Goede werken doen. Bijbelse aanwijzingen voor christen-zijn vandaag

Samenvatting

Doing Good Works: Biblical Standards for Christian Life Today
Ideas about responsible Christian behaviour seem to be shifting. How far can this apparent shift be judged as legitimate? The author takes his starting-point in the definition of good works given by the Heidelberg Catechism as ‘those which proceed from a true faith, are performed according to the law of God, and to his glory.’ The argument is developed along the lines of interpreting these three characteristics by New Testament standards. Attention is paid to the meaning of identity as a moral quality. Christian identity is not determined by the law, but by the union with Christ through faith. Analyses of the discussions about God’s law by Jesus and Paul lead to the conclusion that the law preserves its meaning for Christian life because and as far as it points out the practical consequences of the gospel. Finally some remarks are made about the ethics of pastoral care.