Question 86: Since we have been delivered
                      from our misery
                     by grace alone through Christ,
                     without any merit of our own,
                     why must we yet do good works?

Answer 86: Because Christ,
                          having redeemed us by his blood,
                          also renews us by his Holy Spirit
                          to be his image,
                          so that with our whole life
                          we may show ourselves thankful to God
                          for his benefits,
                          and he may be praised by us.
                   Further, that we ourselves
                         may be assured of our faith
                         by its fruits,
                         and that by our godly walk of life
                         we may win our neighbours for Christ.

People are saved from their misery. That is the starting point. From here on in the Catechism will speak about their thankfulness for this redemption. We might have counted on a spontaneous transition to this beautiful subject, only to be disappointed. The start of the final chapter on gratitude seems rather inauspicious: why must we yet do good works? That does not sound very enthusiastic. Why is that?

We “Must” Do Good Works — Does This Not Sound Somewhat Suspicious?⤒🔗

There would have been no suspicion or problem if the question had asked: why should we be thankful? The answer to it was already given quite a bit earlier: “it is impossible that those grafted into Christ by true faith should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness.¹ This happens all by itself, just like the growth of fruit on a healthy fruit tree. It simply has to (”must”) produce blossoms and fruit. It simply cannot do otherwise. It is a spontaneous obligation, without any external coercion.

This time the Catechism does not mean such a casual, unrestrained meaning of “must”. The questioner wants to know why we are obligated to do good works.² By all appearances, they are imposed on us. The Catechism therefore objects that Christ has delivered us from our misery “by grace alone, without any merit of our own”. Why then do we as yet have to do good works? We sense in this question the suspicion of someone who is afraid that grace must still be supplemented by our good works.

Is there any reason for this misgiving? Well, somewhat. He who says that we must do good works, suggests that grace alone is not enough. Apparently, it must be supplemented. Grace may score high, but it cannot do it alone. It pulls us out of the swamp, but then we must cooperate with it to stay on the right path. That is our contribution. In this way a line is drawn through the “sola gratia”, by grace alone.

We need to pay close attention here. As soon as a drop of one’s own work is added to an ocean of grace, then grace is no longer grace. That is why the question is so concerned with the idea that we still need to do our part. Hence its suspicion of that compulsive word “must”. At any price it seeks to avoid that there is anything taken away from the teaching of “grace alone”.

Grace means a pardon. And this means unconditional acquittal for sinners. God no longer looks at their sins. Christ’s blood covers them. Of course, no one may simply continue to sin under the cover of this grace.³ The questioner does not want to go that route either. He has nothing against doing good works spontaneously. His suspicion is only based on the fact that good works must be done. If it has to be this way, he wonders whether there will still be enough room left for grace. He is not at ease with it.

The critical question expresses the feelings of those who experience the message of the church as being somewhat ambivalent. They are told that grace is truly free, and yet the demand for good works continues.⁴ How does the one square with the other?

The Solution According to the Followers of Luther←⤒🔗

Agricola was a contemporary of Luther. He admired him strongly, but felt that Luther did not follow the line of “by grace alone” consistently enough. If we are serious about being saved without any merit on our part, we must never again come with a demand to do good works. “Thou shalt”/You must” belongs in the town hall and not on the pulpit. And therefore: to the gallows with Moses (i.e., the law). In short this was what Agricola taught. Luther himself rejected his reasoning with all his heart and emotions.⁵

Similar arguments could also be heard with some later Lutherans. Sometimes they spoke of dangerous good works. That is how afraid they were that such works would take away anything from Christ’s one sacrifice. They did not claim that Christians were allowed to live a worldly life. They only insisted that purely good works are based solely on the spontaneous gratitude of one who has been redeemed by grace. Someone who has once received grace must not be told afterwards that he still has so much more to do. There is no further “must”. Good works are purely voluntary. The words “thou shalt” have no place in the proclamation of grace.

This seems like an attractive view. The argument appears ironclad: we must leave grace for the full measure as grace. The Catechism thinks so too. An important question, however, is what grace actually is.

The Other Side of Grace←⤒🔗

Must we do good works in spite of all the grace we have received? That is what the question is asking. We must do good works thanks to all the grace we have received. That is what the answer points out. Good works are not supplementary to grace, but instead they are eminently good fruits of the grace itself. Grace demands no personal contribution on our part, but it does put us to work. For what is grace really? There are two sides to grace. One is that Christ bought those who belong to him and set them free with his own. They did belong to sin. It had them completely in its power. Christ has redeemed them from this bondage. Therefore, they no longer live in sin, even though they are still sinners. They are his. They belong to him so completely that God acts as if they have nothing more to do with sin. They receive acquittal — day in and day out, all their lives — without any merit on their part. That is what forgiveness is all about.

