Faith, Good Works, and the Danger of Shallow Christian Sentimentalism

Last updated on: August 18, 2021 at 2:29 pm by Jack Lee

Faith, Good Works, and the Danger of Shallow Christian Sentimentalism 2021-08-18T14:29:28-05:00 Jack Lee

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

As a blog, we have never been shy about stressing the importance of having and pursuing good theology. Our beliefs and worldview guide not only our actions, but also our morality. What we believe drives what we do. Every idle word or passive action is an open declaration about how one views God and the world. Moreover, the absence and/or outright denial of a need for theology is in and of itself a bold (if not also occasionally ignorant) theological declaration. Do not be deceived: nothing is neutral. All our words and works are driven by a belief system.

I was reminded of this when recently I saw a misguided post from an openly Christian page on Facebook. The post was of an image of a chalkboard, and written on the chalkboard was the phrase, “Your beliefs don’t make you a better person, your behavior does.” At a glance, this statement may seem innocent and rather innocuous. After all, what’s wrong with encouraging individuals to be better people? The problem is this statement is the literal opposite of what the bible teaches about understanding one’s “goodness.” There is a real danger in shallow sentimentalism.

More concerning to me was that this sentiment was being presented from a “Christian Worldview.” I sense a deep-rooted confusion about the relationship between faith and works here. Sadly, I don’t believe this misconception is isolated to an obscure Facebook post. The relationship of faith, works, and righteousness is one many Christians get skewed. While I am sure whoever wrote out this phrase in chalk did so with good intentions, I can’t help but wonder how many people buy into a modern ideologies that confuse the relationship between belief and works. I would argue the relationship is reversed–our faith is what makes us good (in Christ’s righteousness), and it is this saving faith that drives good works.

With the help of an Instagram culture, such sappy sentiments have become a sacramental hallmark for many Christians. In the absence of deep faith and sound theology comes ideologies and sentiments that give the appearance of piety, while possessing none. Unsurprisingly, wherever there is a falsely rooted sense of piety, pride festers. I’ll spare the reader of this blog, but the comments of those coming in defense of the post were rather hostile. It seems the further some professing Christians (usually progressives) remove themselves from objective, historical, and biblical definitions, the more arrogant they become. At its worst, this is egotistical drivel, and at its best, this is relativism paraded around through virtue signaling. Sentimentalism will save no one. Without Christians willing to stand up and point the world back to objective biblical truth, generations will be lost.

It may seem like I am making a mountain out of a molehill, as the expression goes, but this fundamental order of events has been confused by Christians for thousands of years; this is a real theological problem. Large sections of the New Testament are dedicated to combating the idea that one’s behavior is what saves or makes one “good” in God’s eyes–the only judgment that matters. The truth is that any work (good or bad) not rooted in the saving faith of Jesus is sinful. Paul writes in Romans 14:23, “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” Consider that for a moment. Anything that is not birthed out of faith is fatally flawed by sin. Perhaps Isaiah wrote that, “…all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment,” (64:6) for this reason.

Spiritually dead people (anyone outside of saving faith in Christ) are only capable of doing wretched, sinful things. It is worth adding that we are born in this condition. Romans 3 says that “None are righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no seeks God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (3:10-12). Any behavior not rooted in saving faith in Jesus, no matter how good the world thinks it is, is “storing up wrath…when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:5).

Consider how Westminster of Faith addresses this topic of good works by unregenerate people. It says:

“Works done by unregenerate men, although, for the matter of them, they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others; yet, because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God. And yet, their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing unto God” (Chapter 16, Section 7).

This begs the question: where do good works come from and how do we do them? Again, the Westminster Confession of Faith is very helpful here for a concise answer. First, “good works are only such as God hath commanded in His holy Word” (Chapter 16, Section 1), and that good works “are the fruits and evidence of a true and lively faith.” In other words, our ability to do good works flow from “God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).

I love how Paul expounds this to the church of Ephesus. He says that “even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). He continues, “…by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing; it is a gift from God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (2:8-10).

Notice how God is the originator of all saving faith and all good works. It is God who extends grace. It is God who gifts us saving faith. It is God who works within us to will and act. It is God who makes us His workmanship. And it is God who even prepares good works for us to walk into. It is God who is sovereign over the entire process of faith and works, and it is God alone who is worthy of the glory so that, “no one may boast.”

Simply put, if you are in Christ, you will bear good fruit; this is Christ working within you. A consistent lack of good works in a professing believer’s life, as understood by scripture, should generate fear. For the Apostle James famously writes, “…faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). No good works equates to no saving faith. If the apostle’s warning causes concern in your spirit, cast yourself upon the grace and mercy of Jesus. Jesus stands ready to forgive. There is a storehouse of mercy waiting to be lavished upon you. Fix your belief in Christ, because what we do will always be a result of what we believe and not the other way around.

Christian Living

Faith

works

Previous Post

August 13, 2021

Joshua Harris: A (Not So) New Kind of Snake Oil Salesman

Next Post

October 27, 2021 Why an Entire Generation of Youth Are Finding Evangelical Churches Inadequate

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #ShoutYourAbortion 10 Commandments 2016 Election 2017 2020 Election Abortion Accelerate Books Adultery America Andy Stanley Arminianism Ashley Madison Atonement B&H Academic Baptism Barry Horner Beauty Biblical Elders Billy Graham Blog Book Review Bruce Jenner Caitlyn Jenner Calvin Calvinism Cheating Chick-fil-A Children Christ Christian History Christian Living Christian Podcasts Christianity Christmas Church History Church Leadership Civil Disobedience Constitutional Coronavirus Culture Death Demoninations Discipleship Doctrine Doctrine of God Donald Trump Ecclesiology Entertainment Eschatology Ethics Evangelical Evangelism Evil Evolution Fear Forgive Yourself Forgiveness Francis Chan Future Israel Gay Marriage Gender Genesis George Floyd Gospel Government Gun Control Halloween hamartiology Heavenly Reward Hermeneutics History Hollywood Holy Spirit Homeschool Homosexual Homosexuality Hope Hospitality Humor Husband Infant Baptism Interview Jesus John Piper Josh Duggar Joshua Harris Judgment Justice Kathy Griffin Kim Davis Leadership Logic Love Manhood Marriage Martin Luther Messianic Prophecy Miscarriage Mocking Modesty Money Movie Reviews Music Music Review Netflix New Testament Obergefell Old Testament Parenting Pastor Pastoring Persecution Planned Parenthood Podcast Politics Pop Culture Pornography Prayer Preaching Predestination Pride Prosperity Gospel Rachel Held Evans Racism Ravi Zacharias Redemption Reformation 500 Reformation Day Reformed Theology Relationship Repentance Salvation Same Sex Marriage Satan Satire Scripture Seminary Sex Sin slavery Sola Scriptura Soteriology Sovereignty Spiritual Gifts Spurgeon Star Wars Steven Furtick Suffering Sufficiency of Scripture Sunday School Supreme Court Technology Testimony The Church The Lord of the Rings The Problem of Evil The Shack Theology Theonomy Tithing Transgenderism Tullian Tchividjian Uncategorized Universalism Vanity Fair Video Games Virgin Birth Voting Wife Women Worldview Worship

Select a Month June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 June 2023 April 2023 March 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz