This document provides an overview of the theology of good works according to the Westminster Confession of Faith chapters 16. It discusses that good works are only those commanded by God in Scripture, and that true good works can only be done by Christians through the work of the Holy Spirit. While believers' good works are imperfect, they are accepted by God through union with Christ. The document also notes that unbelievers' works, while sometimes outwardly good, cannot please God as they do not come from faith.

1. Theology of the
Westminster Confession
Adult Sunday School
2017

2. Good Works
Salvation
WCF
16

3. Of Good Works
Good works are only such as God has
commanded in his holy Word, and not such
as, without the warrant of Scripture, are
devised by men out of blind zeal or any
pretense of good intention. [WCF, 16.1, MESV]
WCF
16.1
Salvation

4. What are “good works”?
Previously the WCF focused on God's good works to
our salvation. This chapter considers our own
good works beginning with a definition.
• What are "good works" and why are they
important?
• “Good works" are works that "God has
commanded" in his Word"
• Avoid the "good works" that are invented by men
• Identifies the nature and the source of "good
works"
• True "good works" are by divine commandment
only
WCF
16.1
Salvation

5. Of Good Works
These good works, done in obedience to God's
commandments, are the fruits and evidences
of a true and living faith. By them believers
show their thankfulness, strengthen their
assurance, build up their fellow believers,
adorn the profession of the gospel, shut the
mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God.
They are his workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, so that, bearing fruit
unto holiness, they may attain the outcome,
which is eternal life. [WCF, 16.2, MESV]
WCF
16.2
Salvation

6. Why do good works?
• True good works can only arise from the
inward root of true repentance and faith
• The effects and uses of good works are
• the expression of the believer's gratitude
• confirming faith
• edifying others
• manifesting faith to others
• refuting adversaries of God
• glorifying God
In God’s economy, only true Christians have
true good works
WCF
16.2
Salvation

7. What makes a work “good”?
• Two requirements are set forth in Scripture in
order that a work may be truly "good"
1. It must be in conformity with the revealed will of
God (what God has commanded in His holy Word)
2. It must be done from a "good conscience", done with
sincerity of heart as an act of service to God.
• There is an impossibility of unbelievers doing
"good works" due to the fact that their hearts (or
consciences) and the law of God are not in
agreement with each other
A good work is a human motive and action aligned
with God’s law
WCF
16.2
Salvation

8. What makes a work “good”?
• We must not merely do what God commands but
must do it because we recognize God's will and seek
to obey him.
Without faith is it impossible to please him. (Heb 11:6)
• Consequently, because of this double principle the
unbeliever is never able to do truly good works
• Moreover, even the true believer is sometimes
unable to do truly good works because there is an
imperfect conformity of conscience to the Word of
God
Our imperfect conscience frequently taints our good
works
WCF
16.2
Salvation

9. Enabled to do good works
"It is to the extent that our consciences are
illuminated by the truth of God what we are able
to do good works, and not merely the earnestness
with which we heed the voice of conscience"
• Neglect of this truth leads to the perversion of
the Word.
• Not stated here is the obvious point that
"progressive sanctification" should enable us to
be delivered from this ignorance of true good
works in order that we might serve God with all
good conscience.
WCF
16.2
Salvation

10. Of Good Works
Their ability to do good works is not at all from
themselves, but entirely from the Spirit of Christ.
And—in order that they may be enabled to do
these things—besides the graces believers have
already received, there must also be an actual
influence of the same Holy Spirit working in them
both to will and to do God's good pleasure. This
truth, however, should not cause believers to
become negligent, as though they were not
bound to perform any duty without a special
moving of the Spirit; rather, they ought to be
diligent in stirring up the grace of God that is in
them. [WCF, 16.3, MESV]
WCF
16.3
Salvation

11. Christ the source of good works
• Discusses our ability to do good works and
the extent to which we can expect to
keep God's commands
• First, we are told that the "ability to do
good works" does not come from
ourselves, but "wholly from the Spirit of
Christ"
Apart from Christ we cannot bear good
fruit
WCF
16.3
Salvation

