ARTICLE X OF GOOD WORKS Although good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgments; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and spring out of a true and lively faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree is discerned by its fruit. I. THE ORIGIN This Article first appeared in the Würtemberg Confession, from which it was taken in 1562 by Archbishop Parker and added to the number of the English Articles. It was adopted without material change by Wesley. II. THE AIM On the question of good works, the doctrine of the Church of Rome has always diverged from the plain statements of the Word of God. Its doctrine found its extreme expression in the canons of the Council of Trent: "We must needs believe that to the justified nothing further is wanting, but that they may be accounted to have, by those very works which have been done in God, fully satisfied the divine law according to the state of this life, and truly to have merited eternal life, to be obtained also in its due time if they shall have departed in grace."1 Luther vehemently opposed the Roman doctrine. He went to the opposite extreme, even teaching that the best work of a justified soul is a venial sin. This is an ex 1 Sess. VI, chap. xvi. travagant expression having no foundation in Scripture. His impulsive soul could hardly express in less positive language his abhorrence of the doctrine of human merit. So strenuous was he in his advocacy of the doctrine of justification by faith only, as to make it appear that "we are saved by a mere belief." For a time, at least, he depreciated good works and almost denied them a place in the economy of salvation. Some of his followers were less judicious than he, and denied the necessity of good works in order to salvation. Calvin's teaching on the subject of predestination had the same tendency as Luther's. As a result of these teachings Antinomianism spread, and some taught that good works are not necessary to justification either as a requisite or as fruit. This error was never eradicated, and it arose with new force when Wesley and others revived the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Wesley alluded to this widespread error when he wrote: "It is now above forty years since this grand scriptural doctrine, ‘By grace ye are saved through faith,' began to be openly declared by a few clergymen of the Church of England. And not long after some who heard, but did not understand, attempted to preach the same doctrine, but miserably mangled it; wresting the Scripture, and 'making void the law through faith.' Some of these, in order to exalt the value of faith, have utterly depreciated good works. They speak of them as not only not necessary to salvation, but as greatly obstructive to it. They represent them as abundantly more dangerous than evil ones, to those who are seeking to save their souls. One cries aloud, 'More people go to hell by praying than by thieving.' Another screams out, 'Away with your works! Have done with your works, or you cannot come to Christ!' And this unscriptural, irrational, heathenish declamation is called preaching the gospel!" This Article assigns to good works their proper place, as being without merit but acceptable and well-pleasing to God. Good works. III. THE EXPOSITION Good works are actions conformable to the teachings of the gospel of Christ in truth and justice. They are indispensable to the Christian character and are an essential condition of our acceptance with God. It is necessary to distinguish between what Saint Paul calls "works of the law" and "works of faith," or "good works." In his writings the phrase "works of the law" always designates the idea of perfect obedience, the doing of all that the law requires. To this he alludes when he says, "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified" (Rom. 3. 20). Perfect obedience to all the requirements of the divine law from birth to death is impossible. Which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification. When the intellect is informed by the Word of God, and the heart made pure by the Holy Spirit, good principles are implanted that find expression in daily life. They follow naturally that change wrought in us by the Holy Spirit: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 5. 17, 18). The change has not come to the "all things," but is in the individual; the heart is changed and so is the course of conduct. The newness is in the consciousness 1 Works, vol. ii, p. 338. of a renovated life wrought by the Holy Ghost as the fruit of faith in Jesus Christ. "Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 5. 5). The fountain of action being cleansed the streams are pure. Cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgments. Good works after conversion cannot atone for sin, or ward off the penalty of God's judgments. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3. 5-7). It is "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1. 29). The blessed or happy man, as represented in the Scriptures, is not the blameless or sinless man, but he "whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered"; the man "to whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Rom. 4. 7,8). Yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ. It is only in Christ that man is acceptable to God. Whatever is good in him is inspired by God's Spirit, and every good work is wrought by his assistance. It is through him that man has access to the Father. In us God sees the image of his Son; we walk in his footsteps "Now the God of peace and God is well pleased with us. ... make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ" (Heb. 13. 20, 21). One of the purposes of the Saviour in man's salvation was to make him capable of good works and to incite him to their performance. "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2. 14). (See Matt. 5. 16; Eph. 2. 10; Col. I. 10; 2 Tim. 3. 17; Titus 2. 7; 3. 8.) Being well-pleasing to God, good works will secure a glorious reward, the free gift of God. Christ in his parables taught that those who of their talents made other talents should become rulers over many things (Matt. 25. 20-23). In his portrayal of the judgment day he indicated the reward given for acts of benevolence to the poor and suffering, such as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, assisting the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting those sick or in prison. By the opponents of early Methodism these acts were called "splendid sins," but by Christ they were accounted worthy of the highest commendation and the greatest reward. They are "sacrifices wherewith God is well pleased." Good works, "supposing them to spring from a right principle, are the perfection of religion. They are the highest part of that spiritual building whereof Jesus Christ is the foundation. . . . Of those our Lord himself says, 'Hereby is my father glorified, that ye bring forth much fruit." "1 And spring out of a true and lively faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree is discerned by its fruit. As the tree is known by its fruit, so discipleship is marked by good works. "So shall ye be my disciples." Saint James when disputing with those who pretended to faith, and had nothing more than a pretension, taught that no man could lay a just claim to a Christian faith who did not substantiate this faith by good works. Faith 1 Wesley, Works, vol. ii, pp. 338, 339. |