************ Sermon on Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 91 ************
Doctrine: good works defined
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on November 18, 2001
Q & 91
Matthew 19:16-21
"What Do We Do That is Good?"
Introduction
I remember talking with some parents about the marriage plans of their daughter. These parents really liked the prospective groom. "Is he a Christian?" I innocently asked. My question was greeted with silence. Then they rushed to tell me all his positive qualities: pleasant personality, excellent job, handsome, polite, and – to clinch the matter – he was a good person.
Once a month I dropped in on this widow lady. She was desperately lonely and bitter towards God for taking her husband. She admitted her husband never went to church; he didn't read the Bible or pray. "But," she said, "he was such a good man. Why did God take him?"
Do you remember the boy who shot and killed Officer James Rapozo? Shortly after the shooting his mother was quoted as saying her son was a good boy. That statement has bugged me ever since.
I dare say that if you were to ask them most of our unbelieving neighbors would describe themselves as being good people. It seems that in society at large being "good" is more desirable than being "Christian" – because for too many people being "Christian" has negative overtones of being narrow-minded, backwards, and unable to have fun. Today, the ultimate compliment paid to someone who has died is to call him or her a "good" person. I don't know about you, but every time I hear someone called a "good" person I become very cynical and I suspect they aren't Christian.
I Being Born-Again, Believers Can Do Good
A There is a reason, of course, that I am very suspicious about that word "good." You know what the Bible says,
(Rom 3:10-12) "There is no one righteous, not even one; (11) there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. (12) All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (cf Ps 14:1-3; 53:1-3)
I think too of what the Catechism said in Q & A 8:
Q. BUT ARE WE SO CORRUPT THAT WE ARE TOTALLY UNABLE TO DO ANY GOOD AND INCLINED TOWARD ALL EVIL?
A. Yes ...
The Bible's message is that we are unable to do any good. The Bible's message is that we are naturally inclined toward all evil.
I was listening to someone on the radio talking about "freethinkers." A freethinker is one who accepts Darwin's theories about the origin of the human species, the survival of the fittest, and the constant evolutionary improvement of all life-forms. Free-thinkers, according to the lecturer, believe that human life and society will constantly improve because every person naturally wants to do good in and for his community. But that is not the Biblical message. Our natural disposition, says the Bible, is to do evil, not good; to show hate, not love.
B Yet, in Q & A 90 the Catechism tells us there are some people on this earth who "delight to do every kind of good as God wants (them) to." These people are Christians.
What has happened? How come Christians have been transformed from people whose natural disposition was to hate and do evil to people whose natural disposition now is to love and do good? What has brought about this wonderful transformation?
Q & A 8 tells us what has happened. Very simply, Christians delight to do good because they are "born again, by the Spirit of God." By God's grace new life has been planted in their heart. And, says the Catechism, Christians are people who cultivate that new life by repentance or conversion. Christians are people who make a U-turn because they realize they are headed down the wrong road. So, by the help of God, they change the direction of their life: they put off their old self of sin and put on their new self which rejoices in God and delights "to do every kind of good as God wants us to" (A 90).
II The Definition of Good
A Consider these deeds: the young people rake the leaves of a widow in the hospital; a young boy returns to its owner a wallet he found; the deacons pay the Edison bill of a single mother; dairymen donate a couple of cows each to a dairyman whose cows were accidentally poisoned; people in town give donations of money and clothing to a family who lost everything in a fire; after the terrorist attacks of September 11 people across the country gave millions of dollars to the Red Cross.
Are these "good" deeds? That depends, says the Catechism, on the why, the how, and the what. Behind the work lies a motive, a guideline, and a purpose that determines whether or not it can be called "good."
The Catechism asks, "WHAT DO WE DO THAT IS GOOD?" Whatever is truly good, says the Catechism, must proceed from faith, conform to God's law, and aim at His glory. A good work is like a young tree: it grows out of the soil of faith, it is kept straight by the stake of the law, and it shoots up and up to heaven. This is a very strict, God-centered definition of a good work. But, as we shall find out, the Catechism is being no stricter than the Bible.
B First of all, the Catechism tells us the why of works that are truly good. The question is, "Why did I rake the leaves of the widow in the hospital? Why did I return the wallet to its owner? Why did I pay the Edison bill of the single mother? Why did I give cows to the dairyman who lost his? Why do I give money, food, or clothing to a needy family? Why do I visit the sick or the lonely?" What is the root or source of my good deed? What impulse moved me to do this?
The Catechism says for an act to be truly good it must "arise out of true faith." A true faith, of course, is one which looks to Jesus, is centered on Jesus, and loves and serves Jesus. For an act to be truly good, then, it must arise out of our relationship with Jesus.
Topic: Works
Subtopic: Good
Index: 3902-3905
Date: 11/2001.101
Title:
I always think here of Albert Schweitzer, the great theologian, philosopher, musician, and missionary doctor who worked for 35 years in the Cameroons, Africa, establishing a hospital and a leper colony. Millions of Africans had their lives spared or helped as a direct result of his work. Surely, you would say, his deeds can be called "good."
However, and this is the sad part, Albert Schweitzer did not have a true faith. He did not believe in the Jesus of the Gospels. He built the hospital and established the leper colony because of his deep-rooted "reverence for life." Albert Schweitzer did the right thing, a commendable thing, but for the wrong reason. The good he did, it did not arise out of true faith.
