Dear Friends,
Nothing seems to confuse people more concerning Christ than the question
of good works. Some people try to make good works a Savior either in
whole or in part (Jesus does His part and I do mine to get me to
heaven)! That is, of course, utter nonsense. Other people go to the
opposite extreme and say I don’t need to concern myself about good works
at all! That, too, is utter nonsense! Confused? Today’s attached
devotional will make things clearer. God bless you.

Because of Calvary,
John Janney

• Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)

  8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

“Hear this gospel, sinner. You have no good works, and you will never have any until you repent of sin, and trust the Lord Jesus Christ. If you try to have any, they will all break down, because the motive at the back of those supposed good works will be this; you will do them in the hope of thereby saving yourself. What is that but sheer selfishness, — dead selfishness, which cannot be acceptable with God? But, sirs, if you will only trust the Lord Jesus Christ, you shall receive the immediate pardon of your sin, and with that pardon will come heartfelt gratitude to him who gives you the pardon; and with that gratitude will come intense hatred of everything that he hates, and fervent love of everything that he loves. And then you will do good works; but from what motive? Why, out of gratitude to him; and not being the result of selfishness, they will really be good works, for they will be done with the view of pleasing God, and not as a means of getting something for yourself.” [Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit LII, (London: Passmore and Alabaster, 1906), p. 151]