Survey of the Westminster Confession of Faith (Chapter 16)

Survey of the Westminster Confession of Faith

Chapter 16

Of Good Works

(Part  1)

I. Good works are only such as God has commanded in His holy Word, and not such as, without the warrant thereof, are devised by men, out of blind zeal, or upon any pretense of good intention.

This subject naturally follows the previous topic of repentance. Genuine repentance must result in “good works.” The first point made here is that only God can define “good works,” which, therefore, are those acts and patterns judged acceptable by God and made known to us in the Word. Since good works are grounded in redemption and since redemption is wholly the work of God, we are not surprised to find that the Confession disallows the “invention” of good works by men, regardless of the motives.

II. These good works, done in obedience to God’s commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith: and by them believers manifest their thankfulness, strengthen their assurance, edify their brethren, adorn the profession of the Gospel, stop the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God, whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto, that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end, eternal life.

Again, these good works are connected to God’s words (“commandments”). A “good work” is an act of obedience to the Scriptures, a thought/word that is true to the teaching of the Scriptures. This paragraph teaches that our good works are our sanctification. Our good works are viewed in a two-fold manner: as the product of conversion and as the proof of conversion. The implication, therefore, is that good works are a necessary consequence of true conversion.

III. Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Christ. And that they may be enabled thereunto, beside the graces they have already received, there is required an actual influence of the same Holy Spirit, to work in them to will, and to do, of His good pleasure: yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty unless upon a special motion of the Spirit; but they ought to be diligent in stirring up the grace of God that is in them.

This paragraph describes the “Originator” of good works, which is the Holy Spirit. We’ve covered the necessary connection between regeneration, at the hands of the Holy Spirit, and the subsequent evidence of that regeneration, being what is here called “good works.”

The influence of the Holy Spirit described in this section is defined as being in addition to His initial work at the time of the sinner’s regeneration (“beside the graces they have already received…”). This statement emphasizes the Spirit’s ongoing responsibility for the sanctification of the sinner. He does more than “point the sinner in the right direction.”

The Confession warns against complacency, however, in the matter of giving proper expression to our faith. The fact that truly good works are not possible apart from the influence of the Holy Spirit is not to become an excuse for spiritual laziness or inactivity. The converted sinner has the responsibility to seek out the aid of God’s grace in the matter of giving evidence of his conversion.

IV. They who, in their obedience, attain to the greatest height which is possibly in this life, are so far from being able to supererogate, and to do more than God requires, as that they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do.

This paragraph puts the matter of good works among redeemed sinners into perspective. Even if the sinner is diligent in making use of the grace God supplies and establishes an admirable pattern of good works, he still falls far short of God’s standard (the term “supererogate” means to do more than is necessary).

This is all the more reason, therefore, for constant attention to the task of doing good works. Even our best is contemptible in light of God’s perfection.

(To be continued)