{"id":327,"date":"2013-01-27T13:52:38","date_gmt":"2013-01-27T17:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/?p=327"},"modified":"2019-03-24T07:17:24","modified_gmt":"2019-03-24T11:17:24","slug":"rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/","title":{"rendered":"Rightly Understanding Good Works: Purpose vs. Substance"},"content":{"rendered":"

To say that the value of our good works is their benefit to our neighbor is nothing more than an extension of the doctrine of justification.\u00a0 Our works do not make us righteous before God–Christ has completely taken care of that for us.\u00a0 Having received His imputed righteousness, there’s nothing for us to add.\u00a0 Neither do our works benefit God, who is already perfect and omnipotent.\u00a0 However, God has chosen to provide for the world through worldly means–means that include human beings.\u00a0 For example, God feeds infants, but he does through through mothers.\u00a0 The mother’s work of providing nourishment is therefore of benefit to the child God has given into her care.\u00a0 Accordingly, it is fair to say that the purpose<\/strong> of our good works is to serve our neighbors, as Lutherans consistently teach.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, some Lutherans end up going too far–usually when they are asked for ethical advice on difficult subjects.\u00a0 “Is it a sin to watch R-rated movies?”\u00a0 “Is it a sin wear these kinds of clothes?”\u00a0 When hearing such questions, this kind of Lutheran piously tells them that, as Paul & Isaiah instruct us, everything we do is sinful.\u00a0 “We’re never going to become pure in this life, and living in a fallen world means that we will always be exposed to sin.\u00a0 So when you consider what you should do and how you should behave, don’t worry about whether or not it’s sinful–it will be no matter what you do.\u00a0 The question you should ask yourself is whether and how it is going to help your neighbor.\u00a0 That, after all, is the purpose of your good works.”<\/p>\n

That sounds <\/strong>reasonable.\u00a0 It seems<\/strong> like a logical extension of Biblical teaching.\u00a0 It contains a great deal of truth, and indeed, Scripture does tell us to consider whether a work is helpful to our neighbors (e.g., 1 Cor. 6).\u00a0 And yet, a subtle shift occurs halfway through.\u00a0 “Don’t worry about whether something is sinful.”\u00a0 Here the Lutheran errs, for he has not simply taught that the purpose of our works is to serve our neighbors–he has made service to our neighbors the very substance<\/strong> of our good works.\u00a0 In other words, serving our neighbors is no longer simply what our good works are for<\/strong>–it is the very thing that makes them “good” in the first place.\u00a0 In attempting to piously highlight the doctrine of justification, he not only fails to provide ethical guidance to someone in need, he inadvertently makes man the ethical measure of all things.\u00a0 After all, his neighbor must judge what is harmful and beneficial, but he has instructed his neighbor not<\/strong> to consider what is sinful.<\/p>\n

So if not sin, then what is<\/strong> harmful to our neighbors?\u00a0 What counts as serving them?\u00a0 Well, it’s up to us at that point and whatever ethical philosophy we happen to subscribe to.\u00a0 You might peruse the 10 commandments in a literalistic fashion, but only because they are ethical principles that are nearly universal across cultures–not because they are God’s instructions.\u00a0 Or you might not.\u00a0 If you’re a utilitarian, the far simpler measure of a good work would be whether your neighbor is pleased by it.\u00a0 This opens up literally any activity that happens to please someone else.\u00a0 Theft?\u00a0 Well, Robin Hood shows us how much theft can please people.\u00a0 Murder?\u00a0 We’re already deep in the business of getting unwanted babies and those problematic elderly out of the way–in service to our neighbors, of course.\u00a0 Homosexuality?\u00a0 Well, my gay neighbors seem pretty pleased with it, and if you pick the right studies, even science tells you that it doesn’t harm anyone.\u00a0 At the end of the day, if serving our neighbors is the substance of a good work, then any sin becomes good as long as you have an accomplice.<\/p>\n

