We have established that we are justified by faith alone (Chapter 11) and that we cannot even turn to God without His enabling grace (Chapters 10 & 14). This leads to an inevitable objection, one that Paul faced in Rome and Luther faced in Germany: “If I am saved entirely by what Christ did, does it matter what I do? Can I live however I want?”
In Chapter 16, the Westminster divines answer with a robust doctrine of Good Works. They steer a careful path between two dangerous cliffs: Legalism (believing our works save us) and Antinomianism (believing our works don’t matter). They teach us that while good works are not the root of our salvation, they are the indispensable fruit of it.
The Confession teaches that good works are only those commanded by Scripture; that they are the necessary evidence of true faith and useful for God’s glory and our assurance; that we perform them only by the strength of the Spirit; that they cannot merit eternal life due to our remaining imperfections; yet, because we are accepted in Christ, God graciously accepts and rewards them.
The Regulative Principle of Good Works (WCF 16.1)
First, we must define what a “good work” actually is. While Reformed Christians often speak of the Regulative Principle of Worship (doing only what God commands in worship), section 16.1 establishes a broader Regulative Principle of Good Works that governs all of life. The world often defines goodness by sentiment or “good intentions,” but the Confession defines it strictly by Scripture: “Good works are only such as God hath commanded in His holy Word.”
This Regulative Principle extends to all of life and is primarily defined in the Moral Law. It delineates not just what we must not do, but specifically what we must do. We cannot invent new duties (like monastic vows, man-made rituals, or cultural taboos) and call them holy. Acts devised “out of blind zeal, or upon any pretence of good intention” without biblical warrant are not good works; they are often idolatry. To obey God, we must know what God has actually said.
The Purpose of Obedience (WCF 16.2)
If works don’t save us, why do them? The divines list seven compelling reasons:
- Evidence: They are “fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith” (James 2:18).
- Gratitude: By them believers “manifest their thankfulness.”
- Assurance: They “strengthen their assurance” (1 John 2:3). When we see the Spirit changing us, we know we belong to Him.
- Edification: They “edify their brethren.”
- Witness: They “adorn the profession of the gospel.”
- Defense: They “stop the mouths of the adversaries.”
- Glory: They “glorify God,” who created us in Christ Jesus for this very purpose (Eph. 2:10).
Ultimately, while works are not the cause of salvation, they are the path of salvation. We have our “fruit unto holiness” so that we may have “the end, eternal life” (Rom. 6:22). You cannot reach the destination of heaven while walking the path of hell.
The Source of Power (WCF 16.3)
How do we perform these works? “Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Christ.” We need His “actual influence” to will and to do every good thing.
However, the Confession warns against a “Quietist” error—the idea that we should sit passively and wait for a “special motion of the Spirit” before we obey. Instead, “they ought to be diligent in stirring up the grace of God that is in them.” The Spirit works in us so that we might work out our salvation (Phil. 2:12-13). It is active dependence, not passive inactivity.
Against Merit and Supererogation (WCF 16.4–16.5)
Here the divines destroy the Roman Catholic concept of merit and supererogation (doing more than God requires).
- No Surplus: Even the best Christians “fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do.” If you can’t even pay your own debt, you certainly can’t pay for anyone else’s.
- No Merit: We cannot “merit pardon of sin, or eternal life.” Why?
- Disproportion: There is an infinite distance between our small works and God’s eternal glory.
- Duty: When we obey, we are merely doing what we owe (“unprofitable servants”).
- Imperfection: Our works are “defiled, and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection.” Even our best tears of repentance need to be washed in the blood of the Lamb.
Fatherly Acceptance (WCF 16.6)
If our best works are defiled, why does God want them? This is the comfort of the Gospel. “The persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in Him.”
God does not judge our works with the strictness of a Judge, but with the tenderness of a Father. He looks upon us in His Son and “is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses.” Like a father who cherishes a drawing from his toddler not because it is a masterpiece, but because it is from his child, God delights in our imperfect obedience because we are His children in Christ.
The “Splendid Vices” of the Unregenerate (WCF 16.7)
Finally, what about the good deeds of non-Christians? Can’t an atheist help an old lady across the street?
The Confession admits that such works may be good “for the matter of them” (it’s the right thing to do) and of “good use” to society. However, they are ultimately “sinful, and cannot please God.” Why?
- Wrong Source: They do not proceed from a “heart purified by faith.”
- Wrong Manner: They are not done according to the Word.
- Wrong End: They are not done for the “glory of God,” but for self, pride, or social standing.
As Augustine said, they are “splendid vices.” Yet, the divines add a crucial caveat: “their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing unto God.” It is bad to do a good thing for the wrong reason; it is worse to do a bad thing.
Key Terms
- Sola Scriptura (in Ethics): The principle that the conscience can only be bound by what God has revealed in His Word, not by human tradition or “good intentions.”
- Merit: The claim that a work deserves a reward as a matter of justice. The Confession denies that we can merit anything from God, as we are merely doing our duty, and imperfectly at that.
- Supererogation: The Roman Catholic doctrine that one can perform works beyond what God requires, building up a treasury of merit. The Confession rejects this, teaching that even our best falls short of perfection.
- Acceptance in Christ: The doctrine that because our persons are justified in Christ, our imperfect works are graciously accepted by the Father, rather than being rejected for their flaws.