Doing Good is a Duty 1
Doing good to people a duty? Who commands it? God does. God’s Word says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sum up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, NIV) We know this to be the Golden Rule. Reasonable people believe it to be a good rule to live by. But we have difficulty following it every time. For most of the times our self-interest hinders us. As a result doing well to anyone becomes a difficult task, a burden in fact. I suggest that we heed the advice our Lord Jesus Christ, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."(Matthew 11:29, 30, ESV) In short, we can get the help of our Lord in this task of doing good works and being righteous.2 Indeed the Bible is saying that what God demands of us he provides the means. God wants us to do all things according His word; for “the heart [of man] is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.” (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV)
We would like others to be kind and pleasant to us, do we not? So to others we should talk to them with kind and pleasant words. We easily can do this with other people and even to our pets but not with immediate family. We role-play most of the time. If we are the husband, we show our authority with unkind words to the wife, more so with the children. But the opposite can be true if we take to heart what Jesus said above.
In the image of God we were made, we are told by the Scripture. It tells us also that this was corrupted when Adam and Eve fell into sin and we inherited their fallen nature. David affirms this in the Psalms: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalms 51:5, ESV) Paul is more explicit: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” (Romans 7:18, ESV) This explains why we easily do wrong to anyone. And when we do we blame others but ourselves. In contrast when we do well, we are fast to take credit, which betrays our selfish motives. This is how well the Bible describes us. If it diagnosed us to have a malevolent nature, it also prescribes a cure.
The cure is the newness of life God gives anyone who believes in His Son.3 In this new life we have received in our hearts and believed our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been anointed by the Holy Spirit just like Jesus when He walked the earth. It also means that we are now being molded or recreated back into the image of God. The idea is we are dead to our old self-and are born anew into a new spiritual life. We now have a new heart as well as a new spirit. And God in His mercy continually cleanses us of all our unrighteousness through His word. We are the clay and God is the potter who is molding us to become holy like He is; for He could not have a relationship, much more fellowship with unholy persons.
The Gospel
What I just told above is the promise of the gospel—which is the power of God for man’s salvation. It is the life, suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This corresponds to our own death to sin and resurrection to a new life, being born of the Spirit. In short we are joined with Christ in His death and resurrection through faith. Believing what our Lord Jesus Christ has done is the wherewithal of our complete redemption from our sinfulness. He unchained us from captivity of sin that we might be free to follow Him. In this way we are adopted into God’s family, prepared and ready to be righteous as our Heavenly Father is.
Jesus Christ—the God-man
Only Jesus Christ’s—one that is fully God and fully man—life and death can be accepted by God to atone for humankind’s sins. In Him God’s justice and mercy and love worked together for man’s restoration into God’s graces. In Christ the power of sin and death over man were broken. This is the basis by which man can regain his rightful place in the Kingdom of Heaven—where righteousness reigns. Doing good works for God and man is the hallmark of a righteous man.
Doing Good is our Righteousness
Doing good should be etched in our consciousness as a duty to God. It should be our discipline. Indeed we should get into this kind of mindset. Where before our words to our spouses, children or co-workers or to anybody are abrasive and unkind, now we are able to talk to them kindly and pleasantly. Sharing with our neighbors what we have in abundance should now be second nature to us. Heretofore in public we were only looking out for ourselves, now we look out for our fellowman’s good. Selflessness has trumped selfishness in our hearts.
Godly Training
Godly training must be the foremost activity in all our days. Good habits should be developed to rule personal, social, mental and spiritual lives. And the Bible becomes our training protocol. Consequently prayer comes naturally; gathering with brethrens in Christ to worship becomes as necessary as food. We strive mightily toward Christ as we behold His pure and beautiful character. This godly training becomes an essential regimen because we are looking forward to our duty as co-workers of God in the redemption of humanity. Notwithstanding, we are not oblivious of the fact that we might still fall into sin. But we know that God is gracious and merciful to forgive us as many times as we fall. However falling into sin will be far and between and no longer be deliberate.
Overcoming our Weaknesses
The Scripture promises that our faith will overcome our weaknesses. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith.” (1 John 5:4, ESV) As we put our faith in God we gain His help and acquire His strength as well as the right motivation to do good works that He has prepared before hand. Consequently, our godly training and discipline can never be but beneficial and useful in our lives. More importantly, the purpose and meaning for our lives is fulfilled. Satisfaction, contentment, peace and a highly active godly life are our reward.
Doing God Honors God
Good works honor God; bring him praise and glory. Did you know that this was the primary purpose of God for Israel? He told them “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (Genesis 26:4, 5, NIV) The praises of these other nations as they are blessed by God through Israel was what God after. As they learn to fear and worship God these nations would want to become God’s people and ruled by Him.
God has the same purpose to us today. As God’s blessed children we must do well always. Doing otherwise will dishonor Him and profane His great name and might strengthen further the Devil’s hand in this world.
Israel’s Loss is our Gain
As Israel rejected Christ, they failed God. But they failed themselves more for God does not need anything from man to increase Himself. God rejected Israel at the appointed time as manifested by the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the Babylonians the first time and by the Romans the second time. God’s justice plays its hand every time.
The Scripture tells in Matthew 21:43: “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you (Israel) and given to a people (Gentiles) who will produce its fruit.”
This is a challenge to the Gentiles, who we are—to produce good fruit, i.e., good works.
Driven
We are driven to do well for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters…” This way we are just fulfilling the reason why we were created, that is, that we give God pleasure and delight. And we are keeping God’s covenant of love with His children, who we are.
Union with Christ
In union with Christ we can overcome our selfish nature and do what God demands that we please Him with our good works. We are expected to. As we partake of the divine nature while united with Christ we can really live up to God’s expectations. Two Peter 1:3, 4 affirm it, thus: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
Dependence on God
We should acknowledge our complete dependence on God. Jesus did, so we should be as humble as He is. Not for a moment should we plan and act without Him guiding and leading us. Going out alone in this world full of sin will be unwise. Solomon, the wisest man, says it best, “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3, ESV)
Yahweh Blesses the Righteous
“Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.” (Deuteronomy 4:40, NIV)
Right doing is keeping God’s decrees, laws, and commands. They define the path that God wants us to walk. Remaining in His straight ways will benefit you and your family tremendously. And these are written in the Scriptures, the Word of the Teacher.4 There’s no excuse for anyone not to know and to follow them. Think of the legacy that you will leave all your descendants. They will lead righteous and godly lives because you did so and modeled it. Great benefits await them for God blesses all His children.
Notes:
1 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:7-10, NIV)
2Being yoked with Christ means being joined with Him; implicit is the power and strength God gives into all our daily activities. It can also mean Christ living in us through the Spirit of God, who teaches us all truth about God and us in the context of our salvation. The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God, i.e., the Holy Bible; then it is essential that we read, study and get to understand the good book.
3 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life .(Romans 6:4, ESV)
4 Christ is the Teacher. One text to consider: 20”And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 22 Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”(Isaiah 30:20-22, ESV) The Teacher tells us that idolatry is wrong. It can only lead us to ruin.
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