WHAT ABOUT WORKS?
As believers in “by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone,” if there is one word that makes us nervous, it’s “works.” But it is also a word that brings wisdom and understanding, assurance and reverence for God. What prompted my thoughts about “works” was Jesus’ response in Jn 10:22-30 to the Jews’ question, “How long are You going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly. I did tell you and you don’t believe, Jesus answered them. The works that I do in My Father’s name testify about Me.” Jesus continued to identify Himself with God the Father and concluded with the statement in verse 30, “I and the Father are one.” At this point, “the Jews picked up rocks to stone Him.”
Jesus then returned to the subject of the works done in His Father’s name and asked them, “I’ve shown you many good works from the Father. Which of these works are you stoning Me for?” Their answer was that they weren’t stoning Him for a good work but because of His statement making Himself God. Jesus confirmed that He said “I am the Son of God,” but continued that they couldn’t separate His works from His words without considering the works of His Father—“If I am not doing My Father’s works, don’t believe Me. But if I am doing them and you don’t believe Me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand that the Father is in Me and I in the Father.”
The argument that Jesus makes is not an insignificant one, especially to the Jews. The entire Old Testament speaks to the works of God as His self-revelation to His people, the demonstration and expression of His nature, character, and purpose. It is the foundation of their trust and belief in God. Dt 10:21, “He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome works your eyes have seen… Therefore, love the Lord your God and always keep His mandate and His statutes, ordinances, and commands.”
The challenge of our response to God’s works is the focus of Psalms 77 and 78. The first response in Ps 77:11-15 is, “I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all You have done and meditate on Your actions. God, Your way is holy. What god is great like God? You are the God who works wonders…” In Ps 78, we encounter a different response. Following their responsibility to “tell a future generation the praises of the Lord, His might, and the wonderful works He has performed… They were to rise and tell their children so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works, but keep His commands, (vv 4, 7).
But “they forgot what He had done, the wonderful works He had shown them, (v 11).” However, God continued to demonstrate His works on their behalf, sending miraculous provision, manna and meat as well as water from the rock. “Despite all this, they kept sinning and did not believe His wonderful works, (v 32).” We see the same pattern in Ps 105:5, “Remember the wonderful works He has done, His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced,” followed by Ps 106:7, 13, but they “did not grasp the significance of Your wonderful works or remember Your many acts of faithful love, instead they rebelled.” God’s response—"Yet He saved them because of His name, to make His power known.” Only to see the pattern continued, “Then they believed His promises and sang His praise. They soon forgot His works and would not wait for His counsel.”
This disconnect is the same that we saw expressed by the people to Jesus in Jn 10. What Jesus was saying when He said “believe the works,” is consider the significance of the works themselves. Had the Jews reflected back on Ps 107, they would have realized that the “works” that Jesus asked them to believe were exactly the works predicted (not only in Ps 107 but Isaiah as well) that would characterize the Messiah or the Servant of the Lord. Ps 107 has four sections that illustrate His goodness and end with the refrain “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His faithful love and His wonderful works for all humanity.”
The first section, verses 8-9, gives the example of His faithful love and wonderful works “for He has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things.” The second, verses 15-16, is setting the prisoners free, “for He has broken down the bronze gates and cut through the iron bars.” The third, verses 19-22, has the Lord saving them from their distress, sending His word and healing them. In the fourth section, verses 29-32, the Lord “stilled the storm to a murmur, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” This picture of the Messiah was exactly what Jesus was pointing to with “believe the works” that He had done.
The chapter closes with verse 43, “Let whoever is wise pay attention to these things and consider the Lord’s acts of faithful love.” Why? The answer is in Eccl 3:14, “God works so that people will be in awe of Him.” A parallel thought is found in Ps 64:9, “Then everyone will fear and will tell about God’s work, for they will understand what He has done.” This is why we need to ponder and meditate—beginning with His works—so that we will gain understanding of who God is as well as the gospel we’re to believe. We begin to grasp the scope in the following passage, Ps 111.
Ps 111:2-4, exclaims that “the Lord’s works are great, studied by all who delight in them. All that He does is splendid and majestic; His righteousness endures forever. He has caused His wonderful works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and compassionate…. (v 7-10) The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His instructions are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever, enacted in truth and in what is right. He has sent redemption to His people. He has ordained His covenant forever. His name is holy and awe-inspiring. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His instructions have good insight. His praise endures forever.”
This study, this pondering and meditation, isn’t to increase our knowledge or information about God but our understanding of God. Wisdom in the Hebrew mindset is transformed character through our encounter with the living God. Our transformation is to be like Father, like son. “Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”
The second time we encounter Jesus challenging someone to “believe because of the works themselves” is when Jesus answers Philip in Jn 14:10-11, “How can you say, Show us the Father? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own. The Father who lives in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.”
Not believing in the works and what they testified to in Jn 10, led the people to want to stone Jesus and seize Him to harm Him. But believing in Jesus due to the testimony of the works in Jn 14, leads to an amazing statement in verse 12, “The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” Jesus expectation for us is to continue His work, building on the ministry of the apostles in Acts, showing His grace and mercy—Col 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Jesus purpose—to serve and to give His life—is now our purpose. “For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:10) One thing that stood out to me in the refrain of Ps 107, “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His faithful love and His wonderful works for all humanity,” is that His faithful love and His wonderful works aren’t just for the believer, but for all humanity. God desires that all come to a knowledge of the truth. And it’s why we are to be salt and a light on the hill—may we be that beacon of hope to all in distress and in need of Jesus, for whatever their situation might be.
