Any rewards that we receive in heaven are the outcome of our union with Christ. We die with Him, we live with Him, we share in His joy, and in heaven we will dwell with Him. Our lives are inextricably linked with Christ’s.

Doing good works in this life is rooted in the idea of God’s grace and blessings and is not a means of earning merit or salvation. Westminster Confession of Faith 16.2 states it clearly and succinctly when it says that “good works, done in obedience to God’s commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith.”

A healthy Christian is devoted to doing good works. Paul’s exhortation to Titus is clear. Three times in chapter 3, he makes the same point: “Be ready for every good work” (v. 1); believers should “devote themselves to good works” (v. 8); “Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful” (v. 14). It’s worth noting that Paul, who is the great proponent of salvation by grace alone through faith alone, emphasizes the necessity and blessing of good works that proceed out of grace and gratitude for what God has done for us.

Our best efforts have many shortcomings and are imperfect. Yet because of Jesus our Mediator, God is pleased to “accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections” (WCF 16.6). Our works have no merit, but in accepting us in Christ, our Father accepts all that we are and do. Reformed theologian John Murray writes:

While it makes void the gospel to introduce works in connection with justification, nevertheless works done in faith, from the motive of love to God, in obedience to the revealed will of God and to the end of his glory are intrinsically good and acceptable to God. As such they will be the criterion of reward in the life to come.

What are the encouragements and blessings that come to us as we commit ourselves to a life characterized by acts of love and deeds of mercy?

Good Deeds Evidence True Faith

One of the great blessings of doing good deeds is that we have a greater sense of God’s work and activity in our lives. We know that our faith is real. The only reason that we can live lives of obedience, kindness, and love is that God has first been at work in our lives, changing and transforming us. John says that we know that we have truly come to know God if we keep His commandments. Such obedience means that “we may know that we are in him” (1 John 2:3, 5).

Peter makes the same point when he describes a great chain of Christian graces and virtues and tells us that by being diligent in developing these attributes, we make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). This verse is not about earning salvation but rather about confirming its reality through one’s actions and character.

James wrote in his epistle, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). We are justified by faith alone, but we show the reality and authenticity of our faith by our good works. Good works demonstrate the transformative power of the gospel at work in our lives.

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