- Jun 29, 2019
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Philippians 2:13 says, “...it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Whatever good works we show is because of Him. The good works we show is not our doing, it is God who works through us, and equipped us so we are wonderfully made to perform His good works. We are His transmitters of such works, no more.
Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation and the composer of ‘A Mighty Fortress is Our God,’ stood before the clerical Diet of Worms, accused of heresy. He was asked to retract his 95 Theses he wrote, which criticized the clerical practice of granting indulgences to those who may have sinned, to reduce their punishment in purgatory should that occasion arise. Luther’s position was that such indulgences was not supported by Scripture, so the 95 Theses was meant to lay the foundation for a conversation on the matter.
At his trial, he made a short speech saying that he cannot retract what he had written in all good conscience as he understood the Scriptures, his criticisms of things he believed to be counter to what the Scriptures held. It is believed, on good authority, that toward the end of his speech he said, “Here I stand, I can do no other; may God help me. Amen.”
Couldn’t what he said be applied to all of us? For anyone who believes in God through Christ, our good works is not of our making, it is the result of what God endowed in us and of His directing us. If God didn’t act on us, we would merely be standing in the sun, doing nothing else but waiting. in righteousness, we can only wait for the Lord to give us direction, having equipped us for good works. We start performing good works after we seek Him out, and His directions are laid out in the Scriptures.
Psalms 90:17 says, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us...” John 14:12 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do...”
Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” We are the Lord’s. We do good works because of Him.
Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation and the composer of ‘A Mighty Fortress is Our God,’ stood before the clerical Diet of Worms, accused of heresy. He was asked to retract his 95 Theses he wrote, which criticized the clerical practice of granting indulgences to those who may have sinned, to reduce their punishment in purgatory should that occasion arise. Luther’s position was that such indulgences was not supported by Scripture, so the 95 Theses was meant to lay the foundation for a conversation on the matter.
At his trial, he made a short speech saying that he cannot retract what he had written in all good conscience as he understood the Scriptures, his criticisms of things he believed to be counter to what the Scriptures held. It is believed, on good authority, that toward the end of his speech he said, “Here I stand, I can do no other; may God help me. Amen.”
Couldn’t what he said be applied to all of us? For anyone who believes in God through Christ, our good works is not of our making, it is the result of what God endowed in us and of His directing us. If God didn’t act on us, we would merely be standing in the sun, doing nothing else but waiting. in righteousness, we can only wait for the Lord to give us direction, having equipped us for good works. We start performing good works after we seek Him out, and His directions are laid out in the Scriptures.
Psalms 90:17 says, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us...” John 14:12 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do...”
Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” We are the Lord’s. We do good works because of Him.
