Made to last (8)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3.16, 17

Earlier in this series I made the point that things which are grounded in the Word of God are more likely to last than those which are not, for the Word of the Lord stands forever (Is. 40.8). If we want our words and deeds to make a lasting impact on others, we do well to bring them into line with whatever the Scriptures teach.

Here we note that the Scriptures are specifically designed to bring forth good works in us. Indeed, all who believe in Jesus Christ have been redeemed by grace through faith for the specific end of doing good (Eph. 2.10). We may go so far as to say that any profession of faith not supported by good works is probably little more than wishful thinking: “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (Jms. 2.17). Good works, being the end for which Scripture has been given, are those works which last, which have lasting impact on others and are remembered by the Lord, Who delights in things beautiful and good (Mk. 14.6-9).

But how may we be sure that our words and deeds are good? To what standards can we appeal to guide us in ruling our tongues and directing our steps so that only what is truly good issues from our lives?

Three standards above all others are within our reach: The Law and Word of God, the works of God in creation and providence, and the Son of God incarnate and exalted in glory. As I have previously written about the Word of God and the divine order as being the soil from which lasting fruit springs, I will but briefly review and enlarge on these in what follows, before turning to focus on the goodness to be discovered in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Law and Word of God

We have already explained the importance of being grounded in the unfailing and unfading Word of God if we would bring forth lasting words and deeds. Here I want to say more emphatically that in our reading, meditating in, and study of God’s Word we must not neglect His Law, which is holy and righteous and good (Rom. 7.12).

This cannot be over-emphasized. Believers today are largely ignorant of the Law of God, and, while they may protest the omission of the Ten Commandments from schools and courts, they have little understanding of how these or any of the rest of God’s Law should apply to contemporary life.

Indeed, many believers express a kind of hostility to the Law of God, considering themselves to be wise in omitting to study and learn it, since they are “not under Law, but grace.” Such a position is consistently represented in the Scriptures as the attitude of a fool.

The Law of God – the Ten Commandments and the statutes, rules, and precepts that point to its application to everyday life – provides the spiritual, moral, and cultural foundation for all the rest of Scripture. Even in the New Testament the Lord Jesus and the Apostles drew on the Law to teach us the way of goodness and truth (cf. Lk. 19.1-10; 1 Cor. 9.8-14; Jms. 5.1-4; 1 Jn. 2.1-6). We cannot understand the rest of Scripture apart from the Law of God, and we cannot hope to bring forth the good works for which Scripture is given without understanding and delighting in this portion of God’s Word.

Like the chaff that is blown by the wind, the works and words of those who are not skilled in the Law of God will only blow away and be forgotten (Ps. 1.4-6). The Lord keeps watch over the way of those who delight in His Law, and He enables them to bring forth fruit in its season to benefit others and glorify His name (Ps. 1.1-3). Let us not fail, in our daily reading and study of God’s Word, as well as in the preaching and teaching of the church, to give proper place and priority to the Law of God, lest we fail to realize the goodness and greatness of the eternal Kingdom of God (Matt. 5.17-19).

The Works of God

We have also seen that understanding the divine order in creation can help us in discerning whatever is of lasting goodness, beauty, and truth. God created the world “good”, as we see repeatedly in Genesis 1. The goodness of the world – its variety, profusion, harmony, patterns, and countless wonders – reflects the good character, purposes, and will of God. What God saw in the world that He made was precisely this reflection – all of creation, parts and the whole, manifesting the eternal goodness and glory of God.

The goodness of creation endures to this day, as anyone can testify who appreciates the beauty and wonder of the world around us. However, sin has introduced corruption not only to the souls of men but to the whole creation. The creation groans and travails under the burden of sin, since it is subject to misuse and thereby hindered in fulfilling its own mission of bringing glory to God in good and lasting ways (Rom. 8.20-22).

Yet the creation can be “set free from its bondage to decay” as it comes within the purview and reach of the children of God (Rom. 8.21). Believers should delight in the works of God, as He does (Ps. 111.2; Jn. 3.16), so that they may learn from the creation whatever is good and beautiful and true. Thus they may bring to light whatever of lasting goodness God has concealed there (Prov. 25.2), both by remarking the glory of God which is everywhere in evidence but remains to be made known (Ps. 19.1-4; Hab. 2.14), and by reflecting in their own works and words whatever of goodness they may learn from the divine order.

At the same time, we do lasting works of goodness when we bring our sense of goodness to bear on the task of redeeming the creation from corruption and decay. Whenever we develop our personal property by planting gardens and trees, or by caring for our lawns and fields and groves; as we learn the names of created things and how to appreciate the unique beauty and goodness of each one; or whenever we show consideration for larger environmental concerns, we are doing works that can restore the pristine goodness of the creation and leave a lasting witness for generations to come. Works of goodness learned from the divine order can be returned to the creation in ways that will benefit others for many years.

The Son of God

We may also discern whatever is good by contemplating our Lord Jesus Christ, both in His incarnation and His exaltation.

Believers are doubtless quite familiar with the good works that Jesus performed, and the good words He spoke, during the time of His incarnation. The gospel accounts provide a fourfold portrait of the Lord which, taken together, can help us in discerning the kinds of works and words we should do, in imitation of Jesus, so as to bring the blessings of His grace to others.

We are less familiar, however, with the portrait of Jesus exalted which is presented to us in the Scriptures. Yet the Apostle Paul instructs believers to set their minds on Jesus exalted (Col. 3.1-3), to realize that they have been seated with Him in the heavenly places (Eph. 2.6), and to discover and draw strength from the glory of God which is to be observed and experienced in the face of our risen and exalted Lord and Savior (2 Cor. 4.6).

If we have not made the contemplation of Jesus exalted a part of our repertoire of spiritual disciplines, then we are depriving ourselves of one of our richest resources for learning to speak words and do works which are of lasting good.

I cannot unpack the Biblical vision of Christ exalted in detail here. Suffice it to say that such passages of Scripture as Psalms 2, 45, 47, 93, and 110, Daniel 7, Zechariah 3, Revelation 1 and 14, and others provide stunning glimpses of the glory of Jesus in His exalted state. Such passages teach us how to contemplate our Lord in His glory and to engage Him in that glory so that the Spirit can transform us in ways that actually refract the glory of the Lord in our words and deeds (2 Cor. 3.12-18).

Meditating on the exalted glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, together with the study of His Law and divine order of creation, can help to equip us for those works of lasting goodness that bring the grace of God to others. If we want our words and deeds to have a lasting impact, let us seek to make them good, the kind of works and words which reflect the character, purposes, and will of God as revealed in His Word, order, and Son.

For reflection: What opportunities for doing good – whether by word or deed – will you be confronted with today? How are you preparing for those opportunities? Are you making good use of the three resources for learning about good works mentioned in this column?

For action: Keep track of all your doings for a few days – all your work, engagements, conversations. Write them down on a 3x5 card, making notes summarizing the content of each activity. How would you evaluate your words and deeds over this period with respect to the criterion of “goodness”? Does it seem that your words and deeds are on a trajectory to contribute lasting good? Why or why not?