Why do we Christians do good things?

[SonOfSophroniscus]

Hi, the other day I was wondering about the above question and settled on the answer that a lot of Christians do good things because it secures them a place in heaven.

Hang on a moment though, I thought, they're not good people if this is the case, assuming that a good person is someone that does good for goodness's own sake, but merely doing it because it's for their own good. This struck me as inherently selfish, so I've been trying to establish some kind of vindication pertaining to the majority of Christians - As of yet, these attempts have been unsuccessful. Help!

 

[erin74]

I've found it interesting that Jesus uses having a place in heaven as motivation. I guess it comes down to what we think heaven is about. If we think it is about us, then yes I guess that could be seen as selfish. But if we remember that heaven is about giving God glory, then no it isn't selfish to desire to be there.

However, doing good is not what gets us into heaven. It is faith in action.

 

[ContentInHim]

Doing good deeds isn't what secures our place in heaven - it's our born-again belief in the Messiah. Our good deeds prove that we are born-again believers and we do these things because we love God and want to glorify his name.

 

[SonOfSophroniscus]

Oh, do you think that doing good things is like a service to God?

I've found it interesting that Jesus uses having a place in heaven as motivation. I guess it comes down to what we think heaven is about. If we think it is about us, then yes I guess that could be seen as selfish. But if we remember that heaven is about giving God glory, then no it isn't selfish to desire to be there.

However, doing good is not what gets us into heaven. It is faith in action.

 

[ContentInHim]

Oh, do you think that doing good things is like a service to God?

Eggzactly!

 

[SonOfSophroniscus]

But doing good deeds is a crucial element of gaining passage into heaven, surely?

Doing good deeds isn't what secures our place in heaven - it's our born-again belief in the Messiah. Our good deeds prove that we are born-again believers and we do these things because we love God and want to glorify his name.

 

[SonOfSophroniscus]

I see. Now, when any thing performs some kind of a service to another, it is with a view to achieving some goal, is it not?

Eggsactly!

 

[ContentInHim]

But doing good deeds is a crucial element of gaining passage into heaven, surely?

No - the only thing that gets us into heaven is submitting to the lordship of our Messiah. Some believers never get further than this. Other believers, like Mother Theresa, for instance, live their whole lives for others.

 

[ContentInHim]

I see. Now, when any thing performs some kind of a service to another, it is with a view to achieving some goal, is it not?

In some ways, yes. With my "good deeds" I seek to get my Father's accolade "Well done, my good and faithful servant". Also, some verses indicate that we can get crowns which we will place at the feet of Messiah when we go to be with him in heaven.

 

[erin74]

Eph 2:8-9 tells us we are saved by faith, through grace, and that faith itself is a gift from God, so that none may boast.

James tells us that we need faith that is active - ie through works.

There is also a passage that talks about the good works which God prepared for us to do - forgotten where for the moment - sorry it's late here and I'm being lazy.

So faith, which is from God, is shown through works - in that we say we have faith in God, and we show that we have faith in God. But it is not our actions that get us to heaven. Christ has done all that is needed for us to get to heaven.

Consider a chair. I can say that I have faith that it will hold me, but until I sit in it I am not demonstrating my faith. However, it is the chair that is doing the holding up, not me. So to it is what our faith is in that is important - and we demonstrate that through works. And the faith we have is from God - a gift.

 

[SonOfSophroniscus]

Would you further agree that when a goal is achieved, it is of some good to the one for whom the service was provided? The goal of a mechanic, for example, is achieved when a car is fixed, which is of course great for the car's owner. What do you suggest we achieve for God by serving him?

In some ways, yes. With my "good deeds" I seek to get my Father's accolade "Well done, my good and faithful servant". Also, some verses indicate that we can get crowns which we will place at the feet of Messiah when we go to be with him in heaven.

 

[SonOfSophroniscus]

Would you say, my good man, that God is all-knowing and all-loving?

No - the only thing that gets us into heaven is submitting to the lordship of our Messiah. Some believers never get further than this. Other believers, like Mother Theresa, for instance, live their whole lives for others.

 

[erin74]

We give him glory, honour and praise.

 

[SonOfSophroniscus]

Do you mean to say that in doing good acts, we improve God, because doing good acts gives him glory, honour and praise?

We give him glory, honour and praise.

 

[erin74]

We cannot improve God. That we can give him glory, honour and praise is only possible because of Christ. So in a sense it is Christ that is glorified.

If you're asking what does God get out of it, I don't think that God gets anything out of us in many ways. He didn't create us because something in him was lacking is what I am trying to say.

We cannot give God anything he doesn't already have.

 

[outhwaar]

We do good deeds as an expression of gratitude to God for His free gift of grace, and as an expression of our participation in the divine life of the Trinity.

 

[SonOfSophroniscus]

Then how do we give him glory, honour and praise? This is inconsistent with your former assertion.

We cannot give God anything he doesn't already have.

 

[dies-l]

Good deeds have no power to save. So, it is wrong to assume that we do good deeds in order to get saved. Perhaps, a better way to look at it is that we do good deeds because we are saved, or at least because we have faith. James said that "faith without deeds is dead." Js. 2:26. What this says to me is that, if my faith is genuine, I will respond to it in a given way. For example, if I sincerely believe that I am in a burning building, and if I sincerely believe that I will only survive if I jump from a5th floor window into a net that I sincerely believe is on the ground, it is inevitable that if I want to live, I will jump. Without the sincere belief in the fire and in the net, it would seem irrational to jump from the building, but these beliefs dictate that it would be irrational not to jump. In the same way, James tells us that if we truly have placed our faith in Christ, we will inevitably respond in a given way: We will begin to value God and other people more than ourselves, and we will be prone to make sacrificial decisions that would be irrational, but for our faith in Christ's sacrifice for us.

Another reason that we should be prone to live differently as Christians is gratitude. As Christians, we believe that all of our sins have been forgiven. As a result, we have something amazing to be grateful, especially when we are aware of just how sinful we really are. See Luke 7:36-50.

 

[Celticflower]

Some of us do good deeds,not for what we can get, but because of what we can give. We can give love, we can give help, we can give money -- but all of this is just passing along gifts that have been given to us first. It is a way for us to show and to share what God has done for us. If the showing/sharing help another to find their way to Christ -- SUPER! But if it doesn't -- just move on.

I am fond of saying that I am not working my way to heaven, I am working along the way to heaven. And if I pick up a few companions on the way it is all to God's glory, not mine.

 

[NHB_MMA]

Hi, the other day I was wondering about the above question and settled on the answer that a lot of Christians do good things because it secures them a place in heaven.

Hang on a moment though, I thought, they're not good people if this is the case, assuming that a good person is someone that does good for goodness's own sake, but merely doing it because it's for their own good. This struck me as inherently selfish, so I've been trying to establish some kind of vindication pertaining to the majority of Christians - As of yet, these attempts have been unsuccessful. Help!

Your trying to apply to much philosophy to this thought. Not everything can be explained by simple logic.

In my personal opinion (and just my opinion) does the non-Christian that has lived a moral and honorable life really deserve to go to Hell while a scumbag that escapes with a death bed repentance goes to Heaven? No, not in my opinion. But we don't make the rules or have God's understanding. There are people that find Christianity out of nothing more than fear, such as Martin Luther, but sometimes the faith grows deeper from that point.