Perhaps we can distinguish God-glorifying works-fruitfulness from self-promoting works-righteousness.

To be baptized is, among other things, to be received into a community of disciples. A disciple is, by definition, a learner — someone who seeks and receives instruction. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.” (Matthew 11:29 ESV) And he plainly said that making disciples involved, in addition to baptizing, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)

Learning is motivated in part by exhortation, which can be demanding and threatening or gentle and encouraging. It is one thing to say, “Do this or else.” It is another thing to say, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:17 ESV)

“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples,” said Jesus. (John 15:8 ESV). It is a remarkably open-ended vision, and we might ask anxiously, “How much is ‘much’?”

But if we are exercising anxiety then we are not exercising faith. If we return to trusting in our merits then we have stopped trusting in Christ’s. By faith we can look to God and trust “that he who began a good work in [us] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6 ESV).

The Gospel is never an invitation to spiritual and moral laxity. It announces the way to a right relationship with God. Forgiveness (aphesis) means sending away an offense that would otherwise stand in the way of the fruitfulness of a relationship. So, trusting in Christ’s atonement on the cross, the faithful will gratefully aspire to fulfill the purposes in this life for which God has shown mercy and still supplies his gifts.

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.” (Romans 12:6 ESV). “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 ESV) And we are “a people for his own possession, that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)