The Doctrine of Good Works: Reclaiming a Neglected Protestant Teaching

by Thomas H. McCall, Caleb T. Friedeman, Matt T. Friedeman

In Titus, Paul says Christ redeemed a people "zealous for good works." Despite this declaration and others like it, the doctrine of good works has fallen on hard times in contemporary Protestant theology and practice. At best, it's neglected--as in most systematic theologies and in too much church teaching. At worst, it's viewed with suspicion--as a threat to salvation by grace alone through faith alone.

In this important work addressing a significant gap in current theological literature, the authors argue that by jettisoning a doctrine of good works, the contemporary church contradicts historical Protestantism and, more importantly, biblical teaching. They combine their areas of expertise--exegesis, systematic and historical theology, and practical theology--to help readers recover and embrace a positive doctrine of good works. They survey historical Protestant teaching to show the importance of the doctrine to our forebears, engage the scriptural testimony on the role of good works, formulate a theology of salvation and good works, and explore pastoral applications.

Genres: Theology

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 25, 2023

About the author

Dr. McCall is Professor of Theology and Scholar-in-Residence at Asbury University. Prior to this, he served for sixteen years as Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, where he was also the Director of the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding. During this same time, he held an appointment as Professorial Fellow in Exegetical and Analytic Theology at the University of St. Andrews.

Dr. McCall is ordained in the Wesleyan Church and has pastored churches in southwestern Michigan and southcentral Alaska.

Reviews

[David Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive treatment of the doctrine of good works, exploring biblical, systematic, and practical aspects. There is a lot packed into 200 pages. I especially found the final chapter on strategies for pastors and churches to be helpful.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #6 in 2024
Paperback
4 stars

A good book examining the place of good works in the Christian life. Some parts were better than others, and I would use different language and perhaps frame things a bit differently, but overall a useful tool for understanding what Protestants have historically said and read key texts.

As James puts it, “What good is it, my brothers, if a person says they have faith but does not have works. Can that faith save him?” (2:14).

[Cale Manley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are good works necessary for salvation? The writers of this book think so. They by no means argue for a works-based religion; however, what they do push back against is easy-believism and cheap grace. While faith is the sole condition of justification, good works are the result and necessary evidence of justifying faith. In terms of sanctification, good works do not sanctify us; however, they function as the means by which God can sanctify us. Part one of the book sets out to prove that good works have always been prominent in Protestant theology, and the belief that they are necessary in some sense to salvation has been affirmed widely in the Protestant tradition. Part two explains that good works are clearly necessary from a biblical standpoint. Part three gives a practical and helpful application of these principles for pastors and churches.

When I first started reading this book, I immediately resonated with the authors and knew I agreed with what they were saying. But I thought, How do you explain this pastorally? How can you make it clear that we can do nothing to earn or merit salvation, while also making it clear that good works are essential? As I continued reading, I felt I could better explain it as they articulated it so clearly.

John Wesley put it this way in his sermon "On Working Out Our Own Salvation": "God works; therefore you can work... God works, therefore you must work."

This is a much-needed book on an important topic.

[Abram Danielson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty solid read for Systematic. At points I disagreed with some of the author's claims about works. He basically argues that the common Protestant belief "works are not necessary for salvation" is wrong, instead claiming that they are. But then he goes and reasons his way to what winds up being the same conclusion that comes from that perspective: we are saved by grace and faith alone, but we are saved for good works. Works show the fruit of salvation. Anyway, it was a lot of words and arguments and going back and forth for what amounts to a slightly different definition of the necessity of works and the exact same practical application of the doctrine: Christians should do goo works. But I'm giving this book a hard time; it was refreshing and helpful and 99.9% accurate.

[Hallelujah Brews Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very challenging for me to read. Im definitely going to need to reread it again in a few months, as I found the material quite academic for my non-seminary background. It was a good start for me to become more familiar with doctrines of grace, salvation and justification. I know I'll need to reread this one to fully appreciate the discussion on works and salvation. I appreciated the examples of ministry in action in the second half of the book

[Jose Cura-Zuniga · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spiritually challenging book and one that I will re-read in the future. A bit dry at some points, but the authors cover a lot of ground in ~200 pages to show how good works is a necessity during the process of sanctification. They do this by covering Reformed theologians (and some other church figures) and their thoughts on good works, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and how churches across the world are doing good in the world.

[Joshua Jipp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a short note to say that this is a great theological book for theologians, pastors, and lay-persons. The book makes a compelling argument in less than 200-pages with attention to church history, scripture, and lots of contemporary examples that are relevant for anyone leading Christian communities.

[Adam Bloch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. It's a theological analysis of the repeated Scriptural necessity of good works (and how/whether it is compatible with sola fide). From my perspective, there is no problem with the tension; seeing it from a Reformed perspective, however, I get the tension -- because of this, I really enjoyed seeing how much verbal dancing was required to say "it's necessary" and "it's not necessary" at the same time.
I also appreciated the final section in which application/examples were provided.

[Bryan Robledo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful resource on a vital topic.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The practical application at the end was lol surprising and refreshing.

[Robert Conder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and vital information on works of mercy. Recommend for those in the ministry and also the laity. We need to recover the image of God.