Q. 51. If we are justified by faith alone, are good works unnecessary?

Good works are commanded by God and spring from a true and living faith, as good fruit gives evidence of a healthy tree.

By these works, we show ourselves grateful to God, strengthen our assurance before him, and grow in his grace unto final salvation.

Psalm 116:12–14; Isaiah 1:17; 58:6–7; Micah 6:8; Matthew 5:16, 42; 6:3; 7:17–21; 25:34–40; Luke 3:11; 6:35; 12:33–34; John 14:15; 15:5, 8; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12–13; Colossians 1:10; Galatians 5:6, 19–23; 6:9–10; 2 Timothy 2:21; 3:17; Titus 2:14; 3:8, 14; Hebrews 6:11–12; 12:28; 13:16; James 1:22, 27; James 2:14–20, 26; 3:13; 1 Peter 2:12; 2 Peter 1:10; 1 John 2:3; 3:18–19; 3 John 1:11.

  • AOR 12
  • Augsburg Confession 6
  • WCF 16
  • Belgic Confession 24

Works … commanded. Works of piety and works of mercy are commanded by God (see Q. 54). “Our faith in Christ does not free us from works but rather from the foolish view that works result in our justification” (Luther, The Freedom of the Christian 98). “Faith is bound to bring forth good fruits, and … it is necessary to do good works commanded by God, because of God’s will, but not that we should rely on those works to merit justification before God” (Augsburg Confession 6).

Spring. Good works are not merely the result of human effort; they are the natural result of Christ working powerfully within believers by the Holy Spirit. “Although Christ does indeed give direction to actions, he first prepares and renews a man within and thereupon controls also the body, the hands and feet. For works follow faith just as the shadow follows the body” (Luther, Lectures on Isaiah).

Living faith. “Faith must of course be sincere. It must be a faith that performs good works through love. If faith lacks love it is not true faith. … To think, ‘If faith justifies without works, let us work nothing,’ is to despise the grace of God. Idle faith is not justifying faith” (Luther, Commentary on Galatians, 5.6). “It is impossible for this holy faith to be unfruitful in a human being, seeing that we do not speak of an empty faith but of what Scripture calls ‘faith working through love,’ which moves people to do by themselves the works that God has commanded in the Word” (Belgic Confession 24). “Faith … is the alone instrument of justification; yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by love” (WCF 11.2).

Fruit … tree. When a person is characterized by the fruit of the Spirit, it is evidence that they are a living Christian; when a person is characterized by works of the flesh, it is evidence that they are still dead in their sins (Galatians 5:19–23).

Assurance. Good works assure us that our faith is genuine, and that we have been born of God’s Spirit (1 John 2:3, 29; 3:24).

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