Article 13 of the Thirty-nine Articles says that “Works done before the grace of Christ, and the Inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ… yea rather, for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin.”

I have always found this to be a very striking doctrine—that the works of those who are not believers are actually unpleasant to God. He dislikes them, even if in the eyes of the world they appear to be entirely laudable and praiseworthy. It may seem harsh and unfair even, but this is what the Bible teaches, in places such as Romans 8:8—“Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (not DON’T please him, or WON’T please him, but CAN’T).

Todays’ extract from the Homilies, from the Homily on Good Works, contains an arresting analogy to help us understand that concept. Here’s what it says:

“Faith gives life to the soul, and those who lack faith are as dead to God as those who lack souls are dead to the world. Without faith, all that is done by us is but dead before God, although the work seem never so gay and glorious before man.

Even as the picture graven or painted is but a dead representation of the thing itself, and is without life or any manner of moving, so are the works of all unfaithful persons before God. They appear to be lively works, but truly they are but dead, not availing to eternal life. They are but shadows and shows of lively and good things, and not good and lively things indeed.

For true faith gives life to works, and out of such faith comes good works that are truly very good works; yet without it, no work is good before God. As St. Augustine says, we must not set good works before faith, nor think that before faith someone may do any good work: for such works, although they seem to other people to be praiseworthy, yet truly they are but vain, and not allowed before God. They are as the course of a horse, that runs out of the way, which takes great labour, but to no purpose.”