Daily Luther: Faith First, then Works
True faith is a very powerful, mighty, active thing. Nothing is impossible for it; it does not rest or take a vacation. For that reason St. Stephen’s faith was even more active, doing not only plain, ordinary works, but also wonders and signs publicly among the people. Moreover, Luke calls them “great wonders and great signs” [Acts 6:8]. That is written as a sign that whoever is not active [in faith] is also not a believer, and need not brag about his faith. It is not for nothing that he puts faith first and then the deed, in order to testify that the deed is evidence of the faith. No good can happen without faith. Faith must be first in all deeds. May God help us in this. Amen.
From Luther’s Sermon for St. Stephen in a new edition of his Church Postils, unpublished, but forthcoming from Concordia Publishing House.
Is it true that some Lutherans would disdain any “good work” as nothing other than an effort at “works righteousness”? If so, where does that thinking come from?
We know that “None is righteous; no, not one;” and that “…no one does good, not even one.” (Rom 3:10-12) That describes the Old Adam in each of us. And yet, we are admonished to “…do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Gal 6:10)
Somewhere in St. Paul’s epistles are words to the effect of “what good I do I do not do, but Christ who dwells within me.” So, good works flow from faith in Christ. As Luther tells us, they are evidence of it. Good works are not a means to an end. They are made possible by God’s grace through faith in Christ, and are done in grateful response to Christ’s work of man’s redemption. So, isn’t this what sanctificaion, in part, is all about? And, are not good works the fruits of that sanctification?
Are those Lutherans who are suspicious of good works the same ones who are not “big” on sanctification?
(Not intended as answers here; just questions.)