What Does it Mean to Do Good?

Do good. It's a motto companies use to show how cruelty free or eco-friendly their products are.

But I'm actually talking about doing good to and for others, and why good deeds are an important part of being a Christian.




Last year I started a series called "Being a Productive Christian" based on a 2 Peter 1:5-7.  In those verses, Peter gives us a eight-step formula to becoming a fruitful Christ follower.

                  The steps are

                                   1. Faith
                                   2. Goodness
                                   3. Knowledge
                                   4. Self Control
                                   5. Persistence
                                   6. Godliness
                                   7. Mutual Affection
                                   8. Love 

As you can see, goodness or charity is number two on the list after faith. Charity often gets a bum wrap among some Christians because so many people give thinking that they can work or buy their way into heaven with their good deeds, and they don't need faith. Because of that way of thinking Isaiah 64:6 says our righteous acts are as filthy rags.

Bottom line: faith is absolutely essential. I've already broken down it HERE and HERE. I really do recommend reading those two posts first. 

Once you have found faith, it's time to put into action.

In 1 Timothy 6:18, Paul tells his messenger Timothy to urge the early church to "be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. 

Why? Because as a Christian, doing good shows God's love. It's also the best way to tell others about Christ. Matthew 5:16 says our good works can actually cause people to glorify God. 

It also shows our allegiance to God and the things above. I Timothy 6:19 says the good we do is actually an investment we are paying into our future in the kingdom of God.

Similarly, Proverbs 19:17 says when give to the poor, you're actually giving to God.