Good, but it has absolutely no power!

By grace you have been saved through faith, 

and that not of yourselves: 

it is the gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8 

Good deeds abound, and good gifts are often given.  Random acts of kindness are great ways to brighten someones day, and can be observed all over the world.  As the authors of the 100 Most Important Bible Verses states:

Good works are evidence of faith, evidence of transformation, and evidence of a changed life.  Good works bring honor to God, blessings to others, and joy to the one who performs them.  But they have no power to open the doors to heaven.*

When you do good deeds you are blessing and bring glory to God.  You also bring blessings and joy to the receivers of your good deeds.

Your good deeds bring glory to God, and bring God joy as he sees your good works wrought through love.  I imagine God smiles when the selflessness of a Army private softens the heart of a cold commander who finally realizes that God loves him.  Or when the world finds hope because a believer reached out to the hurting with love.  Good deeds remind a fallen world of the power of God's love, His extravagant grace and His desire to help, comfort, bless, favor, restore, reconcile, grant peace, and bring joy to His children.


Not only do they bring joy to God, but they bring joy to others.  Just imagine the joy that a cup of milk and a cookie, along with a teddy bear will bring to someone.  We might think of them as insignificant until you discover that they were just given to a three year old who has just watched his home and all the bears he owned go up in smoke.  To that toddler the deeds of a group of moms, firefighters and First Response Units is life changing.  It is good winning against evil

Good deeds bring us joy as well as the giver.  We smile when we look at milk mustaches made on dark nights when normal has gone up in the bright flames of an unexpected home fire.

Good deeds cheer our soul and refresh our spirits.  When someone shows us love we feel a bit better, like the world is brighter for just that moment.  It grants hope and joy.

Simply put, good deeds have tremendous power.  They have the power to bring joy to the receiver, a smile to a child, comfort to a grieving widow, help to a struggling parent, hope to a person in despair, fellowship to the lonely, and so forth.

Good deeds, they do have power, but powerful as they are they have "no power to open the doors of heaven."  No matter how grand, impressive, elaborate, or special they have no power whatsoever "to open the doors of heaven."  They have power to glorify God, point to Him, and bless others, but they cannot, ever force Him to open the doors of heaven.

Our best deeds, our good deeds, even or most wonderful and amazing deeds are powerless to open heaven's doors.  Ten thousand can't!  Ten million won't!  Hit the trillions and beyond and they'd still be unable to do it.

Don't get me wrong.  Doing good is essential, and good deeds are great.  We are all called to do great and wonderful deeds for others, and in the name of Christ.  We must act justly, defend the orphan, look after the widow, help the abused, take care of the poor, and serve one another.  There is no escaping the commands to love one another, and no escaping the truth that love is an action verb..  But no matter how many good things you do, they can't open up heaven's doors.  Why?


The doors of heaven are only opened by the free gift of grace found in the life, death, resurrection and salvation that is given through Jesus Christ.  That's it.  By grace and grace alone.  Good deeds have no power at heaven's doors.

*Cited from:

The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

2005 by GRQ, Inc.

Brentwood, Tennessee

Thomas Nelson Publishers


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