1. When a man has been justified, how does his faith make its presence known?

 "As He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation!" - 1 Saint Peter 1, 15.

 "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulril the lusts thereof." - Romans 13, 13-14.

 The believer is spiritually transformed, so that faith makes its presence felt by a holy walk of life.

2. How does man receive power to lead a holy walk of life?

 "The very God of peace, sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it." - 1 Thessalonians 5, 23-24.

 "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2, 10.

 As God by His power creates faith in man, and as he also works in the believer the fruit of faith, namely, a holy walk of life, not only the conversion but also his sanctification depends entirely upon God's grace.

3. What blessing does the believer experience in endeavoring to lead a holy walk of life?

 "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary, the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." - Galatians 5, 17.

 "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do." - Romans 7, 18-19.

 When a believer serves God according to the new nature implanted in him by conversion, there yet remains in him also the old corrupt nature which continues the struggle against the spirit.  The believer must constantly put off the old man, and at the same time put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

4. By what means does God give man the power to lead a holy walk of life?

 "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy Word." - Psalm 119, 9.

 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." - Psalm 199, 105.

 The means by which man's sinful nature is subdued and his new nature is strengthened, is the Word of God and particularly the Gospel, rather than the law.  The Bible itself as God's Word of grace is able to build us up.  God uses it as the means whereby He imparts to His believers the power to lead a holy walk of life.

5. If salvation is by grace alone and good works do not help in our salvation, are they at all necessary?

 Good works are not necessary for salvation, which is ascribed entirely to divine grace in Christ.  However, good works are indeed necessary.  God works must be done, because God demands them in such passages as 1 Thessalonians 4, 3; 1 Saint John 3, 23.

6. Is anyone able to lead a perfectly holy walk of life?

 "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." - Philippians 3, 12 and 13.

 Our sanctification is never complete or perfect in this life because every man still has his old sinful nature.  His whole life must be a constant effort to struggle against sin and accomplish that which is good in the sight of God.

 There is indeed a great difference among Christians, because one is weak and the other strong in the Spirit, but in every believer there is a constant warfare between the new man and his sinful flesh.  This Biblical statement holds for every human being, 1 Saint John 1, 8-10.

7. What are good works?

 According to Holy Scripture, good works, the fruit of justifying faith, occur in every thought, desire, word and deed which the believer does through faith in Christ Jesus.

 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and goave Himself for me." - Galatians 2, 20.

 This means that the standard of good works is not the will of men, nor conscience, nor the Church, but only the will of God as revealed to us in clear passages of the Old and New Testament.

8. How is it that non-Christians often perform fine and charitable deeds?

 "When the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another." - Romans 2, 14-15.

 If is true that the unregenerate carry out many works of charity, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and helping the oppressed.  The difference is one of kind, not of degree.  External good works are done according to God's norm and accomplish much temporal good and are rewarded by temporal blessings.  However, they are not spiritually good works, because they do not spring from faith and a regenerate heart and the new life in Christ.

9. How can man overcome the continual influence of his evil nature?

 "As ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all kiligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also." - 2 Corinthians 8, 7.

 "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." - 2 Corinthians 9, 8.

 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." - Romans 12, 1.

 By bending every effort to abound in good works, the life of the believer should be dedicated entirely to the holy service of God in Christ Jesus.

 For this reason Christ's ministers must constantly urge the performance of good works, ever mindful of the fact that Christ Himself admonished His hearers to be faithful in all good works.

10. What is the reward of good works?

 "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven!" - Saint Matthew 5, 12.

 "Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven!" - Saint Luke 6, 23.

 While the sinner is not justified by good works, nevertheless, Scripture in many places emphatically assures the believer that his good works will be liberally rewarded.  This double grace of God should serve the additional purpose of encouraging the believer to be earnest and zealous in the performance of good works.

11. What is the great value of good works?

 "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2, 10.

 Although good works have no value at all as far as the salvation of the sinner is concerned, yet they have great value for other reasons:

 According to God's Word they are precious in His sight, they oare the fruits of the state of grace into which the believer has been brought through faith in Christ.  They bring about the glorification of God, Matthew 5, 16.  They will be richly rewarded.  Their performance is an important purpose and objective of the Christian's life on earth.

Test Paper - Lesson 15

1. The presence of saving faith makes itself known through...........................................................

2. How does man receive the power to lead a holy walk of life? ....................................................
......................................................................................................................................................

3. By what means does God give man the power to lead a holy walk of life? .................................
......................................................................................................................................................

4. Check which of the following statement(s) is true.
 a. Only the believer can lead a completely holy walk of life.
 b. No one can lead a completely holy walk of life.
 c. Only the elect can lead a completely holy walk of life.

5. In your own words describe what good works are ....................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................

6. Complete the following Bible passage: "The life which I nwo live in the flesh.............................
....................................................,.....................................................,........................................."
- Galatians 2, 20.

7. What would you answer to the statement that non-Christian perform many splendid works of charity? .........................................................................................................................................

8. Name two weapons which our heavenly Father has given us to overcome our evil, sinful nature.
a. ..................................................................................................................................................
b. ..................................................................................................................................................

9. Is this statement true or false: Although good works do not merit salvation, they do have a reward. ...............................................................................................................

10. If good works do not merit our salvation, what is their value? .................................................
......................................................................................................................................................

Make every effort to fill in the answers from memory.  If you are not sure of certain answers, you may look them up in the lesson.  Your paper will be graded according to the following standard: 10 correct: perfect; 9 correct: excellent; 8 correct: very good; 7 correct: good.