"Why good works don't cut it with God."

Good works are enough to warrant acceptance from God, right? This cannot be correct if one is seeking to understand salvation from the biblical perspective. Paul’s letter to the Romans clearly does not advance the notion that salvation (from ones enemy or from sin) is an obligation on God directed toward those who maintain “good” works. Specific focus will be directed toward three arguments from the book of Romans that defeat the concept of works righteousness.
The purpose of the law is to prove that mankind is incapable of attaining right relationship with God apart from the work of Christ. The whole story of Jewish history declares man’s inability to procure the favor of God by works. If one attempts to define “good works” in terms of what the God of the Bible desires; then that leads one to the Law of the Old Testament. Romans (Rom. 7:5) tells us that the Law was powerless to bring salvation but simply exposes that sin is real and leads to condemnation and death. The Law (good works) points man in the direction of the cross. When one arrives at the cross however they are left empty-handed before God without one plea to righteousness that is from works. Even Abraham the father of the Nation of Israel and holder of the promises of God took hold of them prior to the good works of the Law. So that even Abraham (Rom. 4) would be justified by faith by obedience and trust in God prior to the Law. So that Abraham is a testimony of the truth that faith must precede any work that is truly “good” in God’s eyes.

The sacrifice of Christ was unnecessary for salvation if works alone can accomplish it. To think the King of heaven would abandon His home and come to earth to walk as His creation only to die needlessly creates a serious violation of biblical truth. Jesus Christ came because from the first sin of man He was to be a type of Adam (Rom. 5:14). So that as in Adam all men were enslaved to sin, so that through the one sacrifice of Christ all who believe would be set free. Were works capable of generating right standing with God this sacrificial gift of Jesus Christ would not only be redundant, but completely foolish. For this reason we ponder deeply the great pain and sacrifice Jesus suffered (which is our only hope for salvation) for our sins so that we may echo Paul as he says in Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depth of riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and unfathomable His ways.” God’s ways are sometimes just far too lofty for our human minds to grasp; and we love Him for it!

Works righteousness focuses on the action of man, rather than the action of God. God receives no glory for mankind doing “good works” apart from Him. God has chosen to arrange the salvation history of mankind to the praise of His glory and no one else. Glory is a very important theme in Romans and Paul is trying to emphasize this point to his audience by referencing it [1]fifteen times. Glory is part of what salvation attempts to restore, mankind has lost his God-given glory and seeking to regain it by works. Paul asserts that this is impossible in Romans 3:23, so that all men are found to be “lacking” in their attempts to procure glory. Not only is man unable to attain glory but it is God alone who will receive glory for the redemption of human souls. If works were capable of bringing about salvation glory then would belong to he who has achieved God’s moral standard, even through human strength. As it stands God alone can declare or impute righteousness, and thus must and will always receive the glory for this mighty and gracious deed.

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[1] Rom. 1:23, 2:7;10, 3:7;23, 4:20, 5:2, 6:4, 8:18;21, 9:4;23, 11:36, 15:7, 16:27