12. Do not underestimate God’s
part in the good work you did
• The importance of the work of the Spirit
cannot be underestimated because there
is nothing in us (apart from the Spirit)
that can generate good works.
• The reality is that our sufficiency is from
God (2 Cor. 3:5)
• Consequently, we need God himself to
continue working in us, making us willing
do to and then actually to do what is
God's good pleasure
WCF
16.3
Salvation

13. Diligence required
• Our work relies on the Spirit's work but that
does not give us room to grow negligent in
keeping God's commandments
• The believer will strive to do his duty
because having a converted heart in which
the Spirit dwells he will desire to do what is
right
• The believer feels the power and authority
of the warnings and exhortations of Scripture
which require him to do his duty
WCF
16.3
Salvation

14. Of Good Works
Those who attain the greatest heights of
obedience possible in this life are so far from
being able to go beyond duty and to do more
than God requires, that they fall short of
much that is their duty to do. [WCF, 16.4,
MESV]
WCF
16.4
Salvation

15. All boasting excluded
• Addresses the Roman Catholic doctrine of
good works wherein sinful men having
received divine grace are capable of doing
not merely all their own duty but more
besides
• While we are to spare no effort to do good
works by God's grace we need to remember
what the Word says about our limitations
• Consequently, no one can reach a standard
where we may seriously argue our goodness
before God
• You are not Job or Jesus so don’t boast of
your goodness before God!
WCF
16.4
Salvation

16. Super-abounding righteousness
• God's people confess how far we have fallen
short of the glory of God
• We are not capable of "supererogation"
(doing more than God requires)
• The reality is that Christ's righteousness
super-abounds, but ours does not
• Although we have deficiencies in this life
relative to "good works," the good news is
that we can be led by the Spirit to a great
extent and that we can live by the Spirit
through Jesus Christ our Lord
WCF
16.4
Salvation

17. Of Good Works
We cannot, by our best works, merit forgiveness
for sin or eternal life at the hand of God. This is
true because of the great disproportion between
our best works and the glory to come, and
because of the infinite distance between us and
God. We cannot benefit God by our best works
nor render satisfaction for the debt of our former
sins, for when we have done all we can, we have
done merely our duty and are unprofitable
servants. This is because, insofar as they are
good, these deeds proceed from the Spirit; and,
insofar as they are done by us, they are defiled
and mixed with so much weakness and
imperfection that they cannot endure the
severity of God's judgment. [WCF, 16.5, MESV]
WCF
16.5
Salvation

18. Holy Spirit  Christian  good
works
• Good works are the works that God
commands. Our good works are the fruit of
the Holy Spirit's work in us, but the Spirit's
work in us is not perfected until we are
raised from the dead.
• Consequently, we fall short of what God
requires
• Our best works cannot merit God's pleasure
because they will never be good enough for
God and because what is good in our works is
really owing to the Holy Spirit
The good in us proceeds from the Holy Spirit
WCF
16.5
Salvation

19. Even the best works are a mixed
bag
• The "good" in us that alone can be "good"
only in the most general meaning thereof
• Even our best works are still defiled
because they are mixed with so much
weakness, imperfection, and confused
intentions
• Our good works would never endure the
severity of God's judgment let alone win us
salvation
WCF
16.5
Salvation

20. Of Good Works
Nevertheless, because believers are accepted
through Christ, their good works are also
accepted in him. They are accepted not
because believers are in this life unblamable
and unreprovable in God's sight, but because
he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased
to accept and reward that which is sincere,
even though it is accompanied by many
weaknesses and imperfections. [WCF, 16.6,
MESV]
WCF
16.6
Salvation

21. How can God accept obedience?
"How can obedience ever be acceptable when
our good works are so bad?"
• Paragraph six seeks to answer this question for
the believer
• For the Christian the answer is that our good
works are accepted through our mediator
• The marvel is not that the good works of
believers are so "great" but rather that they
are accepted and rewarded at all (because as
believers we have union with Christ)
WCF
16.6
Salvation

