I feel some fear and trepidation writing this post! I wonder if Martin Luther would pick a fight with me if he read this. And I’m concerned that some hard-core Calvinists will consider this heresy. But I trust that readers believe in the supremacy of scripture, so here goes. The question is, does God love you whether or not you do good works (forgive others, help our brothers and sisters, speak encouragement to our household, help others mature in Christ, etc.)?
It is very popular with some to talk only about how important it is to rest in God’s love and grace for us. It is said that there is nothing more we need to do to be accepted by God. Certainly, these things are true in the sense that salvation is by faith only, not works. But if these ideas are the whole message, or sermon, then are they truly biblical? The problem is how we interpret the word “love”. Normally, when we say we love someone, we love what they do (except our children, whom we love unconditionally.) In other words, we are pleased with them.
Colossians 1:9-10 states:
“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” (ESV)
In this passage Paul says that he prays that the Colossians will have knowledge of God’s will so they will live a “life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way.” This means that believers can live a life that isn’t worthy of the Lord and not pleasing to him. This means that we can be loved and “accepted” by God in terms of salvation but not accepted in terms of our lifestyle because it isn’t worthy of God! Moreover, we can be unpleasing to God; he can actually view a believer as someone who is not pleasing him! This does not fit with the attitude of only telling oneself that one is fully accepted by God even if they are not pursuing good works. Also, consider the parable of the prodigal son. The message was that God loves the prodigal, but he is waiting for the prodigal to repent and return and abide with him.
The next question is how do we live worthy of God and please him? Verse ten says we do this by “bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.” So, it appears that good works are essential to a worthwhile God-pleasing life. If that surprises you, then it might be good to reflect on it for a while. Open your mind and heart and let it sink in. It means that we can be complacent just because God loves us.
Col. 1:9-10 are very serious words, and they are not isolated ones. The New Testament is thick with directives to do good works. In Matt. 5:8 Jesus says “do good”. In Matt. 5:16 he says to let your light shine so that others will see your “good works”. In John 15:16 Jesus says that branches that don’t bear fruit will be removed. Gal. 6:9 says we should not grow weary of “doing good”. Ephesians 2:10 says that we were created for “good works”! Titus 2:14 says that Christ died so that we would be “eager to do what is good.” In II Tim. 2:15 Paul tells Timothy to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved.” Also see II Cor. 5:8-10; Col. 1:29; I Cor. 15:58; I Cor. 9:24.
These passages should not be discouraging. God is just saying that we need to activate the grace he has given us and apply ourselves to good works. This pleases God – and what is better than pleasing God? And remember that nearly all good works are about loving others. God’s heart is for people, and he wants us to join with his heart. This is the model Jesus gave us. We don’t just ask, does God love you, we also ask, am I pleasing God, and am I abiding in Christ’s teachings?
Ambiguity and omission are key weapons of bad teachers. Of course, everyone wants to hear that they are fully accepted and loved by God just as they are. But that is an ambiguous and misleading statement left as it is. Sometimes it is so misleading that we refer to it as “hyper-grace”. This kind of teaching can make a teacher popular and help their ministry grow, but it is not from God and cripples believers from pursuing their calling to good works. The problem is omission; they are omitting the important message that God can be displeased with our lives or some behaviors, which is a serious problem. Does God love you? Yes. Is he pleased with you, and are you honoring him? Maybe not.
The moment we repent of our unworthy and displeasing actions or lifestyle, we are once again pleasing God. He never left us, and he does not separate from us when we sin. But he calls us to follow Jesus and be like Jesus; if we turn away from this, then he is displeased. Only talking about how much God accepts you and loves you is not helpful. An unworthy life is displeasing to God, and we should be remorseful if we have not been actively abiding in Christ and following his teachings. But if we are pursuing good works and knowledge of God, then we are living a worthwhile Christian life. We are going beyond the “Does God love you” question.
God will empower us for good works; it does not take superhuman effort. So we can be encouraged by the fact that if we are doing good works in Christ, then we know that we are living a worthwhile Christian life and pleasing God. If our heart is for God, then we don’t just ask, does God love you, because our desire will be to please him and be with him in spirit. What is more valuable than pleasing God? It is better than pleasing every person on earth and receiving the highest human commendation. It will bring everlasting joy!
