Virtue as Good Work

“Good works consist in keeping God’s commandments, which a person observes willingly with God’s help and through the operation of his own reason and will, from love of God and neighbor.” (Orthodox Confession… Part 3, Question 3).

Since morality of action is generally determined by its object, aim, and circumstances, for our work to be truly good it is necessary: 1) that it be by its object in accord with God’s law. An act contrary to God’s commandments can in no way be good. Yet not only the object commanded by the law is good, but also that proposed in the form of counsel, such as celibacy or voluntary poverty; and even that which remains undefined in the law—in itself neither good nor evil—can receive goodness from the aim for which it serves as a means. Commandments form the foundation, as it were the heart of the moral life, counsels are above the law, and indifferent matters are below it; 2) that it be performed with a good aim. An evil aim turns even a good work in itself into an evil one; for example, one who comes into church to please the eyes and ears. The chief aim of all works is, as has been said, God’s glory in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; but toward this aim one can ascend through various intermediate aims, which does not prevent the work from being truly good. Bishop Tikhon generally lists the following aims with which we should perform good works: a) to show obedience and submission to our God; b) to glorify God’s name; c) to testify to God, our Benefactor, our heartfelt gratitude; d) to show by our deeds our faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ; e) to not disgrace the high Christian calling and name; f) for the sake of love for the brothers; g) so as not to scandalize anyone; h) to silence the mouths of opponents and enemies of Christianity; i) so that, seeing our good life, those who do not know the name of Christ may turn to Christ and be one with us (Saint Tikhon of Voronezh. On True Christianity, 3, Conclusion to this book. First conclusion, 271 and following); 3) finally, the circumstances in which the deed is performed must be lawful. Circumstances are not something external but in some way enter into the composition of the deed itself. Wherefore they either increase or decrease its goodness, or often nullify it entirely. Thus the moral merit of actions depends greatly on: a) who performs them; for not everything is permitted to everyone and not everyone is equally obligated to everything; for example, a sacred action, holy in itself, becomes quite sinful if an uncalled and unordained person willfully performs it: “No one takes this honor upon himself, but he who is called by God,” (Heb. 5:4); b) how it is performed; a deed good in its object and aim becomes evil, or at least loses much of its merit, if performed by impermissible means or not as it should be. The Apostle forbids “doing evil so that good may result” (Rom. 3:8); and the prophet Jeremiah says: “Cursed is he who does the Lord’s work with negligence.” (Jer. 48:10); c) when and where; for certain actions, though lawful in themselves, cannot without guilt be performed at a certain place or at a certain time. Thus the Savior drove out of the temple those who were buying and selling in it (Jn. 2:15–16); and the Wise Man calls foolish one who speaks when he ought to be silent: “The wise man is silent until the proper time; but the babbler and the fool prattle at all times.” (Sir. 20:7).