God has created his people in Christ for good works, which are to be done in obedience to God’s commandments as the fruit and evidence of a true and lively faith, for the glory of God (Ephesians 2:8–10).
- Therefore we affirm the importance of engaging in good works such as helping orphans, looking after widows, caring for the poor and speaking for the dumb (unborn children) (James 1:27; 1 Timothy 5:3–16; Isaiah 58:6–7; Proverbs 31:8–9).
- We deny that good works are the ground or basis (rather than the evidence) of our salvation (Romans 11:5; Galatians 3:10–14).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- How does the opening statement define good works?
- What are our responsibilities in the good works listed in the affirmation: helping orphans; looking after widows; caring for the poor; speaking for the dumb (unborn children)?
- What does the denial say about our motivation for doing good works?
THE CORE VALUES OF SOLA 5
- Core Value 1: God-Centredness
- Core Value 2: Logic and Reason
- Core Value 3: Authority
- Core Value 4: Sanctity of Life
- Core Value 5: Marriage and Sexuality
- Core Value 6: Discipline
- Core Value 7: Gender Roles
- Core Value 8: Vocation
- Core Value 9: Racial Harmony
- Core Value 10: Creation
- Core Value 11: Animals and the Environment
- Core Value 12: Pluralism
- Core Value 13: Freedom of Religion
- Core Value 14: Evangelism
- Core Value 15: Sufficiency of Scripture
- Core Value 16: Expository Preaching
- Core Value 17: Genuine Christianity
- Core Value 18: Personal Devotion to God
- Core Value 19: Good Works and Social Concern
- Core Value 20: Autonomy and Interdependency
- Core Value 21: The Unity of the Church
- Core Value 22: Liberty of Conscience
- Core Value 23: Hyper-Orthodoxy