Hebrews 6:9-12
What does God see when He looks down on His children? So many people think that God is out to get them, waiting for them to make a bad move. Others see Him as a loving God, loving His children completely in spite of their many failings. Look at today’s verse 10: For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do. The author of Hebrews says that God is watching our every action, smiling when He sees our good works. But is He keeping an accounting? Does He chalk up one more in our “good column”? What about our “bad column”? Doesn’t that get wiped clean each time we seek His forgiveness? If that bad column gets wiped clean, does the good one also get wiped clean? Does He start our accounting all over, yet one more time? Or do our good works build up jewels in our heavenly crown, forever immovable?
We’ve heard countless times that we can’t work our way to heaven, that Jesus’ death and resurrection has done it all for us and that we need only accept His forgiveness of our sins, for which He has already paid. So what is the purpose of our “good works”? Though I may be theologically inept, I see three values in our good works. First and foremost, I would maintain that our good works are “for show” for everyone else. Non-believers and marginal believers see our good works and ascribe some merit to Christianity. The short form of this argument is the quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.” Second, I think our doing good works is for our internal well-being. We feel good when we’ve done something good, even though occasionally we may have done that good thing grudgingly. This argument can easily get twisted – we’re not lauding ourselves, but we are, in fact, better people as a result of having done good works. Finally, I do think that God looks down and smiles at our good works. I think there is a “Well done, good and faithful servant” commendation on God’s lips when He sees us serving Him.
My thoughts… I do wish we could be together to better hash these things out!!
Slava Bohu!
I appreciate your points on good works, Fred. In v. 12, those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. At first, I thought Aak, faith + something! Then I realized, both faith and patience are gifts of the Holy Spirit. So, good works please God, but any accounting is only by grace and mercy, not number/quantity of events, the quality good or bad of those events, just His grace and mercy.