Ask Ligonier Podcast:

How Do I Know If Good Works Are of My Flesh or of the Holy Spirit?
Date: September 4, 2025
Host: Nathan W. Bingham
Guest: Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, Teaching Fellow & Vice Chairman, Ligonier Ministries

Episode Overview

This episode centers on a question at the heart of Christian living: How can a believer discern whether their good works originate from their own sinful nature ("the flesh") or from the transformative presence of the Holy Spirit? Dr. Sinclair Ferguson brings biblical insight and pastoral wisdom to help listeners navigate this common yet important concern, grounding his answers in Scripture and classic Christian teaching.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Danger of Excessive Introspection

• Timestamp: 00:26
  Dr. Ferguson begins by cautioning Christians against becoming overly introspective or neurotic when evaluating their good works.
  • "At the end of the day, because we are sinners, none of our works will be perfectly good. So it's possible to have a kind of neurosis about answering that question." — Dr. Sinclair Ferguson [00:29]

2. Criteria for Good Works

• Motive and Direction Matter Most
  • Good works are fundamentally characterized by the right motive (love) and the right direction (to the right Person, namely God).
  • He references the Westminster Confession of Faith for its helpful explanation in this area:
    • "Good works are works that are done out of the right motive and directed to the right person." — Dr. Sinclair Ferguson [00:42]

3. Biblical Illustration: Serving in the Context of Slavery

• Paul’s Teaching as a Paradigm
  • Dr. Ferguson draws on Paul's instructions to slaves in the New Testament as an example.
    • "When you serve your master, do it with an eye, not first to pleasing him, but to please God." — Dr. Sinclair Ferguson [01:05]
  • This shifts the servant’s motivation from pleasing a human master (who may be unkind) to pleasing God, transforming even difficult acts of service.

4. The Transformational Power of Doing Good for God

• The Heart Transformed Toward Others
  • Fixing one’s heart and motivation on God, even in hard circumstances, enables compassion and love, even for those who may be harsh or unloving.
    • "When your eye is on the Lord and when your heart is in tune with the Lord…the result is that you actually have compassion on this man because he is so spiritually blind." — Dr. Sinclair Ferguson [01:40]
  • Principle: Doing things for the glory of God ensures they are truly good works.

5. The Parental Analogy: Child’s Drawing

• Imperfect Yet Cherished
  • Dr. Ferguson then offers the illustration of a child presenting a drawing to a parent, imperfect but motivated by love.
    • "A child comes up to you at the end of the service and hands you a drawing that they've made of you…you say, 'that is absolutely splendid.' …You did this out of love for me, and I appreciate it, and you did it to please me." — Dr. Sinclair Ferguson [02:31]
  • God’s Perspective on Our Good Works
    • Like the parent who values the child's loving intent over artistic skill, God looks to the believer’s heart and motive.

6. Assurance in God’s Fatherly Love

• Freedom and Joy in Service
  • However imperfectly done, when acts are prompted by love for God and a desire for His glory, believers can be confident that God accepts and delights in those works, because of Christ.
    • "When that is true of us, however imperfectly, we know that our Heavenly Father accepts what we do and rejoices in what we do for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that's a wonderful liberation it gives to us." — Dr. Sinclair Ferguson [03:37]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On introspection:
  "None of our works will be perfectly good… it's possible to have a kind of neurosis about answering that question." — Dr. Ferguson [00:29]
• On biblical motive:
  "Good works will be things that we do out of love for those for whom we do it and ultimately for the glory of God." — Dr. Ferguson [00:50]
• On parental analogy:
  "You did this out of love for me, and I appreciate it, and you did it to please me." — Dr. Ferguson [02:50]
• On God’s acceptance:
  "We know that our Heavenly Father accepts what we do and rejoices in what we do for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ." — Dr. Ferguson [03:37]

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:04 – Question introduction and guest announcement
• 00:26 – Dr. Ferguson on introspection and the imperfection of works
• 00:42 – Criteria for what makes a work truly "good"
• 01:05 – Pauline example: Serving masters as service to God
• 01:40 – The power of redirecting motives and the freedom it brings
• 02:31 – Parental/child drawing analogy to illustrate God’s fatherly love
• 03:37 – Assurance: God’s acceptance and delight in our imperfect, Spirit-motivated works

Summary Takeaway

Dr. Sinclair Ferguson counsels believers not to be paralyzed by self-analysis, but to focus on doing good works out of love and for the glory of God. Even when those works are imperfect, if their ultimate direction and motive are toward God—prompted by the Holy Spirit—believers can be assured that God, as a loving Father, delights in them. This truth brings both humility and great liberation to Christian service.