#22 The Good Works Trap

How can doing good works be a trap? It depends on why we do them. If I depend on them to make me look better to God; if I'm working to pile up more good "credits" higher than my "sins" and thus squeak by at the final judgement; then I'm telling Jesus that his sacrifice doesn't count for me and I'd "rather do it myself". That is a terrible insult to God and to his Son, who gave his life for us. But there is still a key reason for us to do good.

I like analogies, so here's one. Envision two very large rooms. In the first room, everyone is going about their business with this context: they know they aren't perfect, so they feel the pressure of accumulating enough good deeds (or thoughts or attitudes) to sense that they're "good enough" - which probably means a comparison with others they know. But there's always the unknown: am I really good enough?

Then there's a door to a second room; the door has a cross above it, and to pass through the door a person has to trust Jesus' death as payment for all their sins and failures. And once through that door there is no more wondering if I'm good enough; just "I'm forgiven!!!" Now there's a different answer to the "Why?" question about good works. Now out of a spirit of thanks, and because God asks us to, I work to do good as I'm able. And when I screw up (which happens a lot), I go back to the cross, say I'm sorry, and trust that my guilt is erased. At no point can I try to add to what Jesus did for me 2000 years ago - that would put me back in that first room. No thanks! And not only is life in that second room a fulfilling life, it comes with God's guarantee that when it's time for us to leave that room, he will welcome us home to his heaven. That's the good news of Christianity. (1 John 5:11-13)