Comparing Christian good works to religious dead works
The most popular religious theory in the world posits that man can work his way to Heaven. This natural assumption reveals a huge disconnect between God and man. God’s knowledge about salvation differs greatly from human opinions.
A person does his first good work in God’s sight only AFTER he is born again (John 3:5-7). The new birth occurs when a person repents of his sin and relies upon Christ alone for salvation.
If man could be forgiven and please God apart from Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, there would have been no need for the Father to send His only Son to suffer the agony of crucifixion. The Apostle Paul put it this way: “I do set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the Law, Christ died for nothing” (Galatians 2:21).
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Man is sorely mistaken when he assumes that his personal righteousness can secure God’s favor. Apart from faith in Christ, “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) in God’s sight. Man’s efforts to save his soul are nothing but religious "dead works" (Hebrews 6:1; 9:14). And dead works do not please God.
The main thing about good works is your motive. Am I doing these things in an effort to gain acceptance by God, or am I doing good deeds because Jesus died on the cross for my sins and saved my soul when I trusted Christ as Savior? There is a vast difference between Christian good works and religious dead works.
Christian good works can only be done by a believer in Jesus Christ. And the way to become a Christian is to “repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15). You cannot turn yourself into a Christian by doing good works. Your works please God only after your soul has first been converted by the power of the Holy Spirit. Until you receive the free gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23) through faith in Christ, a person's works mean nothing to God.
Religious dead works are performed by religious people who do not trust Christ alone for salvation. Man is separated from God because of his sin, and his religious efforts do nothing to bridge this wide chasm. The cross of Jesus Christ is the only thing that can bring a lost sinner into an eternal relationship with God.
It comes down to whether or not the Holy Spirit is living within you through faith in Christ. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). It is impossible for natural man to understand the Gospel. And without belief in the good news of the Gospel, a person remains unconverted.
Unconverted religious people often provide assistance for the physical and emotional needs of others. But it is impossible for an unconverted person to provide true spiritual assistance, which can only be given by those whose sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus. You cannot lead people to Christ unless you know Christ.
Try to wrap your mind around what Scripture teaches regarding works and salvation. God is perfectly holy, while you and I are far from holy. So what would make us think that we could perform enough religious exercises or noble deeds to gain God’s acceptance? What makes us think we can approach God on our terms?
Study the Old Testament. Read about the Tabernacle (Exodus chapters 25-27;35-40) and how the Israelites were forbidden from approaching God’s presence on their own terms. It had to be done God’s way. Animal sacrifices were required. And the 66 books of the Bible all point to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, for our salvation. The only way you can be accepted by God is to go through the one mediator between God and men: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
“When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made … He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption … Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:11-12,15).
You may be a religious person, but are you a Christian? Are you trusting in your religious deeds to save your soul, or are you relying upon the blood Jesus shed for you on the cross? If you long to be forgiven of your sins and you desire to live for Christ, you could speak these words to God right now: “Wash me Jesus in your precious blood.”
Man is justified before God through faith alone, and good works definitely please God once you are converted. “The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17), and “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). Faith in Christ produces good works but works never produce Christian faith.
Religious dead works do nothing to aid your soul, whereas Christian good works flow from every believer in Jesus Christ. These good works begin the moment a person is saved, redeemed, born again, justified and forgiven through faith in Christ alone. Conversion occurs on the front end of your relationship with God. Prior to conversion, it is impossible for man to please God.
Make no mistake about it: There is a colossal difference between Christian good works and religious dead works. It is only after your body becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19) that the following words apply to your life: “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
