Why do we do the good that we do?
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works"
By Steve Hall
Do we really believe that “a person who is generally good, or does enough good things for others, will earn a place in Heaven?” Rather, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 1:9-20
Mark 1:21-28
“In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?”
Keep that question in mind. We will come back to it later
Here we are at that winter interlude. Christmas is over. Lent hasn’t begun. The Gospel readings tell of Jesus Baptism and early ministry. But before we turn to the Scripture readings, I need to tell a couple of stories.
The first is about an incident at an airport ticket counter. A man with a small child was talking to an airline agent. She was explaining that his very young child could not fly for free because she was older than the airlines allowed for free passage. The man was clearly distraught. He didn’t have the $700 to pay for that extra ticket. A young businesswoman overheard the exchange. She approached the ticket agent and quietly paid for the child’s ticket. When she was later asked what motivated her to do such a thing, she said she just tried to make a difference.
The second story is shorter. A young unchurched man decided to connect to a Christian religion. Knowing little about any of them, he examined several and ultimately made a decision. What prompted his final choice? Their social positions were closest to his own.
What’s going on here in these two stories?
As noted earlier, we’ve just celebrated Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. During that time, we’ve watched as the secular world continues its attempts to make the season a ‘winter holiday.’ Not satisfied with removing Christ from Christmas, some even work diligently to eliminate Christmas from Christmas. Thus, the Christmas tree becomes a ‘holiday’ tree. But removing Christ from Christmas doesn’t really change anything for those of us who celebrate the Incarnation. But during this Christmas season, something far more insidious has come to my attention. It can be seen in the two stories.
It has to do with our rationale, our motivation for what we say and do. The woman at the airport, the young man in search of ‘religion’ — both prompt the question: why do we do the good that we do?
The world’s motivation is simple. We do it in the name of our fellow man, in the name of humanity or humanism. We do it because it makes us feel good, because of our pride, or we’re just trying to make a difference.
Phrases like pass it forward, be kind to someone today, being a good neighbor, and can’t we all just get along support this philosophical position. Consider the results of some recent studies.
A study, part of the American Worldview Inventory 2025, surveyed 2,000 American adults to explore their views on eternity and salvation. While most Christians still believe that everyone will one day be judged personally by God, the majority no longer see faith in Christ as the only path to eternal life.
According to the report, 53% of self-identified Christians said that “a person who is generally good, or does enough good things for others, will earn a place in Heaven.” That number jumps to 73% among Catholics. Less than half of Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Protestants, and non-denominational believers agreed with the statement — but even within those groups, researchers say the trend reflects growing confusion about the gospel message.
“There remains a shocking degree of misunderstanding among Christians regarding sin, repentance, forgiveness, and salvation,” said George Barna, the study’s lead researcher and director of the Cultural Research Center. “Millions of people who regularly attend Christian churches believe that eternal salvation does not depend on the sacrifice of Christ because of our sins. They don’t understand this fundamental tenet of Christian belief.”
Barna, one of the nation’s foremost faith researchers, warned that this shift reveals a deeper spiritual problem. “Instead,” he said, “we have a majority of self-described Christians hedging their eternal bets by integrating multiple means of salvation into their personal security plan.”
The study also found that many Christians have adopted a pluralistic view of salvation, with 54% of Catholics and 41% of self-identified Christians agreeing that “there are many paths to eternal salvation.” Even among Evangelicals and Pentecostals, over one-third believe people can “choose whichever one you prefer.”
This is contrary to our faith. Do we really believe that “a person who is generally good, or does enough good things for others, will earn a place in Heaven?” No! It is not the good but the holy — those living in Christ Jesus — that our God desires.
Consider what we know of the apostles and healing. “But Peter said, ‘I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise and walk’” (Acts 3:6).
When questioned by authorities a bit later, Peter had this to say.
“Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well’” (Acts 4:8-10).
In another place in Acts we hear the same teaching again.
“Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints that lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aene’as, who had been bedridden for eight years and was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.’ And immediately he rose” (Acts 9:32-34).
It’s always in the name of Jesus.
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5.
“None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:7-8).
“For, every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
At the core of our faith is this:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Doing good in the name of our fellow man, in the name of humanity, or humanism is a betrayal of faith. Doing good because it makes us feel good, because of our pride, or because we’re just trying to make a difference isn’t enough. If we do not recognize Jesus as the source of all good, the source of all life, we will find it elsewhere: In our fellow man, in humanity or humanism, in feeling good, in pride, or in just trying to make a difference.
So, we return to the question of evil — “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?”
And we find that it all comes down to this: How do we cast out the evil in this world except through the name of Jesus?
“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
It’s important that we say it to ourselves.
It’s important that we say it to others.
It’s critical that we say it to a world wallowing in humanism.