Bible Study

Title: The Role of Good Works
Date: Sep 13, 2005
Topic(s): Obedience/Discipleship
Scripture: James 2:17-18

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Have you ever returned home and asked your children, "Have you been good?" Were you asking if they had cleaned their room, finished their homework and washed the dishes? Not likely. What we want to know is if they had broken anything, been fighting with each other or made a mess.

Some Christians are like that. Once they are part of God's family and on their way to heaven, they seem to believe that being good for God means not doing anything wrong. They're not bad, but they are good for nothing. Is that you?

What Does God Say?

In the Bible, James taught that being good means living out your faith by doing good to others.

"So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all--it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, 'Some people have faith; others have good deeds.' I say, 'I can't see your faith if you don't have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds'" (James 2:17-18, NLT).

James teaches that good works are a reflection of genuine, saving faith. In his radio study on the Book of Romans, Dr. Woodrow Kroll calls living this way "the sacrificed life." He explained it like this:

When someone has a need in their life, and you have the means to meet that need, God ask us to lay that means on the altar and say, "Here it is; it's Yours."

My Thoughts

Answer the following multiple choice questions.

Good works do not

• earn salvation for us
• merit our salvation
• cause God to love us more
• all of the above

However, good works are

• evidence of salvation
• gratitude for salvation
• a result of salvation
• expressions of what God has done for us
• all of the above

My Part

How's your faith? Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I trust by faith in Christ alone?
• Do I love God by lovingly meeting the needs of others?

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