Christ does not leave it at that. His grace encompasses more. He also wants to remove any inner hankering to sin from their lives. That is why he renews them by his Spirit. He wants them to eventually become so much like him that they exhibit “his image”. This too is what grace means. This second side of grace is no less important than the first. Forgiveness and renewal belong inseparably together. Together they form indivisible grace.⁶

Suppose that someone buys a wreck of a house, destined for demolition. By buying it, he saves the property from destruction. But buying is not enough for him. It is not his intention to leave this ugly ruin standing until the cows come home. He wants to restore the building to its former glory. Therefore, it is thoroughly renovated. The person who saved the property does not do a half-hearted job: the purchase and the renovations together save the property.

In the same way, saving grace has two sides: ransom and renewal. Christ bought us with his blood and so delivered us from destruction. We belong to him. This does not mean that his work is done. He does not want us to continue sinning endlessly at his expense and so remain ugly sinners forever. That is why he renews us by His Spirit.⁷ That too is grace.

So why do we need to do good works? The concerned questioner pretends that these works are meritorious achievements on our part. In this he is mistaken. When he asks why we still must do good works, the Catechism answers very delicately: because Christ renews us through his Spirit. He does not give anyone a half share of grace — forgiveness only — but he also gives the second half: renewal. Forgiveness and renewal together constitute grace. They are not available separately. Those who ask for forgiveness but do not want to be renewed are trying to divide Christ, and that is impossible.⁸ The grace he gives to believers covers their guilt and works in them a beginning of renewal: never the one without the other. That is why it is inescapable that they must do good works. The difference is that from now on they no longer have to do this based on the law, but out of grace. What difference does that make? Paul tells us the answer.

Not in the Grip of the Law But of Grace←⤒🔗

The Catechism recognizes a clear command to do good works in Romans 6:13. It is an appeal from Paul to no longer let sin reign over us but to serve God. The surprising argument for this call is this: “for you are not under the law but under grace”, verse 14. You no longer have the law above you, but grace.

What is the gain of this? Is grace satisfied sooner than the law? Are its demands less severe? Does it give you more room to be yourself? We should not look in that direction. Paul sees in the replacement of the law by grace a new reason to listen to the law. After all, it contains God’s own will. Therefore, nothing is more beneficial to all people than this excellent law. Its weakness is only that it makes no allowance for our inability to keep it. Law is law. It threatens severe punishment if we break the law. In the end, it condemns us. Therefore, Christians can be glad that they are no longer “under law”. Its punishments and threats no longer affect them. Fully relieved, they may sing about this: “There is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death”.

They are now “under grace”. But grace does not set aside the law, as Agricola claimed with his “to the gallows with Moses (=the law)”. Nor does it come up with a modified law. In fact, it literally demands the same thing as the law: to love God and to love the neighbour. And just as much as the law, so grace insists that all transgressions are paid for and that we begin to live a better life. Law and grace demand the same thing, but the similarity ends there. A first big difference is that grace takes into account Christ’s blood. While the law exposes all debt without any pardon and then demands payment, grace covers all of this debt with this blood. The result is remission and acquittal.

There is another difference. Especially for our topic it is of great significance. With grace also belongs the Spirit of Christ. The law demands that we radically improve, but it does not help us to do so. Grace, however, not only demands but through the working of the Holy Spirit it is also active in that it awakens this new life in the believers.⁹ So it not only tells believers to do good works, it also makes sure that they are able to do them. It gives what it demands. That makes its demand perfectly gracious. Therefore, those who have been redeemed by grace must put their lives in God’s service. That is why, according to the Catechism, they must do good works.

Why do they actually have to do these good works? Are they not for the full one hundred percent works of the Spirit of Christ? The Catechism creates no dilemma here. The result of the renewal by his Spirit is “that with our whole life we may show ourselves thankful to God for his benefits” and that he is “praised by us”. The Spirit renews Christians; he does not hypnotize them. They must do good works, show their gratitude to God, and praise him. That is how they experience it. And they must do so because they are under the rule of the grace that renews them as well. This is a first reason for them to do good works. The Catechism mentions two more.

Good Works Give Assurance of Faith←⤒🔗

An apple tree in the middle of winter looks bare. It is difficult at that time to tell how fruitful it is. We are convinced of it only when it is showing off late in the summer with branches full of healthy apples. A tree is known by its fruit. “A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a deceased tree bear good fruit”, as Jesus said.¹⁰ 

So it is with your own faith as well: it is best known by its fruits. You have experienced that faith supported you in a difficult time. You are not perfect, but your faith saved you from thoughtless missteps. You are happy with the gospel. These are some indications. In them Christians may recognize fruits of faith. Their faith apparently “does” it. It is alive and proves its presence. This gives them assurance of their faith.

This simple way of gaining certainty about our own faith has given rise to criticism. The Catechism would be advising us to base our assurance of faith on positive experiences of faith and good works, rather than on the promises of the gospel. This criticism rests on a misunderstanding. The Catechism does not pretend to say that the evidence of faith depends on our own experiences of faith. If it did, our faith would be in a precarious state. It would plunge into an abyss as soon as such experiences were lacking. Fortunately, faith is not a matter of believing in ourselves. The only ground of faith is the promise of the gospel. There should be no misunderstanding about this.

