Good Works

Man I love how Luther emphasized that God doesn't need our good works

But our neighbor does

I mean that's so weighty when you think about it because all our good deeds

Our sanctification, our skill-sets, our responsibilities, and various roles

Are for the benefit of those around us

Our families, society, our neighbor, right?

But what makes us right with God, Paul says, is our faith

That's how we are made righteous

And how we remain righteous, in Christ

But when you blur those lines

And start looking at your sanctification for assurance

That you're right with God

A bunch of problems arise

First off, we end up filled with discouragement

From constantly missing the mark

We can also end up filled with self-doubt

From constantly applying subjective and arbitrary measures

To assess our level of sanctification

In order to determine whether or not we are justified

Or on the flip side

We could be filled with self-righteousness

As a result of fulfilling some criteria we created

And then in turn

Cast judgement on others who don't check our specific boxes

This is a common experience

Especially among Calvinists

Because it flows from functionally placing sanctification above justification

This stems from the fact that, in general, for Calvinists

There is a primary emphasis on God with obedience to the law

Which perpetuates this inward focus

Luther on the other hand

Places the perfect work of God in justification

Over the incomplete process of sanctification

We are to look Extra Nos, or outside of ourselves

Towards the righteousness of faith

Which is our justification for assurance

This is where we find identity, stability, objectivity, and security

Luther is committed to justification truly being Sola Fide

Meaning by faith alone

His primary emphasis is on serving your neighbor through your vocation

This emphasis helps to maintain the clear distinction

Between our identity being found in our righteousness of faith

Which we receive from God, aka passive righteousness

Versus our performance or our active righteousness

Which is righteousness we live out for the benefit of our neighbor

As Christians, we should see both kinds of righteousness

But the different purposes

We should guard our good works becoming the basis for our righteousness before God

And we should guard against our righteousness of faith

Being used to eliminate the need for good works

Our good works have value here on earth, Coram Mundo

But it does not justify us before God, Coram Deo

It is vital that we keep these separate