Do Works Matter?

The full truth is that every question can (and is) answered in the Bible that we, as temporary earth-dwellers, need to know. God's not purposefully hiding things from us and laughing in Heaven as if the Bible is just a big scavenger hunt.

God wants us to learn about Him and truly know Him. He wants us to find out what His will is for us and to feel secure in the very foundation of our faith. As Christians, we need to be confident in our salvation!

In the Body of Christ, there's a wondering between grace and works. Most believers easily concur that we are saved by grace through faith just as Ephesians 2:8-9 plainly states. Therefore, our salvation isn't based on works (anything we've done), it's based on our faith, which is our belief that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. Very timely- this blog post is being written right before Easter Sunday!

In Ephesians 2:8-9 it goes on to explain the reasoning for salvation through faith and not works- it is so none of us can boast about anything we've done to receive it. Grace is a gift. That's easy to remember- they both start with "g".

It is our belief in Jesus that gets us into Heaven. So, that issue is very simply taken care of. Now, our works do have a part to play in our lives here on earth and in Heaven.

There are two types of works: temporal and eternal. There are many things we can do here on earth that have no effect whatsoever on our future in Heaven. On the flip side, there are many things we can do here on earth that do affect eternity.

This doesn't mean we are changing anything about God or Heaven itself. This has to do with us and what our eternity in Heaven will be like.

First, we have to know that God is for work. From the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis we see that God is a hard worker, and He loves to do good works. I heard Pastor Robert Morris say, "Good works are good!" which seems like a really simple statement that all of us know, but the issue of doing works and what that means here on earth and Heaven is so debated that it's important we remember that truth.

Psalm 90:17 says, "May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands."

2 John 1:8 says, "Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully."

Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, "Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their labor."

There are so many scriptures about work and God's viewpoint on work being good, but as we mentioned earlier, work can be only earthly or earthly and eternal.

Paul says in Acts 20:24, "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." So, he is teaching us that the works that really matter are the ones that carry over into eternity.

A few examples of eternal work would be teaching your children in the way of the Lord, sharing the gospel with people you meet, making your very life a letter of recommendation for God, doing good things for other people, and many more.

Eternal works do not have to look like standing in a pulpit preaching or going to a foreign country on a missions trip- they can look like that, and those are good works, but it's often the only picture we see when we imagine doing things for God. We can all do good works right where we are with what we have.

Another reason works matter is because we will receive rewards in Heaven. The judgment seat of Christ is not to condemn us for our past sins as described in 2 Corinthians 5:10. God washed all of those sins away when we received Jesus. The Bible says in Hebrews 8:12 that He doesn't even remember our sins- that's just how far gone they really are.

It's important to know that the rewards we receive in Heaven are not like the trophies, medals, certificates, and licenses with letters behind our names that we receive here on earth. Our Heavenly rewards will be more precious to us than anything we could have ever achieved here on earth because it is a reflection of our relationship with God.

The judgment seat of Christ is to reward us for our faithfulness and service to our Master Jesus Christ- all the earthly works that were also eternal. There is no judgment in Heaven where it is decided if you go to Heaven or Hell- we decide that here on earth. The Bible says in Matthew 24:14 that everyone will have an opportunity to believe in Jesus. God is so full of mercy.

The Great White Throne judgment as described in Revelation 20:11-15 is not for believers in Christ. This judgment is also not to determine whether a person goes to Heaven or Hell- as mentioned, we determine that ourselves here on earth. The purpose of this judgment is to judge the unbeliever's sins and be cast into the lake of fire.

Again, it's so crucial that we understand for believers there is no judgment for sin! That's the whole reason Jesus came. He didn't come to condemn the world but to save it (John 3:16-17).

In conclusion, our works do matter. Everything we do here on earth can have an impact on our Heavenly future. This is not something we need to fear, as in being afraid- after all, there is no fear in Heaven. But, it is something that we need to be mindful of and reverent for.

Ultimately, God wants a relationship with you. He doesn't want to only save you and then you live your whole life without getting to know your Savior. His deepest desire is for you to know how much He loves you and to grow in relationship with you.