Is there merit in doing good?

Is there merit in good works?

Frequently people will tell me that there is no merit in good works. The argument is that all works are as dirty rags before God. They forget that it is God who commands us to do good works. But what are good works? Is anything that we do considered good?

Good works are those which are done according to the will of God. The most excellent example of good works are the 10 Commandments. But the 10 Commandments are listed of things which God does not want us to do. God does not want us to commit idolatry. He does not want us to ignore the Sabbath day. He does not want us to disobey our parents. He does not want us to injure our neighbors. He does not want us to lie. He does not want us to steal. And he does not want us to commit adultery. These are things we are to avoid.

But there are specific things which God wants us to do. We are supposed to be religious and worship God continually. We are supposed to be loving and kind to our neighbors. We are supposed to be helpful and considerate of those who need our assistance. We are supposed to be prayerful and industrious.

There is merit in the eyes of God when people avoid evil and do good. It is these people which God will save precisely because they do a good which he wants them to do.

And, those people who avoid doing good are the people which God will not save precisely because they do not do the good which he wants them to do. Notice that they don't have to do evil in order to be condemned. They only need to avoid doing good. They only need to avoid praying to God and worshiping God. They only need to avoid helping their neighbor.

Therefore, there is a great deal of merit in doing good.

Sincerely,

De Maria