Without Thought of Merit
Via “What is Christianity?”
Arent de Gelder, "David Plays for Saul" (1682)
The Christian Church moreover must lead men back to the service of God and make them abound in good works. To use a more modern expression, it must foster “Christian morality.” That too, is a purpose of the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. This St. Paul asserts in Titus 2, 14, where he writes, “Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” We grant that our good works are not sufficient to earn salvation; that has already been accomplished by Christ’s perfect work. But this does not mean that the good works of Christians should be underestimated. As a matter of fact they are immeasurably valuable, more precious indeed than the whole world. On the Day of Judgment the world and all that is in it will be consumed by fire, but the good works of believers will never be destroyed, but will follow them into eternity; there God will graciously give to all believers a glorious reward for them. Good works therefore are an abiding treasure, which Christians should by all means accumulate during their earthly sojourn; and it is indeed the sacred duty of every Christian pastor to exhort all the members of his church to be fruitful in good works. But how can good works be produced? Only through faith in the Gospel, only when salvation through faith in Christ Crucified, and not through man’s own deeds, is stressed. Whoever teaches that Christianity is essentially morality or a moral principle not only is unable to save souls, but is also incapable of bringing about good works. No one has ever done a single good work until he came to the saving knowledge that he has a gracious God through faith in Christ, without any merit of his own. Why is this? If a work is to be good, it must be done unto God; in other words, it must be motivated by genuine love of God. But since the Fall the heart of man can love God only when it knows, believes, and understands the fact that God has had mercy on him for Christ’s sake, that through Christ He has saved him for eternal perdition and given him everlasting life. Accordingly, when St. Paul exhorts the believers to “Christian morality,” he writes: “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,” Rom. 12, 1. To exhort “by the mercies of God” means to remind Christians of the fact that “God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,” Rom. 8, 32. The performing of good works is an art which is restricted to a certain class of men, a task to which only those are equal who believe in Christ as their Redeemer. Luther writes: “Christ must first of all be ours and we His before we attempt to do [good] works.” (St. L. Ed. XI, 128). And in another place: “You must first have heaven and salvation,” namely, through faith in Christ, “before you do good works. Works do not merit heaven; just the opposite is true: heaven, granted us out of pure grace, performs good works freely and without thought of merit.” (St. L. Ed. XII, 136).
