Doing good to all peopleLet us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people…. (Galatians 6:9–10) Just a few words from Paul's letter to the church in Galatia but words which, if ignored, could affect our eternal destiny. Faith and worksIn his letter to the church at Rome Paul wrote: God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. (Romans 2:6–7) That God should reward those who persist in doing good with eternal life sounds strange to us who have been brought up on post-Reformation preaching. Doesn't the Bible say that man is saved by grace, through faith, and not by his works? Yes it does (Ephesians 2:8–9). One of the major themes of Paul's letter to the Romans is that of justification by faith, and he is certainly not teaching a salvation by works in Romans 2:6–7. Rather, in stating this biblical truth, he is showing that man is not saved by faith in Christ alone (James 2:24), but by faith plus the works (or deeds) that come from his faith. Those works make his faith complete (James 2:21–22); without them it is incomplete. James states that faith without deeds is useless (James 2:20). It's so useless he compares it to a corpse that has no life in it (James 2:26). It's the things that we do that prove the reality of our faith—both to man and to God. James said that he would show his faith to man by what he did (James 2:18), just as Abraham showed his faith to God by what he did (Hebrews 11:17–19). Paul said that we will reap a harvest at the proper time if we do not grow weary (Greek: enkakeo: to become discouraged, to give up) in doing good (Galatians 6:9). What harvest was he talking about? He was talking about eternal life (Galatians 6:8). Paul taught that even though we are not saved by works (which would make Christ's death unecessary) we are, nevertheless, saved by God to do good works which he has prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:8–10). It's those works that make our faith complete. And that doesn't mean that man contributes to his salvation. We can only do the works that God requires us to do by allowing God to live his life in us, which means that salvation is of God from beginning to end. Nevertheless, salvation has an element of works in it, and that includes us doing good to people. But what has that to do with money, wealth, and possessions? I've included it in this study because doing good to others can mean us helping them financially. The good SamaritanIn the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37), a teacher of the law asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life—surely the most important question any human being can ask. Jesus asked him what he thought the Law said about the matter and, in reply, the man quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' 'You have answered correctly,' said Jesus, 'Do this and you will live.' In quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 the man was stating the principle on which the Law is based, which is love. If we love God with all of our heart, our soul, our strength and our mind, we're not going to allow idols to come between us and God. God is going to be everything to us—which he demands to be. And, if we love our neighbour as ourself, we're not going to murder him, cheat him, lie to him, sleep with his wife or steel his goods. Paul said that love is the fulfilment of the Law (Romans 13:10)—love for God and love for our fellow man. The problem is that no one can obey those commandments to the standard God requires for eternal life—which is perfection. Only one man has ever done that—Jesus Christ—which is why we need to put our faith in his perfect life for our salvation. But, having put our faith in Christ, we should then live the life that God requires us to live. This man, confident he was already doing what the Law said, asked Jesus who his neighbour was, thinking he would say it was his fellow Jew. In reply Jesus said: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho….' Not a Jew; not someone this man knew; but any man. He fell among robbers who robbed him, beat him, stripped him, and left him half-dead. A Jewish priest came down the road but passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite also ignored him. But, when a Samaritan came by he stopped and took pity on him. He bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he gave the innkeeper some money and told him to look after him. 'If it costs more,' he said, 'I'll give it to you when I return.' That man not only did good to the one who was in need (as he had the opportunity) but he also paid for his care until he got better. He gave of his finances to help him. 'Go and do likewise,' said Jesus (Luke 10:37). A Christian might say: 'Well, if I found someone in that situation I would certainly help them, but we have police nowadays, and ambulances, and medical care is free in the UK. You don't see people like that.' But what about other countries? Almost daily we see pictures of people suffering from disasters, disease, famine, injustice or aggression, and the aid agencies are always ready to help them. So, in reality, we can help such people any time we choose. Conclusion'Go and do likewise,' said Jesus. …as we have opportunity let us do good to all people. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Michael Graham Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.homepage | top | previous | next | study menu |
||