Good Works Get You Into Heaven

Good works are essential to salvation. That sounds like false teaching doesn’t it? The very term “good works” can cause Christians to respond in revulsion. “But we are saved by faith alone,” you might respond. Faith plus works is the formulation of the Roman Catholic religion. Faithful Christians, however, must be able to distinguish between Roman Catholicism and the place of good works in Christianity.

Paul repeatedly emphasized the necessity of good works in his letter to Titus. And in that letter, he put works in their proper place. Works are not the basis of our salvation. Or, as Paul put it, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy…” (Titus 3:4-5).

You are not saved “because of works.” So you and I would never say we are going to heaven because we’ve been good enough. This sort of person might also believe he’s able to fill the Grand Canyon one grain of sand at a time. It is also sinful, though, to say works are not part of the biblical doctrine of salvation. They absolutely are. Here are some pointers for thinking through good works.

First, those who are not united to Christ through faith cannot please God by their works. “They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work” (Titus 1:16). Our works are only called good by God when they are sanctified in and through Jesus Christ.

Two, those inhabited by the Holy Spirit are folk who are “zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). They are “careful to devote themselves to good works” (Titus 3:8). These works are evidence of true faith. From that perspective, we can say that works are necessary to salvation. The man truly born of God (John 1:12) will demonstrate this change in his life by good works.

Three, Scripture alone teaches us what good works are. We cannot make it up for ourselves. Scripture has nothing to say about hail Marys, indulgences, last rites, etc. These works have no value in God’s eyes. They are meaningless cultic practices. Christians recognize that our obedience is to God. He and he alone tells us what good works are (2 Timothy 3:17). And, make no mistake, sincere Christians will be revealed through good works.