How many good works

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ajac

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One question I have heard Protestants ask is the following: “How many good works do I need to get to heaven?” Frankly, it’s a good question and I’m not sure how to answer it. What is most logical answer to this?
 
Heavenly life has already been purchased by the blood of Christ. We cannot earn our way in by any number of good works.
 
The reason they say faith without works is dead is because that faith causes a person to do works. There is no number to fill. If you don’t feel like doing works, then you have no “faith”, and the point is moot.
 
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I used to worry about that myself. Then one day I came to this realization. No one can do enough good works to get into Heaven. We just have to trust God to keep us persevering to the end. He knows our hearts and will help us do the work He has given us to do. Our mission on this earth isn’t finished until He says so.
 
The more the better because that means you are accepting God’s Grace.
 
“ajac said:
One question I have heard Protestants ask is the following: “How many good works do I need to get to heaven?” Frankly, it’s a good question and I’m not sure how to answer it.
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A lifetime’s worth.

Romans 2:6 who will repay everyone according to his works:[a] 7 eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works,
What is most logical answer to this?
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Well, if you want to get into detail, you’ll have to go into Catholic and Protestant paradigms.

As a rule, Catholics are dumbfounded when asked this question. The reason being that we are taught not to judge ourselves. We leave judgment to God. But Protestants are taught the exact opposite.

Faith alone people suffer with two false assumptions.
  1. That they have the right to declare themselves saved.
  2. That they have the ability to measure their faith.
Thus, they assume that everybody lives with those assumptions. But we, Catholics, don’t. The proof is vey easy to discover. Ask a Catholic, any Catholic, whether he is saved. His answer will invariably be, “I don’t know.” Why? Because that is the sin of presumption. For us, God is our Judge.

1 Corinthians 4:4 I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. 5 Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.

The reason that faith alone people ask this question is because they are used to judging themselves saved. Even though this is an unbiblical attitude. But, the question can easily be turned around on them. I ask them in turn, “How much faith do you need in order to be saved and how do you measure it? Can you read anyone’s heart? Can you even read your own?”

Here’s what Scripture says on that question:

Jeremiah 17: More torturous than anything is the human heart, beyond remedy; Who can understand it? 10 I, the LORD, explore the mind; and test the heart, Giving to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their deeds

In other words, if they claim to know how much faith they have, they are claiming to be God. Because Scripture says that only God can judge the heart.
 
One more thing.

God doesn’t save those who refuse to do good works. Look at the parable of the Sheep and the Goats. (Matt 25:31-46)

God saved the Sheep because of their good works on behalf of their fellow man.

God condemned the Goats because of their refusal to do good works on behalf of their fellow man.

We’re not saved by works. But unless you do good works, we’re not saved by God.
 
Does not matter in the least how many good works one does. if one remember’s Jesus’s parable where a man goes out in the morning and hires some people and later some more and again later on more people and near the end of the day some more people and then pays them all the same wage. I like to think of it as one having the faith that one is going to be paid the at the end of the day, not for how much work one did but that one did some work whatever it was and was then paid the same as those who started early in the day.
No one is going to get into heaven just because they did good works but the love behind doing it and having the faith to believe God is doing His work through them. One can have all the faith there is but of one does nothing with it its about as good as some doing all the good works there is, neither is going to count for any thing to bring one into heaven. It is Christ who judges one about what one has done or did and not done with what was given to one. Its how the good works are done that is is it done out of love of God and one’s fellow man or is it done because one thinks there is something in it for one? if one does good works to be recognized and praised then they already have their reward but if done of of love for God and their fellow man expecting nothing in return, i would think God rewards that one with eternal life.
 
@ajac
How many? As many as God calls us to do.

At the beginning of the Catholic mass, we pray for forgiveness for not only the sins we have committed as individuals, but for those good works we have omitted.

“I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,”
 
Faith working through love for the balance of their lives. Still, if they remain in sin, they risk their salvation
 
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