fruits of our justification. We are well aware that we are now (shall we say) treading on thin ice, and running a serious risk of ourselves being charged with heresy; nevertheless we deem it expedient to seek Divine aid in grappling with this difficulty, and then commit the outcomes thereof to God Himself.

In some quarters the claims of faith, though not wholly denied, have been disparaged because of a zeal to magnify good works. In other circles, reputed as orthodox (and they are what we now have chiefly in mind), only too rarely are good works assigned their proper place, and far too infrequently are professing Christians urged with apostolic earnestness to maintain them. No doubt this is due at times to a  fear of undervaluing faith, and encouraging sinners in the fatal error of trusting to their own doings, rather than in the righteousness of Christ.

But no such apprehensions should hinder a preacher from declaring "all the counsel of God." If his theme is faith in Christ, as the Saviour of the lost, let him fully set forth that truth without any modification, giving to this grace the place which the apostle gave it in his reply to the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:31).

But if his subject is good works, let him be no less faithful in keeping back nothing which Scripture says thereon. Let him not forget that Divine command, "Affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works" (Titus 3:8).

The last-quoted scripture is the most pertinent one for these days of looseness and laxity, of worthless profession, and empty boasting. This expression "good works" is found in the New Testament in the singular or plural number no less than thirty times - and yet - from the rarity with which many preachers, who are esteemed sound in the faith, use, emphasize, and enlarge upon them, many of their hearers would conclude that those words occur but once or twice in all the Bible.

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 2)