Here, however, the Catechism calls attention to a certain kind of assurance of our faith. For the term “assurance of faith” has multiple aspects.¹¹A person can be sure that the Bible is historically reliable. Likewise, he can be sure that God’s promises are completely reliable. He can even be sure that these promises are intended also for him personally. He believes in the reliability of his baptism. And yet, in the meantime, such a person may be uncertain of his faith. He does not doubt the gospel, but his faith. He notices so little of it. How does he know if it is for real? For this particular doubt, a reference to the reliability of the Bible or to the surety of God’s promises does not help. In this case it does not hinge on that. Someone may not doubt the Bible, but yet — for whatever reason — be unsure about the genuineness of his own faith.

In his time already, Calvin called attention to this angle of the assurance of faith. Like no other he insisted that faith does not find its solid basis in our good works, but exclusively in God’s undeserved mercy. However, it gets even more certainty when it gives consideration to the good works, specifically “inasmuch as they are proofs of God dwelling and reigning in us”. In this sense, there is “the gift of good works which shows that we have received the Spirit of adoption”.¹²

The Catechism corresponds with this. Faith itself rests solely on the firmness of God’s promises. It remains that way. In addition, believers like to know whether that faith is present in them. The best way to gauge it is by the fruit of faith. It is not as if they flaunt these works. The harvest is too meagre for that. Often it does not represent the image of a heavily laden apple tree. On the other hand, such fruits do prove that their faith is active and is therefore a reality. Someone who is hardly or not at all guided by his or her faith can hardly be sure of their faith. They may not notice any fruits of faith in them. As a result, he hardly notices if his faith is active. We must do good works also in order to avoid this.

And then there is yet a third reason...

Good Works and Our Neighbours←⤒🔗

We interact with our fellow man in many ways: in business, as colleagues, neighbours or travel companions. It should move us that so many of them are facing their downfall. Where will all these millions be in one hundred years? For the greater part they are out of reach through evangelism. They do not set foot in the church or read any part of the Bible. We feel powerless. Are we therefore rid of them?

The Catechism calls them “our neighbours”. God places them next to us and causes us to encounter each other. It is only through us that they can still catch a glimpse of Christ. We must radiate this glimpse through “our godly walk of life”. This includes all of our interactions. There are situations where words might backfire. In such cases our attitude, rather than our words, can speak volumes.¹³In any case, we need to “shine as lights in the world” and “let our light shine before others”.¹⁴
Our aim should be to make them jealous and thus win them over for Christ.

Question 87: Can those be saved
                      who do not turn to God
                      from their ungrateful and impenitent
                      walk of life?

Answer 87: By no means.
                   Scripture says that no unchaste person,
                                          idolater, adulterer,
                                          thief, greedy person,
                                          drunkard, slanderer,
                                          robber, or the like
                                          shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Who cannot be saved “by any means”? Pagans? Serious criminals? We should not think of them in the first place. Instead, mention is made of those who lead an ungrateful and ungodly life. Ungrateful are those to whom God has promised salvation from their misery. They were baptized; they heard the gospel and possibly celebrated the Lord’s Supper. Unfortunately, their lives did not become any different on account of these things. That is called “ungrateful”. They cannot be saved.

How thankful are we? This is primarily about church people.

No Salvation Without Thankfulness←⤒🔗

The Catechism mentions a motley list of sinners for whom there is no salvation if they continue in their ways. It refers to Paul who says virtually the same of this negative group: “they will not inherit the kingdom of God.”¹⁵ It sounds alarming, but these are a bunch of disreputable characters: crooks and the like. Church people therefore hardly feel addressed by Paul. This is incorrect, because he does not say this of ungodly Gentiles but of ungrateful members of the church. He sounds the alarm in an ungodly Corinth, but does so within the congregation in that place. What was going on?

They were a church of Christ. Paul completely agrees and thanks God for it.¹⁶ Yet in their manner of interaction with one another they showed the same mentality as the pagans. This was evident, for instance, in the way they fought their conflicts. Paul does not go so far as putting these Christians on par with the sinners he mentioned.¹⁷ The thrust of his warning is this: those who do want to get rid of their sin, and yet otherwise continue in the same old way, actually show that they still belong to the world. The Catechism characterizes this as continuing in an ungrateful life. Those who live this way prove that they have not been renewed and that they do not want to change.

Those, on the other hand, who move on to a thankful life, give evidence that their renewal has started. No one less than Christ himself makes them thankful through the working of his Spirit. That is an integral part of his work of redemption. That is why thankfulness is not merely the reaction of people to their salvation, but a part of the realization of their salvation. Those who show gratitude, experience their redemption.

Those who let the Catechism stop at Lord’s Day 31 and consider the rest as non-committal, thereby block the progress of their salvation. Thankfulness is both a heartfelt and spontaneous response to the perfect redemption and the necessary consequence of that same redemption.

So in fact this third and last part of the Catechism about thankfulness is the sequel and continuation of the earlier part about our deliverance.