Good Works

I did not like The Rule of St. Benedict. It was long and boring, with difficult language. Plus, I didn't agree with most of it. I will admit, I did not intensively read the whole thing; some parts I just skimmed. The one theme that I saw come up many times throughout was the theme of good works. It makes sense, of course, because he is writing to monks, and monks have dedicated their lives to good works. This theme of good works is one of the major differences between Catholics and Protestants.

Although they are both Christianity, Catholicism and Protestantism are inherently different in many ways. Catholics believe that good works are what get you into Heaven. Benedict says on the first page: "If we desire to dwell in the tabernacle of His kingdom, we cannot reach it in any way, unless we run thither by good works" (pg. 2). I also know quite a few Protestants who believe the same thing. They just can't wrap their mind around the fact that someone can live a "good life," doing nothing but help other people over themselves, but still go to Hell because they didn't believe in God. Therein lies the problem.

We can do absolutely nothing to get ourselves into Heaven. The standard for Heaven is perfectness. Nobody can get to heaven unless they lived a perfect life. Jesus is the only one who ever lived a perfect life. Good works don't do anything because "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Everybody has sinned, which means nobody has lived a perfect life, and therefore nobody is going to Heaven. We don't deserve it, no matter how many good things we have done. Good deeds don't cancel out sins. That is why Jesus paid the price of death on the cross. Because of Him, the "nobody is going to Heaven" is now "everyone who believes in Him" (John 3:16).

Another thing Benedict wrote in the prologue is this: "The Lord fulfilling these words [Matthew 7:24-25] waiteth for us from day to day, that we respond to His holy admonitions by our works" (pg. 3). The verse Benedict is writing about is about doing what God told us to do. I partly agree with him in that we should do what God told us to do. However, Benedict seems to believe that it is for that reason that Jesus died for us. That that is how we get to Heaven. That is not the case at all. He saved us because of His mercy (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5). Matthew 7:24-25 is comparing doing God's bidding to a wise man building his house on the rock. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." The verse says nothing about getting to heaven. What it is saying is that if we build our lives on His word, the rock, and do the things that He says to do, our lives will not fall apart.

That leads me into this last thought. I am not condoning good works; in fact, I believe that performing good works is a good thing. It demonstrates the love of God, and helps us live like He did. I'm just saying be careful in believing good works can get you to Heaven. You might miss great opportunities to share the gospel. Just because someone is selfless and only cares about others, dedicating their life to serving, doesn't mean that they don't need the Holy Spirit. Everybody needs to know Him. Not only will they go to Heaven, they will be able to live Godly lives, founded on the rock.