22. Christ our Mediator comes to
the rescue
• The Father receives our work because we have
a high priest who intercedes for us
• The point is that in spite of the many dark
blotches on all of our best works, God looks
upon them in his Son
• God can and actually does work in us that
which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus
Christ (Heb 13:20-21)
• Our works have no merit that earns mercy, nor
are they given any meritorious worth by God,
but in accepting us in Christ our Father
accepts all that we are and do
WCF
16.6
Salvation

23. Of Good Works
Although the works done by unregenerate
men may in themselves be things which God
commands and things which are useful to
themselves and others, yet—because they do
not come from a heart purified by faith, are
not done in a right manner according to the
Word, and are not done for the right purpose,
which is to glorify God—they are therefore
sinful, and cannot please God or make one
suitable to receive his grace. Yet, neglecting
them is even more sinful and displeasing to
God. [WCF, 16.7, MESV]
WCF
16.7
Salvation

24. Unbelieving “good” works are bad,
but not doing them is worse
"How can obedience ever be acceptable
when our good works are so bad"?
• Paragraph seven seeks to answer this
question for the unbeliever
• Unregenerate men may do what we shall
call "formally" good works
• Nevertheless these are inherently wicked
works (as God sees them)
• Notwithstanding, the neglect of such
formally good works is more wicked still
WCF
16.7
Salvation

25. Splendid sins
• Pertains to those outside of Christ who will
not repent of their sins and trust in the Savior
• "Splendid sins“ - splendid in one way but in
another way nothing more than sins
• All that is "splendid" in them comes from
"outside of the sinner" while all that is "sinful"
is his own
• Certainly unbelievers can do well
• We can rejoice and give God praise for the
good that unregenerate people do
• We can thank others for their kindness
WCF
16.7
Salvation

26. The all-important motive is
God’s glory
• The acts of "good works" may look alike
from the perspective of believers and
unbelievers (Cain and Abel) what came
from an impure heart not performed
according to the Word of God
• The unbeliever refuses to take into
account "the glory of God"
• Those who do not work for the glory of God
ultimately work for this own selves, their
own goals, their own glory (Tit 1:15)
WCF
16.7
Salvation

27. God desires our good works
• God hates the most solemn worship service
that is empty. He declares unclean the
work of unbelieving hands.
• Pray for our own good and for theirs, that
they would not neglect what good they do
because the abandonment of good is even
more sinful and displeasing to God
WCF
16.7
Salvation

28. Summary of key points
• “Good works" are works that "God has commanded" in his
Word“
• In God’s economy, only true Christians have true good
works
• A good work is a human motive and action aligned with
God’s law
• Our imperfect conscience frequently taints our good works
• Apart from Christ we cannot bear good fruit
• The good in us proceeds from the Holy Spirit
• Our good works are accepted through Christ our Mediator
• Unregenerate men may do what we shall call "formally"
good works
• We can rejoice and give God praise for the good that
unregenerate people do
WCF
16
Salvation

29. Consider and discuss
1. Give some examples of things the world
considers good works but fall short of the Bible’s
definition.
2. If all your good works are tainted by impure
motives and actions, why do good works?
3. How would you explain to a friend who
discovers the Bible teaches unbelievers cannot
do good works?
4. What good works is God calling you
to do? How will you respond?
WCF
16
Salvation

30. Memorize
To the pure, all things are pure, but
to the defiled and unbelieving,
nothing is pure; but both their minds
and their consciences are defiled.
They profess to know God, but they
deny him by their works. They are
detestable, disobedient, unfit for any
good work.
Titus 1:15-16
WCF
16
Salvation

31. Going deeper
Books
• Calvin, John. Golden Booklet of the True Christian
Life (Beginner)
• Bond, Douglas. Grace Works! (Intermediate)
• Frame, John. The Doctrine of the Christian Life
(Advanced)
Articles
• Helm, David. Why Good Works are Crucial for the
Christian Life.
• Articles on Good Works at Monergism.com.
WCF
16
Salvation