Note: From The Doctrine of Good Works: Reclaiming a Neglected Protestant Teaching (Baker 2023). Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Citations have been omitted.
To say that Christianity has a crisis of credibility is an understatement. Some skeptics raise criticisms of the truth or rationality of Christian belief; in cultures that are impacted or even dominated by secularism and metaphysical naturalism, theistic belief in general and Christian faith in particular look increasingly strange and even unfathomable. Christians are stepping up to meet such challenges to the rationality and truth claims of their faith, and their engagement in apologetics is important work. But there is another crisis of credibility, and it deserves attention. This crisis is focused not so much on the rational defense of Christianity as on “real life” issues of justice and mercy. The crisis is not primarily epistemological but is instead moral in nature; the deep concerns and pressing criticisms are not about the rationality of the Christian faith so much as they are concerned with the plausibility of the gospel. Or to put the matter somewhat differently, people are hardly interested in the truth claims of Christianity unless and until they see that it matters. They are not likely even to take the rational defense of the faith seriously until they see it lived out. They will not be inclined to give serious consideration to the truth claims of Christianity until there is something about it that makes them hope that it might be true, and they will not be committed to it until they are attracted to it.
James tells us, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27 NRSV). But there is a current generation that does not see it. They do not see behavior that suggests that care for others is essential to evangelical Protestant Christian faith. Instead, they see people who are fearful and committed to protecting themselves and their “rights.” They do not see people who are “unspotted from the world.” Instead, they see leaders of denominations and parachurch organizations who appear obsessed with status and hungry for political power. They see a message of salvation that is strictly about what happens after they are dead – or depending on which version of the “prosperity gospel” might be in view, perhaps one that offers health and wealth or better access to the “American dream” for those who are already highly privileged. They look at evangelical Protestant Christianity, and they do not see “religion that is pure and undefiled.” And in many cases, they simply do not want what they see. For many seekers and searchers who observe the practice of Christianity, Christianity is at best irrelevant and at worst a sinister threat.
The Faith They Have Been Taught
Perhaps we could simply chalk this rejection of vibrant evangelical faith up to a misunderstanding of it. Or maybe we can blame it on hypocrisy. There is some truth in that, and placing blame on misunderstanding and hypocrisy might be convenient. Sometimes the problems of credibility are engendered or exaggerated by hypocrisy. Fair enough.
But to dismiss this crisis as mere misunderstanding or even as hypocrisy would be to miss a very important point. For in other cases, the problem is not that Christians are misunderstanding or failing to live out their faith with consistency; in some instances, it appears that people indeed are living out the faith that they have been taught. Consider the following statements:
- Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.
- We are saved by faith alone, and good works have nothing to do with it.
- If you’ve said the “Sinner’s Prayer,” your salvation is eternally guaranteed.
- Rejoice in the fact that there is nothing that you or anyone else could ever do to undo what Christ has done for you.
- Your good works don’t get you saved, and they cannot keep you saved either.
- Good works cannot earn salvation, for it is by grace alone.
- To be concerned about good works is to reject the gospel – it’s either your works or Christ’s work for you. Which are you going to trust for your salvation?
Such statements abound within popular evangelical preaching and teaching. Indeed, in some circles it seems that good works are seen not only as unnecessary but even as dangerous: if we are saved by faith rather than good works, then good works might be the one thing that threatens one’s salvation.
There are elements of truth, of course, to be found in the popular clichés. But in many cases, they obscure and mislead, and at any rate, we should not be surprised when Christians and non-Christians alike conclude that the essentials of Christianity have little or nothing to do with how people live their lives in relation to God and their fellow humans. When earnest Christians are repeatedly told that their good works have nothing to do with salvation, why should we be surprised when they believe what they hear? Why would we be puzzled when they live accordingly? And why should we be surprised when non-Christians think that Christianity does not fundamentally change anything that matters in this life?
Justification or Salvation?
It might be tempting to say that the problem is due only to popular-level oversimplifications and misunderstandings of complex theological truths. And, again, surely there is some merit to this consideration.
But it seems to us that the situation is not so simple and that we cannot simply dismiss the problem as one of popular-level misunderstanding. In many evangelical theology textbooks of recent vintage, there is little or no sustained treatment of the doctrine of good works. In addition, a great deal of contemporary evangelical theology simply equates salvation with justification.
