The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1905, Page 83

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

83

Of Good Works.

We have heard that the Holy Ghost gives us
power to walk in good works. We Christians are
to let our light shine before men, that they may see
our good works. Such being the case, it is necessary
to know what good works are in God’s sight.

Not every deed praised by men is a good work
in God’s eyes. Men can judge the deed only by
its outward appearance, but God judges the heart
out of which it proceeds. Only such works can
please God as are the fruit of faith; therefore only
the true Christian can doa good work. The natural
man is a child of wrath, and all he does is displeas-
ing to God. Whether he be working or resting,
waking or sleeping, walking or sitting, he cannot
please God. All that he does is displeasing to God.
On the other hand, whatever the Christian does in
faith is God’s delight. For Christ’s sake the person
of the believer is acceptable to God, and therefore
all he does in Christ is also acceptable. Whatever
imperfections his works may have are covered up
by Jesus’ righteousness. Christ says, John 15, 5:
‘He that abideth in me, and I in Him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can
do nothing.’’ Christ is the vine and the believers
are the branches. As long as the branch is on the
vine, it draws from it life and strength and brings
forth fruit; but when it is cut off, it soon withers
and bears no fruit. So we, as long as we remain in
Christ by faith, draw life from Him and bring forth
the fruit of good works; but he that is not in Christ
is dead and can bring forth nothing that is pleas-
ing to God. Without Christ we can do nothing
good.

From the story of the poor woman who gave her
mite in the temple and was praised by the Lord for
her deed (Mark 12, 41—44) we learn that all we do
in faith is well-pleasing to God. The most insig-
nificant deed calls forth God’s praise if it proceeds
out of faith. We are apt to think only such works
to be worthy of being called good works as have a
special halo of holiness about them; as for example,
going to church, praying, preaching, and the like.
But this is a great mistake; washing dishes, scrub-
bing, plowing, even eating, drinking, and sleeping,
are good works if they be done for Christ’s sake in
true faith.

In this connection I would call your attention to
another mistake people frequently make. Itis often
thought that good works can be done only by doing.
This, however, is not true. We have learned that
every transgression of the Law of God in thought,
word, and deed is sin. Not only the evil deed, but

also the evil word or thought is sin. So it is like-
wise true that not only every deed we do, but every
thought we think and every word we speak in
Christ’s name is a good work.

We have also heard of sins of omission and
sins of commission. In like manner, good works
can be done by omission as well as by commission.
Leaving an evil thing undone or unsaid is as much
a good work as doing or saying what is good.
“Speech is silver, but silence is golden,” says the
proverb. —

Good works are works done in faith according
to the Ten Commandments. In the Ten Command-
ments God, our Lord, has told us, His servants,
what He wants us to do. It is not left for a servant
to decide what he wants to do, but it is his duty to
do what his master wants done. So, also, it is for
God to decide and say what works He wants us to
do, and this He has done in His holy Command-
ments. It is wrong, therefore, for us to suppose
that we are pleasing God when we do things which
we think have special merit, but which are not com-
manded by God. Christ says, Matt. 15, 9: ‘In
vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the
commandments of men.’’ If we in childlike faith
faithfully perform the ordinary works of our earthly
calling, wash clothes, scrub, plow, and the like, we
are doing good works. But when certain people
fast, count their prayer-beads, become monks and
nuns, and so forth, they are not doing good works,
since these are all works of which God’s Law knows
nothing.

Finally, it is necessary particularly to call your
attention to the purpose for which good works are
to be done. We are not to do good works to earn
heaven, for Christ has already gained heaven for
us; neither are we to do good works in order that
people may see how good we are, for this is just
what the Pharisees did whom Christ so severely
condemned. Paul tells us, 1 Cor. 10,31: ‘‘Whether
therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all
to the glory of God.’’ He exhorts us Christians to
do what we do to God’s glory. Christ tells us the
same: ‘‘Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven,’’ Matt. 5,16. Christians
are to do good works, not in order to be praised, but
to the end that all the glory be given to God.

Peter writes, 1 Pet. 4, 10: ‘‘As every man hath
received the gift, even so minister the same one to
another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of
God.’? We are to regard ourselves as servants of
our fellowmen. We are not to think that we are
here in this world to get all the good we can out of it