Most Lutherans would then back off and say that their advice is only applicable on issues where Scripture is silent (others would not;\u00a0 I’ve encountered, for example, Lutheran homosexual activists who use precisely this argument to advocate same-sex relationships.)\u00a0 But those who do back off might then say that while theft, murder, and adultery are straightforwardly condemned, the Bible doesn’t specifically mention, for example, the appropriateness of watching HBO’s Game of Thrones.\u00a0 So because Scripture is silent on these subjects, we should fall back on considerations of whether we would harm our neighbors by watching it.\u00a0 But Scripture is not silent on such subjects.\u00a0 For Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 that “sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.\u00a0 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.\u00a0 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”\u00a0 Naturally, Luther teaches the same thing.\u00a0 In the Large Catechism, he writes “[The 6th] commandment is also directed against every form of unchastity, no matter what it is called.\u00a0 Not only is the outward act forbidden, but also every kind of cause, provocation, and means, so that your heart, you lips, and your entire body may be chaste and afford no occasion, aid, or encouragement to unchastity” and also, “live chastely in deed, word, and thought<\/em>.”\u00a0 <\/em>So God’s Word is not silent on the subject after all.<\/p>\n

“Well yes,” they say, “but it doesn’t tell us whether a given racy TV show is impure or filthy–or whether simply watching some of its scenes counts as unchastity or provocation to lust.”\u00a0 Quite right.\u00a0 It does not.\u00a0 And as a result, we must not lay down some kind of one-size-fits-all rule for all Christians.\u00a0 That would exceed the authority we have been given in Scripture.\u00a0 We must instead judge for ourselves whether such things are or are not impure or filthy (and nothing but Enlightenment hyper-individualism says that this judgment must be entirely encapsulated within each person’s own mind.)\u00a0 Furthermore, we aren’t merely to judge whether it will harm or help our neighbors.\u00a0 Paul precedes his instruction by telling us to “be imitators of God<\/strong>” and follows it by exhorting us to “try and discern what is pleasing to the Lord<\/strong>.”\u00a0\u00a0 The substance<\/strong> of a good work–what makes it good–therefore remains whether it is God-pleasing.\u00a0 It is something we have to discern and reason out based on His word and the Law written on our hearts.<\/p>\n

This doesn’t exclude personal judgment from the matter.\u00a0 Different people’s thoughts may react in different ways to different stimuli, and so, say,\u00a0 nudity in film is not always a provocation to lust.\u00a0 Likewise, not all nudity is necessarily impure.\u00a0 We have no hard and fast rules for navigating which is which–it requires discernment.\u00a0 And indeed, science adds its 2 cents as well;\u00a0 if we find out, for example, that pornography messes up our brain chemistry and therefore violates the 5th commandment as well as the 6th, then that is one more reason to avoid it.\u00a0 Nevertheless, the seat of our moral judgments remains in God’s Word as indications of what harms our neighbor.\u00a0 That means Lutheran pastors and theologians need to be prepared to offer ethical guidance when they are asked the hard questions–not to dismiss well-intentioned Christians and presume them to be seeking works-righteousness.\u00a0 Sometimes a simple “God’s word doesn’t give specifics, so use your good judgment based on what His Word does <\/em>say” would be adequate for these questions.\u00a0 But reframing it as “all action is sin, so don’t worry about avoiding sin, but don’t go out and sin freely or anything, and don’t hurt your neighbor” does nothing but muddle the issue.\u00a0 Lutherans must recover a Christian understanding of human moral judgment instead of seeing it as a threat to justification and\/or sola scriptura<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To say that the value of our good works is their benefit to our neighbor is nothing more than an extension of the doctrine of justification.\u00a0 Our works do not make us righteous before God–Christ has completely taken care of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,9],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nRightly Understanding Good Works: Purpose vs. Substance - The 96th Thesis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rightly Understanding Good Works: Purpose vs. Substance - The 96th Thesis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"To say that the value of our good works is their benefit to our neighbor is nothing more than an extension of the doctrine of justification.\u00a0 Our works do not make us righteous before God–Christ has completely taken care of … Continue reading →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The 96th Thesis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-01-27T17:52:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-03-24T11:17:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Matt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@matt_e_cochran\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@matt_e_cochran\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Matt\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Matt\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/026b49396f19b6940e8bb4a68d94b5fa\"},\"headline\":\"Rightly Understanding Good Works: Purpose vs. Substance\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-01-27T17:52:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-24T11:17:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/\"},\"wordCount\":1312,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/026b49396f19b6940e8bb4a68d94b5fa\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Ethics\",\"Lutheranism\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/\",\"name\":\"Rightly Understanding Good Works: Purpose vs. Substance - The 96th Thesis\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-01-27T17:52:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-24T11:17:24+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/rightly-understanding-good-works-purpose-vs-substance\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rightly Understanding Good Works: Purpose vs. Substance\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/matthewcochran.net\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"The 96th Thesis\",\"description\":\"The Devil Never Sleeps; 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