When it comes to living a God-pleasing life, Jesus' prescription is very clear:
(John 15:5) "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Notice, Jesus does not say that when we go it alone we are bound to miss the mark now and then; nor does He say that apart from Him we can still produce some good fruit; rather, what He says is, "Apart from me you can do nothing."
Only when we abide in Christ, only when ours is a living relationship with Christ, only when we have true faith in Christ, are our words and deeds and persons acceptable to God. Think of the rich young man who wanted to be good and perfect. Jesus advised him to get rid of his idol god of money and wealth; "Then come, follow me" (Mt 19:21). To live for Jesus, to have a relationship with Him, to follow Him, is the key to living a "good" and "perfect" life.
C Second, the Catechism tells us the how of works that are truly good. The question here is, "How did I shape my deed? By what norm or guideline do I judge its rightness?"
According to the Catechism a good act is one that "conforms to God's law."
We see this in our passage. A rich young man asked Jesus, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" (Mt 19:16). Jesus replied,
(Mat 19:17-19) ... If you want to enter life, obey the commandments. (18) ... Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, (19) honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.
For an act to be good it must conform to God's law. God's spoken will must the be norm or guideline by which I form my deed.
Topic: Works
Subtopic: Good
Index: 3902-3905
Date: 11/2001.101
Title:
In Seminary ethics class we were presented with an ethical dilemma. Imagine you are a woman in a German prisoner-of-war camp. If you are willing to sleep with one of the German guards your children will be fed and protected. If you are unwilling to sleep with one of the German guards you will end up in the gas chamber and your children will starve to death. What will you do?
Many would argue that the right thing to do, the good thing to do, would be to sacrifice your pride and principles in order to save your children. After all, they say, what could possible be better than to protect the innocent?
I would have to say that a decision to sleep with the guard is not a good thing because your action does not conform to God's law against adultery. Nor, does it take into account God's providence which is more than able to use a dozen other ways to feed and protect your children. For an act to be good it must conform to God's law.
D Third, the Catechism tells us the what of works that are truly good. The question is, "What was my purpose? What was my purpose in raking the leaves of the widow? What was my purpose in giving donations of food and clothing to the family who lost everything in the fire?"
According to the Catechism, a good act is one that "is done for (God's) glory."
Many American corporations give sizable amounts of money to the United Way and to other community projects. Surely these must be good acts. But, if you notice, large corporations never give anything away without generating favorable publicity; look at all the advertisements since September 11 that highlight this. They have found it is good for a corporation's image, it is good for business, to be generous. We would have to say that their donations are not good works because they were not done for God's glory.
Quite often individuals, like corporations, have selfish and self-centered goals in mind when they do good. Someone may give to a worthwhile charity hoping that they will win the draw for a new car. Someone else may lend a helping hand so that he maintains a good reputation. Another may lend his lawn mower out so that he keeps good relations with the neighbor. All of these are legitimate human goals but do not make a deed "good" in the eyes of God.
The Apostle Paul tells us what makes a deed "good" in the sight of God:
(1 Cor 10:31) So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
If our behavior glorifies God's name, we are doing good.
E The Catechism asks, "WHAT DO WE DO THAT IS GOOD?" Its answer:
Only that which
arises out of true faith,
conforms to God's law,
and is done for his glory ...
Did you notice what the Catechism adds to this? It says, as a warning to each one of us,
and not that which is based
on what we think is right
or on established human tradition.
Think about Christmas time. At Christmas time people try to be nice, polite and helpful to each other – even those who are mean and surly the rest of the year. They exchange presents, distribute food baskets, contribute to the Angel Tree project, stop for broken down vehicles, and drop money into the Salvation Army kettles. At such times you hear about the Christmas spirit. It is wonderful that people can be this way. It helps to make Christmas a special time of the year. But it is not a "good" work in the eyes of God if it is done only because it is a tradition to be nice at Christmas.
F I know that many in Trinity love to do good. I know of members who visit the shut-ins and the sick, the mourning and the hurting. I know of many who, being informed of a need, either dig out their wallet or help out in person. I know of those who bring food when there is an accident or a death or an illness.
My brothers and sisters, I would like to ask you to take a close look at the good you do. Ask yourself: what is its motive, its guideline, and its purpose? Ask yourself: does it arise out of true faith, conform to God's law, and is done for His glory?
III Unbelievers Excluded
A By its definition of "good," the Catechism excludes the possibility that your unbelieving but friendly neighbor does what is good in God's sight. An unbeliever, of course, is not born again, does not live the converted life, his old man is not dying-away, and no new man is coming-to-life within him. Also, an unbeliever does nothing out of true faith or for the glory of God.
B Yet, either by accident or by design, there are many unbelievers who do live lives that conform to many parts of God's law. In so far as they do, they can be held up as examples to those who know Christ Jesus. Jesus Himself frequently referred to unbelieving Samaritans as examples of neighborly love and gratitude (cf Luke 10:33; 17:16). Or, think of Gandhi: his life of non-violence, love, and peace are an example and a challenge to every Christian. And, all of us would do good to follow the example of Albert Schweitzer.
Only Christians can do "good" in God's sight. Yet, there are many unbelievers whose lives are far more moral than the lives of many Christians. Every one of us has experienced the disappointing behavior of fellow Christians. And, more than once I have been told I would get a real eye opener if I were to have business dealings with some of my fellow believers.
Conclusion
As born-again people, Christians do good that is grounded in faith, shaped by God's law, and directed to God's glory. The Bible's message is that this ought to be as natural for us as eating, sleeping, and breathing.