Good works prior to justification

[everbecoming2007]

I understand that good works do not merit salvation. Only Christ can do that.

However, what is the status of good works in the eyes of God prior to justification? Do the good works of an unjustified woman or man still deserve the wrath and punishment of God?

I'm looking forward to hearing from a traditional Lutheran viewpoint on this matter!

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

........

 

[everbecoming2007]

This is impossible. We can not live right before God unless the Grace of God is at work in us. So God is the One who Justifies us because of the Grace of God at work in us.

"know that a man is not justified by works of the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law, because by works of the Law no one will be justified." (Galatians2:16)

"So the Law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. " (Gal3:24)

All of this is explained in the book of Galatians. Paul bases this on Psalm 14:1 "There is no one who does good." Paul changes the word "good" to the word "right". Apart from God we can not be good enough to be right with God. This is a work of God's Grace in and though us. So we are justified by the faith of God at work in us. Even though we forfill the righteous requirements of the Law of God. No one can boast because this is the work of God in us.

This is why daily we need to pray for the Grace of God to help us to be able to overcome our tests and adversities in our life that we encounter daily. "Give us this day our daily bread,"

I am not sure this addresses my actual question, but maybe I missed it.

 

[joshua 1 9]

I understand what justification by faith is, but I am asking a particular question about a very specific aspect of Lutheran theology.

You can look that up in Wiki: "The doctrine of sola fide asserts God's pardon for guilty sinners is granted to and received through faith alone, excluding all "works" (good deeds)."

 

[tampasteve]

This is not something I am terribly familiar with, I am going to tag @ViaCrucis for more input.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I understand that good works do not merit salvation. Only Christ can do that.

However, what is the status of good works in the eyes of God prior to justification? Do the good works of an unjustified woman or man still deserve the wrath and punishment of God?

I'm looking forward to hearing from a traditional Lutheran viewpoint on this matter!

"Whatever is not of faith is sin." Apart from faith all our good works are as rags. The works done in faith aren't rendered "good" because of the work itself, but on account of faith.

This is a Coram Deo/Coram Mundo situation I think.

The two kinds of righteousness - Wikipedia

God's wrath falls upon the unrighteous because the Law shows us that even in our best works we are sinners. It isn't that God is on high waiting to smite; it's simply that the objective justice of the Law is unwavering, and before that justice all which is unjust is shown to be so. Which is why none of our works can attain for justice before God. But that's why we need to make the distinction between righteousness Coram Deo and righteousness Coram Mundo. Before God the only righteousness that matters is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which we have received as pure gift on account of God's loving-kindness.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[tampasteve]

Thanks for the input @ViaCrucis , you have a way with words.

 

[Jim47]

I understand that good works do not merit salvation. Only Christ can do that.

However, what is the status of good works in the eyes of God prior to justification? Do the good works of an unjustified woman or man still deserve the wrath and punishment of God?

I'm looking forward to hearing from a traditional Lutheran viewpoint on this matter!

I understand that good works do not merit salvation. Only Christ can do that.

However, what is the status of good works in the eyes of God prior to justification? Do the good works of an unjustified woman or man still deserve the wrath and punishment of God?

I'm looking forward to hearing from a traditional Lutheran viewpoint on this matter!

I would be someone you can call traditional. I lean only on Jesus

14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 The one who believes in him is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. 19 This is the basis for the judgment: The light has come into the world, yet people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 20 In fact, everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, or else his deeds would be exposed. 21 But the one who does what is true comes toward the light, in order that his deeds may be seen as having been done in connection with God.”



14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 The one who believes in him is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. 19 This is the basis for the judgment: The light has come into the world, yet people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 20 In fact, everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, or else his deeds would be exposed. 21 But the one who does what is true comes toward the light, in order that his deeds may be seen as having been done in connection with God.”

 

[Daniel9v9]

I think the Lutheran Coram Mundo / Coram Deo perspective explains it, as already mentioned above, but perhaps another angle on it could be to look at Pelagianism, which is a heresy that teaches that man can do good works before God by his own strength.

Against Pelagians, the Lutheran Church writes: "We condemn the Pelagians and others who deny that original depravity is sin, and who, to obscure the glory of Christ's merit and benefits, argue that man can be justified before God by his own strength and reason."

I can perhaps also recommend Luther's Bondage of the Will.