What ought to be the motivation for doing good works?
Why seek to do good in the world? Why not rather remain safe in the hobbit hole, doing your duties and enjoying the simple pleasures of life? Why risk the pain of love when it's so much safer to remain facebook friends? Why risk a real life drama, when you can satisfy that same heart-longing by watching a drama so easily on Netflix? Why engage the world? Engaging the world is uncomfortable, it's messy, and it's risky. Plus it takes time away from things you'd rather be doing.
But deep down you do want to engage the world. You do want to make a difference for the better. Deep down you know that it's more than your desire, it's God's desire for you. A God who could have easily enjoyed the simple pleasures of his eternal life, without having to pay any attention to the plight of humanity. A God who left the hobbit hole of heaven and chose to engage in the world below.
What does this engagement look like? It is doing good works. Jesus did good works here on earth. He healed the sick, the blind. He raised the dead. He challenged corrupt power structures and gave grace to the humble. Jesus greatest work was his death on the cross. What that work earned for him was a people bought by his blood. What that work earned for us was salvation.
Why shall we do good works? Not to be saved, "for it is by grace you have been saved, not by works so that no one may boast. For we are God's workmanship; created in Christ Jesus to do good works..."
What then ought to be our motivation for doing good works? Duty? Obligation? Certainly not those. "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you not out of compulsion, but willingly..." What should motivate us? Is it a grateful joy? I've often heard that is the proper motivation for doing good works. Surely that is a part of it, but when I think about what motivates me to do good works,'grateful joy' isn't primary.
What is primary for me is the glory of God. I want people to "see good works...and glorify God who is in heaven." I want people to praise and thank God because of the work. I want people to be surprised at what God can do in a person and in a community. I want to be found in the shadow of his wings, and be surprised by his mighty hand at work in our work. I want to work with him as he works through me.
Was Moses motivated by grateful joy? I don't think so. Moses was motivated by his identification with his people, their plight, coupled with the power and command of God. Moses saw his people's plight, and he saw that God was going to work their salvation. The question for Moses was: would he work with Him?
"[Moses] thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward."
Moses could have been quite comfortable for the rest of his life in Egypt. He lived in the palace. But would we be praising God for his work of Hebrew liberation over 5,000 years later? Would we even know the name of his God?
What motivated Jesus was looking ahead to his great reward. It was for the joy set before him that he endured the cross. Moses was looking ahead to his great reward which I AM promised. God is our great reward. He is. That is good news. He is the motivation for good works.
Post script: May 4th 2023. John Piper has written on this here https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/future-grace
But deep down you do want to engage the world. You do want to make a difference for the better. Deep down you know that it's more than your desire, it's God's desire for you. A God who could have easily enjoyed the simple pleasures of his eternal life, without having to pay any attention to the plight of humanity. A God who left the hobbit hole of heaven and chose to engage in the world below.
What does this engagement look like? It is doing good works. Jesus did good works here on earth. He healed the sick, the blind. He raised the dead. He challenged corrupt power structures and gave grace to the humble. Jesus greatest work was his death on the cross. What that work earned for him was a people bought by his blood. What that work earned for us was salvation.
Why shall we do good works? Not to be saved, "for it is by grace you have been saved, not by works so that no one may boast. For we are God's workmanship; created in Christ Jesus to do good works..."
What then ought to be our motivation for doing good works? Duty? Obligation? Certainly not those. "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you not out of compulsion, but willingly..." What should motivate us? Is it a grateful joy? I've often heard that is the proper motivation for doing good works. Surely that is a part of it, but when I think about what motivates me to do good works,'grateful joy' isn't primary.
What is primary for me is the glory of God. I want people to "see good works...and glorify God who is in heaven." I want people to praise and thank God because of the work. I want people to be surprised at what God can do in a person and in a community. I want to be found in the shadow of his wings, and be surprised by his mighty hand at work in our work. I want to work with him as he works through me.
Was Moses motivated by grateful joy? I don't think so. Moses was motivated by his identification with his people, their plight, coupled with the power and command of God. Moses saw his people's plight, and he saw that God was going to work their salvation. The question for Moses was: would he work with Him?
"[Moses] thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward."
Moses could have been quite comfortable for the rest of his life in Egypt. He lived in the palace. But would we be praising God for his work of Hebrew liberation over 5,000 years later? Would we even know the name of his God?
What motivated Jesus was looking ahead to his great reward. It was for the joy set before him that he endured the cross. Moses was looking ahead to his great reward which I AM promised. God is our great reward. He is. That is good news. He is the motivation for good works.
Post script: May 4th 2023. John Piper has written on this here https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/future-grace