I have been seeing a lot more comments online, and I’ve even heard sermons that teach what I believe is a troubling trend. At the end of this post, you may totally disagree with me, and that is fine, but I feel compelled to weigh in, hoping each of us at least considers another viewpoint before we say something that may end up causing a little one to stumble needlessly or rob God of glory due Him.
I have seen posts where people share the good work they or their congregation are doing. Many share posts about baptisms. It also seems that there are people who feel the need to help the poster guard against pride and the self-centered need to be the center of attention. And so they comment or preach about the evil of posting about good works that others do.
Now, I do try to give all sides the benefit of the doubt, which is what I hope we all will do after reading this post. I see why people feel compelled to warn others against being self-centered in the way we share our good deeds, which may cast the spotlight upon us. The Bible has good warnings for us to heed.
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:1-2 ESV).
Think about what Jesus is teaching. All of us want to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20), but when we do works to be seen of men, we do it from a selfish, self-centered place, robbing glory that belongs to God alone. I truly believe that preachers who preach we should not post about our good works do so from a place of love and care for our souls. But in many comments I have recently read on this and in some sermons I have heard, I believe the warnings are misguided and could possibly be doing more harm than good.
In the very same Sermon on the Mount that Jesus prohibits doing good works in public, He earlier said,
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 ESV).
In this teaching, Jesus encourages us to do good works to be seen by men so that God is glorified. This seems to contradict what we just read. In one place in His sermon, Jesus says not to let the right hand know what the left hand is doing so God can reward what you do in secret. In another, Jesus says our good works need to be seen by all so that God is glorified.
In fact, we are not to hide our good works at all. Jesus says hiding our good works is like placing a cover over the light. Now, some may say there is a difference between letting our light shine and amplifying our light. It’s one thing if people see us doing good works and glorifying God; it’s another thing to post about it and share it everywhere we can.
When we look at these passages in the Sermon on the Mount about doing good works and focusing on our own works, we often miss the point Jesus is trying to make. He is not concerned about us showing or hiding our good works to people at all. What He is prohibiting is far more sinister than that.
God wants us to do our good works for one reason: “so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Our good works are to glorify the Father in heaven. Consider what Jesus is saying in the next chapter when He prohibits doing good works in public: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them” and, “When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others.”
Our good works are to glorify God, but when we do good works to glorify ourselves, its better we do them in secret rather than rob God of His glory. If we look closely at what Jesus says in chapter 6, Jesus is not prohibiting doing good works publicly but doing good works the way that the hypocrites do good works, that is, to be seen by others.
I fear when we rush to condemn good people who are sharing their good deeds out of a spirit of joy and glory to God, we inadvertently rob God of His glory ourselves by stifling people of good hearts from glorifying God. The tragic consequences of this may be that we cause someone to be broken and feel it’s sinful to do the very thing our good works were designed to do.
If we read chapters 5 and 6 and walk away thinking these passages are all about whether we do good works secretly or publicly, we miss the whole point of Jesus’ teaching. It’s not about the works; it’s about the spirit and attitude behind the works we do. The motive that prompts our good works is something that we are ill-equipped to assess in others. We do not have insight into the heart to make accurate determinations of whether someone is doing their good works to be seen by men or to glorify God. When the benefit of the doubt can be given to a brother or sister, then we need to give it with grace and charity.
And if someone does post about their good works with a spirit that robs God of His glory, then that’s between them and the Lord. Indeed, they will have their reward. If they are after likes and adoration, then likes and adorations will be the only reward they receive. But we should have the same attitude Paul had when people preached Jesus from selfish ambitions:
“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,” (Philippians 1:18 ESV).
The least we can do is focus on the glory that goes to God when people share their good works. At best, we can join in their joy as they glorify the Father. I would much rather do this than risk causing a brother to stumble and keeping glory from God by shaming them into not sharing their good works.
How many times does Jesus teach about someone throwing a party or celebrating when good happens? There is something pure when we want to share our joy with others, especially when we want to glorify God so badly. This is not a bad thing, nor something to be stifled. This is something we should praise in others. Rather than condemn, we should be praising God with them.
If we cannot see that this is not about sharing our good deeds but whether we share them for our glory or for God’s glory, then, in my humble opinion, we are missing the whole point of what Jesus is trying to teach. In missing the point, we may inadvertently say something that may unduly shame a brother or sister and cause glory to be robbed from God.
I pray we all are full of grace toward one another, that we believe all things in love, and that we give the benefit of the doubt to others for God’s glory. There is nothing wrong in reminding people that if we set our good deeds on a lampstand, let’s ensure we are doing it for God’s glory and not ours. But when we do, let’s take them at their word and join in their joy and glory for God. If their motives are not pure, then they will have their reward. We, however, will be credited for using their selfish ambition to God's glory, and like Paul, we will rejoice that in every way, God is glorified.
I hope we all consider Jesus' words and show grace toward others in this area. Above all, I hope we will join in with others who are glorifying God and lift them up as God receives the glory due Him.
Today would be a good day to meet Jesus in the air.
King Jesus, come quickly!
But when I stumble and see nothing but the condemnation I deserve, I am overwhelmed by God's grace freely given when I've done nothing worthy of it.
I am in the Book of 1 Kings in my daily Bible reading. In chapter 8, Solomon dedicates the new Temple he built for the Lord. Take a few moments to read his benediction. It is an amazing display of his trust in God and his belief that God is sovereign over all the Earth.
Here is a taste of what Solomon acknowledges in his prayer:
“and said, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart;” (1 Kings 8:23 ESV).
and
“whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house,
then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),” (1 Kings 8:38-39 ESV).
and
“If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the LORD toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name,
then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.” (1 Kings 8:44-45 ESV).
The whole prayer is worth spending a few minutes reading today.