As an example, consider the claims of Millard Erickson when he says that “salvation is not by works. A person is declared righteous in the sight of God, not because of having done good works, but because of having believed” [Christian Theology, p. 938]. Erickson insists that good works are only the evidence of genuine faith. What about those biblical passages that might seem to teach the necessity of good works? Erickson says that when such passages are “seen in their contexts and in relation to the texts that speak of justification by faith,” they “do not teach that works are a means of receiving salvation” [Christian Theology, p. 940]. As we will see in the following chapters, Erickson’s statement tracks well with historic Protestant teaching on justification in one respect: he is insisting that justification is by grace through faith rather than by works. But as we also will see, Erickson’s account departs from classic Protestant doctrine in some important ways. Notice how he equates justification with salvation simpliciter: “salvation” is simply being “declared righteous.” This equation is resisted by the historic Protestant traditions. And when Erickson denies that good works are a “means of receiving salvation,” he is diametrically opposed to important elements of confessional and scholastic Reformed theology.
Even a more historically grounded Protestant work of theology such as Christian Dogmatics: Reformed Theology for the Church Catholic fails to include any focused attention on the doctrine of good works. More broadly, confessional Reformed theology of recent vintage largely downplays or ignores the doctrine. And when concern for good works and the “obedience of faith” is taken seriously, contemporary Reformed and evangelical theologians sometimes react by charging those who express such concern with rejecting the heritage of the Reformation and even the gospel.
In his foreword to a recent book on the doctrine of justification, John Piper refers to an arresting question raised by the author, Tom Schreiner: “How can a person be right with God?” The answer is both clear and unsurprising: “The stunning Christian answer is: sola fide – faith alone.” But as soon as he gives this answer, Piper goes on to say something that is equally clear but also more surprising and disturbing: “But be sure you hear this carefully and precisely: [Schreiner] says right with God by faith alone, not attain heaven by faith alone.” He explains further, “There are other conditions for attaining heaven, but no others for entering a right relationship to God.” For while we are justified by faith alone, any faith that is alone “is not faith in union with Christ.” To the contrary, faith that is in union with Christ is faith that “is living and active with Christ’s power,” and the “obedience of faith” is not required for entering a right relationship with God but is “required for heaven” [Thomas Schreiner, Foreword to Faith Alone – The Doctrine of Justification, p. 11]. The response from some theologians who are well known as Reformed has been very negative: Piper is said to be not only theologically deficient from a Reformed perspective but also offering a dangerous alternative to the true gospel that rejects the most fundamental insights of the Reformation. Critics charge Piper with not understanding “what the Reformation was really trying to do.” His views are said to be “highly problematic,” and he is judged to have “fundamentally turned his back on the Reformation” as well as to be making claims that are “contradictory to the gospel and contradictory to the Word of God” [R. Scott Clark, “Heidelcast 149,” 1:19:22].Piper holds that good works are not necessary for justification, but he also insists that good works are necessary for final salvation. For this, he is charged with rejecting the true gospel.
Working in God’s Image
So when Christians and non-Christians alike conclude that a life of loving obedience and good works has nothing to do with the essentials of Christianity, it may be that they are only believing what they have been told. But what if what they have been told is not correct? And what if, instead of seeing a special-interest group or political bloc interested in self-defense and self-promotion, they understood Christianity to be good for the world and Christians to be people who are “zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14 ESV)? What if the good news of Christianity really includes good works within it? What if loving God with all one’s heart, mind and strength – and the “works of piety” that flow from that love – really were understood to be integral to the gospel? What if loving one’s neighbor as oneself – and the “works of mercy” that flow from that love – really was seen as essential to the good news that God saves sinners from their sin and for himself?
Hence, this volume. From the very beginning of Scripture, we find that God is a working God and that his image-bearers best represent him as we work meaningfully, doing the things he wants us to do. In the New Testament, the Son of God appears as a rabbi who performs works of both piety and mercy and calls and expects his followers to do the same. A vision of God’s people as a people who do good works – good works of love of God and good works of love of neighbor – is at the very core of a biblical message. It is a vision that was understood by the Reformers and their confessional and scholastic heirs. And it is a vision that is desperately needed today.
In this book, we argue from scripture and the resources of the Protestant confessional traditions for a recovery of a positive doctrine of good works. We begin with a historical survey of the doctrine of good works in the major Protestant traditions. What emerges from this history is a set of conclusions that invite us to revisit the biblical teachings about good works. Following this, we offer a theological summary, and then we turn toward a pastoral, theological application of the doctrine of good works. Throughout, we make a case for a positive Protestant doctrine of good works. It is positive in the sense that good works are actually integral to the good news, and it is Protestant with respect to basic and fundamental theological commitments. The view that emerges is one that is both deeply theological and imminently practical, one that celebrates God’s gracious work on our behalf while also taking seriously the importance of genuine, faithful obedience and love.
Thomas McCall, professor of theology and scholar in residence, Asbury Theological Seminary; Caleb Friedeman, David A. Case Chair of Theology and Ministry and associate professor of New Testament, Ohio Christian University; and Matt Friedeman, adjunct professor, Asbury Theological Seminary
