Zealous for Goodness

As Baptists, we unabashedly affirm that salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is only attainable through grace alone. Paul stated in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” This verse shapes a core tenant of our religious philosophy – we can never please God through our own works. If you are like me, when you read that verse you say PHEW! and wipe your forehead dramatically. We do not need to do a bunch of tasks throughout our life to receive salvation; rather, salvation is offered as “the gift of God,” free of charge, with no expiration date.

I know a lady who grew up in a system that taught her the exact opposite of that ideology. For several decades, she believed that her salvation was contingent upon her servitude to archaic, legalistic principles. For example, she could never watch TV, listen to the radio, go to college, cut her hair, join the military, wear pants or makeup, or participate in many other activity that would be considered normal today. Let me say this clearly – if your religious philosophy starts with, “You should be doing xyz to stay out of hell,” your philosophy is not Christian. True Christianity is much more joyful and beautiful than that!

One of the most influential Christian thinkers is Gregory of Nyssa (335-394), a Cappadocian Father, who believed that the end goal of Christian glorification is to become one with God. According to Gregory, this can only be accomplished through an act of God’s grace. This Christian philosopher, along with every other respected Christian theologian, echoed our inability to save ourselves from ourselves.

However, as St. Paul made clear in his letter to Titus, there is a connection between good works and salvation. Paul stated,

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. -Titus 2:11-14

There is not enough space in this blog to fully dive into the beauty of these verses; however, what Paul argued here is crucial – our salvation, although free of charge, produces evidence of renewal. That is, our eternal security in the resurrection of Christ will produce goodness. As C.S. Lewis famously stated, “The Christian does not believe that God loves us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”

When we become Christians, we do not automatically become perfect do-gooders. On the contrary, through the long and grueling process of sanctification, we become closer and closer to God. As we draw nearer to Him, we become more like Him. We should be zealots for goodness because God is goodness. Different translations of Scripture employ different wording, but the term “zealous” means “showing great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective” (Oxford Languages). Thus, according to Paul, we should show great energy and enthusiasm for good works because Jesus Christ “gave himself for us.”

My encouragement for you this Labor Day is to be zealous for goodness, not because it is required for salvation, but because you have been saved by grace. What a wonderful and incomprehensible truth to celebrate!

Let me know your thoughts below in the comments. See you next Monday for another blog post!