Suppose that you were to die today and stand before God and he were to say to you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” what would you say?
This famous question by the organisation Evangelism Explosion leads us to think carefully about how it is that we gain acceptance by God.
If your answer to this question is one that points to your own successes in life, then you’ve got a big problem.
After all, the only way that a person can be accepted by God is by trusting in Jesus and his righteousness, not looking to our own performance in doing good works.
Yet, when a person experiences the certainty for eternity that comes through trusting Christ alone, then this should naturally lead us to be overflowing in doing good.
But our motivation for doing good works will not only be thankfulness to God.
In 1 Peter chapter 2, we read that Christians should want to do good works so that the world would give glory to God. We are told to:
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:12)
This is a great motivator to be active in doing good works… but for the sake of others, not for ourselves.