August 8 – LD 32, Day 3: What Good Works Are (1)

Romans 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Because Lord's Day 32 sets forth the place of good works and the necessity of good works, it is certainly not out of order to spell out what good works are. Although the biblical definition of good works is not set forth in Lord's Day 32, it is set forth in Lord's Day 33, Q/A 91.

Today and over the next few days, we will treat this very important idea of what good works are.

Suppose a terrorist gunman broke into a house with a mother and her children at home. This gunman threatens to, and is now about to gun down the children of the home with his AK-47. The mother pleads with the gunman not to. But the gunman is adamant. He is going to go ahead and finish off her children. Now she flings herself in front of her children to shield them from the shots he fires, protecting them, and dies as a result.

Is that act of the woman truly a good work?

The answer is “It depends.” It depends on what? It depends on whether the mother was truly a believer, and whether she did that act in true faith. The reason is because faith in Jesus Christ is one of the very necessary ingredients for a deed done by us to be considered as a good work by God. Rom 14:23 declares plainly that whatsoever that is not of faith is sin. Heb 11:6 is just as comprehensive: without faith it is impossible to please God.

Accordingly, we find our Reformed fathers beginning their answer to the question,

“Q91 But what are good works?
A. Only those which proceed from a true faith...”

For Meditation: The answer given by the Word of God and our Catechism to this question and subject of good works is a very unpopular answer. Do you believe it, and do you work the works of service to God by a true faith from your heart?