Ps 40:2, “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.”
Jesus then returned to the subject of the works done in His Father’s name and asked them, “I’ve shown you many good works from the Father. Which of these works are you stoning Me for?” Their answer was that they weren’t stoning Him for a good work but because of His statement making Himself God. Jesus confirmed that He said “I am the Son of God,” but continued that they couldn’t separate His works from His words without considering the works of His Father—“If I am not doing My Father’s works, don’t believe Me. But if I am doing them and you don’t believe Me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand that the Father is in Me and I in the Father.”
The argument that Jesus makes is not an insignificant one, especially to the Jews. The entire Old Testament speaks to the works of God as His self-revelation to His people, the demonstration and expression of His nature, character, and purpose. It is the foundation of their trust and belief in God. Dt 10:21, “He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome works your eyes have seen… Therefore, love the Lord your God and always keep His mandate and His statutes, ordinances, and commands.”
The challenge of our response to God’s works is the focus of Psalms 77 and 78. The first response in Ps 77:11-15 is, “I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all You have done and meditate on Your actions. God, Your way is holy. What god is great like God? You are the God who works wonders…” In Ps 78, we encounter a different response. Following their responsibility to “tell a future generation the praises of the Lord, His might, and the wonderful works He has performed… They were to rise and tell their children so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works, but keep His commands, (vv 4, 7).
But “they forgot what He had done, the wonderful works He had shown them, (v 11).” However, God continued to demonstrate His works on their behalf, sending miraculous provision, manna and meat as well as water from the rock. “Despite all this, they kept sinning and did not believe His wonderful works, (v 32).” We see the same pattern in Ps 105:5, “Remember the wonderful works He has done, His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced,” followed by Ps 106:7, 13, but they “did not grasp the significance of Your wonderful works or remember Your many acts of faithful love, instead they rebelled.” God’s response—"Yet He saved them because of His name, to make His power known.” Only to see the pattern continued, “Then they believed His promises and sang His praise. They soon forgot His works and would not wait for His counsel.”
This disconnect is the same that we saw expressed by the people to Jesus in Jn 10. What Jesus was saying when He said “believe the works,” is consider the significance of the works themselves. Had the Jews reflected back on Ps 107, they would have realized that the “works” that Jesus asked them to believe were exactly the works predicted (not only in Ps 107 but Isaiah as well) that would characterize the Messiah or the Servant of the Lord. Ps 107 has four sections that illustrate His goodness and end with the refrain “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His faithful love and His wonderful works for all humanity.”
The first section, verses 8-9, gives the example of His faithful love and wonderful works “for He has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things.” The second, verses 15-16, is setting the prisoners free, “for He has broken down the bronze gates and cut through the iron bars.” The third, verses 19-22, has the Lord saving them from their distress, sending His word and healing them. In the fourth section, verses 29-32, the Lord “stilled the storm to a murmur, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” This picture of the Messiah was exactly what Jesus was pointing to with “believe the works” that He had done.
The chapter closes with verse 43, “Let whoever is wise pay attention to these things and consider the Lord’s acts of faithful love.” Why? The answer is in Eccl 3:14, “God works so that people will be in awe of Him.” A parallel thought is found in Ps 64:9, “Then everyone will fear and will tell about God’s work, for they will understand what He has done.” This is why we need to ponder and meditate—beginning with His works—so that we will gain understanding of who God is as well as the gospel we’re to believe. We begin to grasp the scope in the following passage, Ps 111.
Ps 111:2-4, exclaims that “the Lord’s works are great, studied by all who delight in them. All that He does is splendid and majestic; His righteousness endures forever. He has caused His wonderful works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and compassionate…. (v 7-10) The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His instructions are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever, enacted in truth and in what is right. He has sent redemption to His people. He has ordained His covenant forever. His name is holy and awe-inspiring. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His instructions have good insight. His praise endures forever.”
This study, this pondering and meditation, isn’t to increase our knowledge or information about God but our understanding of God. Wisdom in the Hebrew mindset is transformed character through our encounter with the living God. Our transformation is to be like Father, like son. “Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”
The second time we encounter Jesus challenging someone to “believe because of the works themselves” is when Jesus answers Philip in Jn 14:10-11, “How can you say, Show us the Father? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own. The Father who lives in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.”
Not believing in the works and what they testified to in Jn 10, led the people to want to stone Jesus and seize Him to harm Him. But believing in Jesus due to the testimony of the works in Jn 14, leads to an amazing statement in verse 12, “The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” Jesus expectation for us is to continue His work, building on the ministry of the apostles in Acts, showing His grace and mercy—Col 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Jesus purpose—to serve and to give His life—is now our purpose. “For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:10) One thing that stood out to me in the refrain of Ps 107, “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His faithful love and His wonderful works for all humanity,” is that His faithful love and His wonderful works aren’t just for the believer, but for all humanity. God desires that all come to a knowledge of the truth. And it’s why we are to be salt and a light on the hill—may we be that beacon of hope to all in distress and in need of Jesus, for whatever their situation might be.
Ps 40:2, “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.”
by Mark Ott, Elder
Posted in Faith Blogs
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