The Westminster Confession of Faith, 16.3

Good Works

Believers get the ability to do good works entirely from the Spirit of God. In addition to the other particular effects of God’s grace already received, believers must be directed by the Holy Spirit in order to will and do what pleases God.

God commands us to do good works, and shows us in His Law precisely what He has in mind. But we cannot do those works in our own strength. We need the help of God’s Spirit, both in teaching us what we should do and in enabling us to do so. It’s not a stretch to say that the primary reason God has sent His Spirit to us is so that we can do good works, defined in terms of keeping His Law. The Spirit of God works within us, making us willing and able to do good works (Phil. 2.13), and empowering us to do them exceeding abundantly beyond anything we’ve ever dared to ask or think (Eph. 3.20). If we only knew what to ask for, and were willing to ask, and dared to believe that God could do such wonderful things in and through us, the Holy Spirit would make us stand out for good works in ways that would silence the enemies of the Gospel and bring great glory to God.

Read Ezekiel 36.26, 27: Why did God send His Spirit to us? What should we expect to result in the lives of those in whom the Spirit of God thus dwells?

Psalm 33.13-17
Tune: Truro – “Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns”

God from His throne looks down on men;
He knows our works and made our hearts.
Let not Your Church, let none depend
On strength or skill or human arts.

From The Ailbe Psalter (Knoxville: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006).

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