Works is a fascinating topic among believers. Depending on who you ask, you may receive vastly different definitions or answers about what works are, or their importance in the Christian life.
The desire for good works, usually comes from honest intentions; we all want to do good. There’s nothing wrong with wanting that, and there’s nothing wrong with desiring good works. But for some, this whole desire can be subtlety turned and misrepresented into something destructive.
The trap of works is nothing new— we see it repeatedly in the scriptures. But even though it’s very common, our natural self continually gravitates towards works in various ways. While you might be tempted to think it’s not that big of an issue, the scriptures warn us about how works can be very detrimental to our success, for one simple reason: the reliance and focus on our self.
You see, there are two types of works in the scriptures… self works, empowered and reliant on our self-effort, and the works of God, which are empowered and reliant upon His Spirit.
Christians often confuse and conflate these two types of works, opting for more self, while erroneously thinking that they are doing God’s will; thus the trap.
The Futility of Self
As Christians, we want to do the right thing, we want to please God and live good lives. These are all general statements that people can easily agree with. Dig a little deeper though, and you may start to see some disparity. For example, how exactly do we please God? What does God consider truly good? We need to answer these questions through scripture to have a solid foundation.
I’ve spoken with people over the years who genuinely believe that self-effort is necessary to please God and “be a good person.” And while that idea sounds correct, the scriptures speak differently about the issue— and not just in the typical new testament writings.
The futility of self-effort is consistently displayed throughout the entire scriptures. David wrote in Psalm 130:3, that If you, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
Jeremiah 17:5 says: “Thus said the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the LORD.”
Here, the LORD very clearly says that the one who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm (of strength) is cursed! Their heart departs from the LORD in favor of themselves.
Verse six goes on to say that such a person is like a desert, parched and left desolate.
In Proverbs 14:1 Solomon writes: Every wise woman builds her house: but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
So again, the scriptures are incredibly consistent with the message, of the utter futility of self-works. If you think the message is only a new testament idea, no, it has been the message all throughout scripture. Israel tried to make the claim early on in Exodus 19:8 that all the LORD commands, we will do! It sounds very noble, and many Christians would readily say “Amen!” Without even blinking… but we know the result was that they broke the first commandment before Moses even descended the mountain!
Psalm 14:3 says there is none who does good, no not one! And James 2:10 says, that if anyone keep the whole Law, yet fail one point, they are guilty of all.
Often those who hold to the idea of self works ad effort, believe that simply doing your best is enough. But the old covenant Law had no such leniency. The law had a perfect standard requiring perfect obedience in all points without fail.
Beholding the Lamb
What then is the solution? We know that sin does not please God, and we also know that He wants us to do good, but we cannot do good in ourselves. Once again, the scriptures are remarkably in consistent in their answer.
Isaiah 53:6 says: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Notice what this verse is saying: all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way (it doesn’t say “some” — it says all), but the second-half of the verse carries the remedy: and the LORD has laid upon him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.
It was the LORD who laid all of our iniquity on Jesus… this wasn’t man’s doing, or man’s idea, this will the will and action of God, to solve the problem of sin that we couldn’t solve ourselves.
John 1:29, makes this perfectly clear through the passionate declaration of John the Baptist:
“The next day John sees Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.”
To behold means to look and see. Many people see Jesus as a teacher, a prophet, a king, a good person, or even God. But until you see him as the Lamb of God that takes away your sin, you will always be trying to remove your own sin via your own efforts— you’ll be stuck trying to fight a battle that Jesus already won, and you’ll ultimately lose, because you will have missed the primary purpose of Jesus’ coming.
Isaiah 64:6 declares that even our righteous acts are filthy before God… you’ve probably heard me comment before that even when we think we are earning favor with God, it is not possible, because we cannot truly “do good” in our own strength.
The only good that we can truly “do” is through Christ. It is not our doing, or our actions, but the empowerment of The Holy Spirit through us that causes us to bear good fruit to God. Once more, the scriptures are entirely consistent in this truth: 2nd Chronicles 30:2, and Isaiah 26:12. It is God who produces true good in a person, and we bear those fruits. God is the active agent, and we are the representatives of His goodness, mercy, and grace.
Conclusion
I encourage you today to rely fully on the grace of God. Behold the Lamb who has taken away your sin, changed your spiritual identity and make you a new creation. Let his power truly change your life, inside and out.