Our good works may lead to our eternal loss. Here’s why.
Good works make a difference in one’s life. Good works change people for the better. Our lives, our family, our community should every day be saturated with good works.
But the devil is using good works to deceive many. In fact, it is his main weapon in the last days to mislead even the very elect and so we must be very careful about it.
In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus made a statement that should remind us of our desire to follow Christ’s command in doing good.
“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23 ESV
Notice that the ‘preaching in your name’; ‘healing of the sick’; ‘casting out demons’ are all good works, but Jesus was not happy. They were doing good deeds but Jesus did not honor it. Worst, the people who were doing the good works were declared workers of lawlessness! Why is that so? Jesus gave the reason.
Obedience to God is better than our good works
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 ESV
Apparently, the most important is obedience to the will of the Father in heaven.
God told Abraham to literally sacrifice his son Isaac. This would mean taking the dagger down to the heart of Isaac and thus losing his only biological son. The reasonable response is “No way! That’s horrible and insane!”, but Abraham obeyed and God blessed Abraham and Isaac for their faith, and the rest is history.
In another example, King Saul wanted to rationalized his disobedience by saying that the bests among the war loot were spared to be given back to God. Obviously, God was not happy and marked this as the start of Saul’s downfall.
“But the people took some of the spoil, sheep
Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed [is better] than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15.
Offering sacrifices to God are good deeds, but God wants an obedient heart more than anything else.
One can do many good deeds for family, relatives, community, country but still, ignores the will of the Father. Doing good works with the thought that God will weigh it in for salvation is a dangerous mindset.
Display of good works is the devil’s potion to deceive many
“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” 2 Corinthians 11:14 ESV
Being an angel of light means that the devil should be Christ-like in many ways, a Christian so to speak. Doing good works, displaying acts of kindness, mercy, and love is his masterpiece for fooling everyone. Remember the wolf in sheep’s clothing? Christianity from the outside and yet demonic forces from inside. Good works are his way of deceiving even the very elect. But ultimately, he cannot obey the Father’s will.
The common and widespread thought about salvation is that “for as long as one is doing good, he’ll be fine”. This has been amplified with a confusing word from a highly esteemed spiritual leader: ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: We will meet one another there.” This is what many call as “salvation by works” which is not the way that the Bible nor Jesus Himself taught.
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God wanted us to do good works, that’s for sure! Jesus wanted His followers to be the champions of good works.
“…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 KJV
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Hebrews 13:16 ESV
God wanted us to know our motive in doing good works. Are we doing good deeds with the thought that God will be pleased by it and so He will save us? Or are we doing
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV
Our good works will not save us. God saved us through the merit of Jesus, not by our good works. But this salvation should produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit which are all good works.
And so the next time we do good works, we must ask ourselves the following questions to be sure that we are not trap into Satan’s snare:
- Are we obeying the Father’s will above all else?
- Are we doing good works because of Jesus’ saving grace for us?
If our answers are all positive then we can be sure that our good deeds do not deceive us.
Share this message to your friends and family. What are your thoughts on this?