God does not judge our works with the strictness of a Judge, but with the tenderness of a Father. He looks upon us in His Son and “is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses.” Like a father who cherishes a drawing from his toddler not because it is a masterpiece, but because it is from his child.

We have established that we are justified by faith alone (Chapter 11) and that we cannot even turn to God without His enabling grace (Chapters 10 & 14). This leads to an inevitable objection, one that Paul faced in Rome and Luther faced in Germany: “If I am saved entirely by what Christ did, does it matter what I do? Can I live however I want?”

In Chapter 16, the Westminster divines answer with a robust doctrine of Good Works. They steer a careful path between two dangerous cliffs: Legalism (believing our works save us) and Antinomianism (believing our works don’t matter). They teach us that while good works are not the root of our salvation, they are the indispensable fruit of it.

The Confession teaches that good works are only those commanded by Scripture; that they are the necessary evidence of true faith and useful for God’s glory and our assurance; that we perform them only by the strength of the Spirit; that they cannot merit eternal life due to our remaining imperfections; yet, because we are accepted in Christ, God graciously accepts and rewards them.

The Regulative Principle of Good Works (WCF 16.1)

First, we must define what a “good work” actually is. While Reformed Christians often speak of the Regulative Principle of Worship (doing only what God commands in worship), section 16.1 establishes a broader Regulative Principle of Good Works that governs all of life. The world often defines goodness by sentiment or “good intentions,” but the Confession defines it strictly by Scripture: “Good works are only such as God hath commanded in His holy Word.”

This Regulative Principle extends to all of life and is primarily defined in the Moral Law. It delineates not just what we must not do, but specifically what we must do. We cannot invent new duties (like monastic vows, man-made rituals, or cultural taboos) and call them holy. Acts devised “out of blind zeal, or upon any pretence of good intention” without biblical warrant are not good works; they are often idolatry. To obey God, we must know what God has actually said.

The Purpose of Obedience (WCF 16.2)

If works don’t save us, why do them? The divines list seven compelling reasons:

1. Evidence: They are “fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith” (James 2:18).
2. Gratitude: By them believers “manifest their thankfulness.”
3. Assurance: They “strengthen their assurance” (1 John 2:3). When we see the Spirit changing us, we know we belong to Him.
4. Edification: They “edify their brethren.”
5. Witness: They “adorn the profession of the gospel.”
6. Defense: They “stop the mouths of the adversaries.”
7. Glory: They “glorify God,” who created us in Christ Jesus for this very purpose (Eph. 2:10).

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