Saved For Good Works

A person once interviewed a group of university students who professed to be Christians, and asked them if they would go to heaven. They all said yes, and their reasons were because they claimed to be good moral people, always trying to do the right thing, staying out of trouble and always willing to help anyone in need.

However, they all admitted that on one time or another, they had lied to their friends or family. They also admitted that they had illegally downloaded software or music from the internet. While they had never committed adultery or murdered anyone, they had done so in their heart when they lusted after or hated a person. And as for using God’s name in vain by swearing or cursing, they had been guilty of that too.

The interviewer then said to them, “By your own admission, you are a lying, thieving, blasphemous, and murderous, adulterer at heart. If God were to judge you by His law, would God find you innocent or guilty?

There were mixed answers. A female student said she would be found innocent because she goes to church. A male student said he would be found to be guilty by God standards, but he would still go to heaven because he goes church. Another male student said that he would go to heaven because God would have to take into account the other numerous good things he had done to offset or compensate for the bad things.

These were the answers from people who professed to believe in God and the Bible. What about you? Do you think that you have done enough good works to get you to heaven? Perhaps we have done more good works than bad things. Shouldn’t God take that into account? Will good works alone assure you a place in heaven?

The Bible says in Isaiah 64:6:

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”

In God’s sight, all our righteous acts are like filthy rags! God is repulsed when men and women attempt to please Him by their own efforts of good works alone. If we seriously think we can please God by our good works alone, we are seriously wrong.

Yet the Bible calls those who have truly accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour to do good deeds. In fact the book of James explains at great length that if you have faith in God, it will be evident or it will show by your good works. Just like thunder follows lightning, works must follow faith.

We do good works, not to be saved BUT because we are saved.

Someone once said, “True Christians are hard working people. They are never lazy. They do honest work to take care of themselves, and they work hard for God. Christ's church is a working church. It is Christian people who willingly work for God. A lazy person will be a failure as a Christian.”

God has already planned out your good works for you in advance. All you need to do is to take on the responsibility and just do it. Seek him and ask him and he will show you his plans for you.

“Good works are not the cause of our salvation; good works are the evidence of our salvation. Faith in Christ always results in good works. Obedience to God is the mark of true saving faith.” ― Ibrahim Emile

Heavenly Father,

We know Lord that you are not impressed by the works we do by our own efforts. All good works come from you. It is our prayer Lord that when you call upon us to do what you have planned for us in advance, we will not resist you but instead learn to willingly surrender our all to you so that we will give you the glory and be a beacon of light in a world that hates you and despises your holiness.

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen.