Do Good Deeds Save Us?

There always seems to be a debate about where good deeds fit into Christian salvation. Most agree that to be a follower of Jesus, we must do good deeds: acts of compassion towards the suffering, standing for justice in the world, welcoming the outcast, etc. Where does this fit into the order of salvation, though? Those who speak of “faith only” as the way of salvation sometimes see good deeds as a “work”. This tempts us into thinking we have to earn salvation (although we have to be careful not to make simple profession of faith a work, as well). Others, though, may reduce faith to simply doing good deeds with little change of heart. So where do we turn?

I think this is where our Methodist way of thinking helps us. Salvation always begins with God’s grace, God’s love for each one of us. There is nothing that we can do to earn or merit this. In many respects, our salvation is more about waking up to the truth that we are made and loved by God. He sees us as so much more than our worst deeds. It is not about doing enough good deeds to make God love and forgive us. That is just not how it works.

Our understanding of good deeds has much to do with what we understand salvation to mean. If we see salvation as simply a change in our heavenly judicial status (namely that we get to go to heaven after death), then good deeds are not essential. They are nice but not really critical to salvation. On the other hand, if we understand salvation to be a process where God transforms our hearts to look more like Jesus’ heart, growing in the image of God (a process that begins on earth and carries us into eternity), then good deeds are expressions of a changed life and they are essential. 

Following our Methodist tradition, I see salvation in the second way. Jesus clearly indicated that his followers should do good deeds (see Matthew 7:21-23 or John 14:12-15). It is not for us to earn God’s love, but rather to live out Jesus’ heart, to express the new creation we are becoming. It is participating in the Kingdom of God that Jesus is bringing. We don’t do good deeds to earn God’s love, we do them because God’s love is changing us, and if that is so, they will always be essential … and evidence of God at work within us.

We are the hands and feet of Christ,

Brett