I have been asked many times, in the context of biblical counseling, about the relationship between a person’s faith and their good works. In most cases, the person asking the question was struggling at some level with their own sense of assurance of pardon from sin, or perhaps the security of their salvation in a broader sense. In my experience, there are more people struggling with a lack of assurance than some pastors would like to believe. Too often, if you listen carefully, many evangelicals today can affirm that we enter the kingdom by faith alone, but functionally act as of they stay in the kingdom by their good works. At Baylight, we will always be about the business of distinguishing bewteen law and gospel, faith and deeds, the confusion of which leads to fear of personal failure over confidence in Christ.
For the purposes of this short post, I’d like to offer just a few words from the Belgic Confessions of Faith, Article XXIV, which does a wonderful, at least in brief, of outlining for the reader what is the proper relationship of the above categories, so that they might rest in Christ with humility and confidence. This is all very important to the counseling process because even as we pursue biblically-generated heart change, we want everyone to know with certainty where their hope is found in every way.
Joshua Waulk | “But What About My Works?” | April 14, 2024
RESOURCES
- Subscribe To The Heidelblog!
- The Heidelblog Resource Page
- Heidelmedia Resources
- The Ecumenical Creeds
- The Reformed Confessions
- The Heidelberg Catechism
- Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008)
- Why I Am A Christian
- What Must A Christian Believe?
- Heidelblog Contributors
- Make No Compromise With Sin—Judas, Revoice, and Raising the Black Flag
- Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to
Heidelberg Reformation Association
1637 E. Valley Parkway #391
Escondido CA 92027
USA
The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Joshua Waulk
Joshua Waulk is the founder and executive director at Baylight Counseling, Inc. in Clearwater, Fl. He is married to Christy, and has four children, three of whom are adopted. Josh earned his MA in Biblical Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is completing his final project toward the Doctor of Ministry, also in biblical counseling at SEBTS. His project focuses on attachment issues in Christian adoptive parenting.
More by Joshua Waulk ›