Good works

I see I passed the one-year anniversary mark of this blog a week ago without notice. I still haven't settled on a theme, a direction, a purpose for the whole blogging experience. The topics I've pondered have been pretty random.

One area I have sort of stayed away is spiritual issues. Maybe it's time to go there.

I was in a Bible study last evening that dealt with Matthew chapter 3 where John the Baptist says to the people coming from Jerusalem for baptism: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?" The discussion involved the wrath of God. I noticed that the passage didn't actually give the source for the "coming wrath," only mentioned that it was coming. Was it the wrath of God or the wrath of enemies or from some other source? The New Testament deals more with the love of God than the wrath of God. Was it reading too much into this passage to presume that the wrath mentioned was God's wrath?

Asking such a question wouldn't have really fit into the tone of the discussion so I drifted off into my own thoughts. Let's see... are there other New Testament passages about the wrath of God? Yes, Romans chapter 1, verses 18-32. What struck me in this passage, however, is that the consequences of wrong choices were placed in this life. The discussion going on around me focused more on judgment and punishment after death. Does the wrath of God have more to do with eternal damnation or with more immediate natural consequences of godless living? Because the people mentioned chose to ignore God, they suffered the sad consequences of their life choices.

I continued into Romans chapter 2. Ah, here it does indeed talk about the "day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed." So then, if there is an element of "wrath" that is simply the natural result of decisions made and comes in this life, is there a chance that even in the day of judgment the wrath of God is less overt and more a natural consequence of choices being made that reject the love of God? C.S. Lewis, in The Great Divorce, depicted people choosing to forego heaven because the requirements for entry were offensive to them. They could have entered but it would have cost them dearly and they chose to remain outside. In view of John's assertion that "God is love," can we look at alternative views of the nature of God's wrath?

Then I came to verses 6 and 7 in Romans chapter 2. "God 'will give to each person according to what he has done'. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life." (The inner quotes refer back to two Old Testament passages that give this same message.)

That was the end of my study of God's wrath toward those who do wrong. What's this about those who do good? I know from other passages that it's not good deeds that put us in right relationship with God. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). However, here's an interesting insight into life beyond the narrow gate by which we enter into relationship with God.

"To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality ..." How does one seek glory and honor and immortality by persistence in doing good? Aren't we to do all things for the glory and honor of God? (see 1 Corinthians 10:13) But immortality would be for the person doing good, not for God. Does doing good bring honor and glory in addition to immortality? What is involved in "doing good"? As a young man once asked Jesus (as recorded in Matthew 19:16), "What good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Jesus' response was that he needed to keep the commandments. When the young man pushed for more specific direction, Jesus suggested that if he wanted to be perfect he should sell all his possessions and give to the poor and become one of Jesus' disciples.

Doing good. Valuing people is good. Caring is good. Educating is good. Contributing to the community in various ways is good. Giving is good. Going to bat for the weak and oppressed is good.

Does doing those things result in glory and honor? Possibly. Sometimes it might even be during the lifetime of the do-gooder. Other times the glory and honor might be delayed.

There is mystery in eternal reward. Most paradigms of the modern evangelical church follow a black-and-white pattern. Heaven or hell, which will it be? Eternal reward or eternal punishment? You're either in or out, a sheep or a goat. The Bible isn't nearly so clearcut. It talks about some receiving many blows and others being beaten with few blows (Luke 12:47-48). It talks about great reward in heaven (Matthew 5:12) and being saved but barely and with loss (1 Corinthians 3:15). The parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) ends with everyone receiving the same compensation regardless of the amount of time they spent working, but several other places correlate reward to how one lives, including the Roman passage and Revelation 22:12 where Jesus promises to "give to everyone according to what he has done."

Maybe it's because I'm in a tradition which emphasizes that salvation is obtained by faith rather than works, but I don't hear much about the value of good works. Glory, honor, and immortality. That seems like a pretty good payback for pursuing good works while depending on God's grace for the basic entry level into his kingdom.

One would think that it would be obvious that Christians should do good works. After all, Ephesians 2:10 says that we were "created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." However, that message seems to be lost in the evangelical community. Rather than good works, we're called to focus on evangelism, on saving the lost.

Sometimes I wonder if I need to hole up someplace with my Bible and let it permeate my being without the filter of the church. I wonder how my life would change if I did that and whether it would be a healthy change.

Meanwhile, there is good to be done and little opportunity for withdrawal to lonely places.