Sermon on Doing Good
by Rev. J. Hugh Odhner 
September 13, 2009 

"The life of charity is to wish well and to do well to the neighbor, to act from what is just and fair, and from what is good and true in every work, in like manner in everything we do; in a word, the life of charity consists in being useful." (Arcana Coelestia 8253)

It is commonly held that charity consists in giving to the poor and needy and contributing to some worthy cause. While such actions are good, they are not charity itself or true charity but are called in the Word “benefactions of charity." Benefactions of charity are acts of assistance done out of free choice and pleasure according to the reasons and intentions that the benefactor may have in mind.

It is important to see the distinction between true charity and bene¬factions of charity, for if this is not seen we can fall into error. So we read in the Word:

" The benefactions of charity are giving to the poor and relieving the needy, but with prudence.
We must distinguish between the obligations of charity and its benefactions. By the obligations of charity those exercises of it that proceed directly from charity itself are meant. These … relate primarily to one's occupation. But benefactions mean such acts of assistance as are given apart from these obligations. These are called benefactions because doing them is a matter of free choice and pleasure … and are bestowed according to the reasons and intentions that the benefactor has in mind. In common belief charity is nothing else than giving to the poor, relieving the needy, caring for widows and orphans, contributing to the building of hospitals, infirmaries, asylums, orphans' homes, and especially of churches, and to their decorations and income. Those who make charity itself to consist in such bene¬factions must needs claim merit for these works and al¬though they may profess with their lips that they do not wish them to be considered meritorious still a belief in their merit lurks within. This is clearly evident from the conduct of such after death, when they recount their works and demand salvation as a reward. But the origin of their works ... is then inquired into, and if it is found that they proceeded from pride or a striving for reputation, or from bare generosity, or from friendship, or merely natural inclination, or hypocrisy, from that origin the works are judged..." (True Christian Religion 425)


NOTE: It is the origin or motive of the good works that is inquired into. And judgement is made as to the motive.

Benefactions of charity are an image of charity, but not true charity. Still, because benefactions are an external image of charity, we are taught that they are advantageous in many ways. Children, by the example and exercise of such benefactions are initiated into an idea of charity and trained in the practice of charity. They receive from the observance and practice of benefactions a first idea of charity. However, as they grow older and are perfected in more interior knowledges concerning charity, they then can come to see what is true charity. (see True Christian Religion 426)

It is said in Arcana Coelestia 4956 that "The essence of charity to the neighbor is the affection of good and truth, and the acknowledgement of self as being evil and false. Those have true charity who are in this affection for good and truth. From this charity comes good works or uses and also true bene¬factions of charity.”

Yet good works and benefactions may have another origin -- not from charity but from a love of ourselves and a love of the worldly things, such as possessions and money. When good works are done before others only so they may be seen by others, then good is not done for the sake of good but for the sake of ourselves and the world.

The hypocrite as we usually think of him is one who does good before others for the sake of self-glory or some other self-serving motive, but who in private, when alone, really despises doing such good. We usually think of a hypocrite as being someone who consciously puts on one face in public and another in private. But for us the danger is when we refuse to recognize the hypocrisy which we, ourselves, may practice in private, for this type of hypocrisy is more subtle and hidden than that other exterior hypo¬crisy which we usually think about. We read concerning such hypocritical char¬ity:

".,.hypocritical charity is the charity of those who in their churches and private dwellings humble themselves almost to the floor before God, devoutly pour forth long prayers...mutter words of holy veneration for God, and yet in their heart they are thinking of being themselves worshipped and seeking to be adored as divinities." (True Christian Religion 452)

Notice that this is talking about apparently religious people who attend church and pray devoutly. This may be a warning to us. The hypocrite which we usually think of, the one who is aware of what he is doing, looks to achieve his ends in this world. But the person who practices hypocritical charity may often be found in churches, worshipping and speaking devoutly, and even thinking he is religious. Yet he or she may be acting out of the love of self. She or he seeks re¬ward, but not reward in this world so much as in the next, for the interiorly hypocritical person may think that by doing good works in private as well as in public, he will merit Heaven. He seeks Heaven as his reward for doing good works.

Concerning this it is said in the Word:

"Those who do good for the sake of reward in the other life... differ from (those who do good for the sake of gain in the world) in that they regard as an end life and happiness in Heaven; but since that end determines and diverts their Divine worship from the Lord to themselves, and hence they wish well to themselves alone, and to others only so far as they favor them, and since in this case self-love is in everything, but not the love of the neighbor, therefore they have not genuine charity.” (Arcana Coelestia 8002)

Those who are interiorly hypocritical, like those who are exteriorly hypocritical, act out of the love of self, but the interior hypocrite seeks the rewards of Heaven. He places the idea of reward in the first place and salvation in the second place. He seeks to be saved in order to obtain his reward, which he imagines to be a place in Heaven.

The external hypocrite desires to deceive others in order to receive fame and honor, but the person who is interiorly hypocritical deceives only him¬self. He desires to enter Heaven by as it were buying his way in. He thinks that the good works he has done have entitled him to a place in Heaven, forgetting that Heaven is not a place but a state of mind and spirit, that we cannot buy ourselves into. We must be interiorly prepared for Heaven. The good works which we may do, do not by themselves make us spiritual or celestial. The charity and faith out of which good works are done are what make us heavenly.
Before regeneration, interior hypocrisy is with all of us. Thus in the beginning states of our regeneration or spiritual growth, we seek Heaven and salvation for the sake of the reward. However, provided we do not confirm ourselves in the idea of Heaven as being a reward, the Lord is able to bend us to a love of Heaven for the sake of Heaven rather than for the sake of reward. Thus we read:
"The reason why the Lord so often said ... that those who do good shall have reward in Heaven is because man before he is regen¬erated cannot but think of rewards but it is otherwise when he is regenerated....” (Arcana Coelestia 8002)

Because all of us are like this, the Lord accommodates the Word to us. The Lord speaks of reward in a way that we can understand and by so doing motivates us to reform and to do good. And as we are reformed and regenerated, our idea of reward is changed, as is also our desire for it, for by regeneration our hypocrisy is removed.

Think of it this way – don’t we see and feel a difference between those who do good only because they are rewarded and those who do good simply because it is the right thing to do? And haven’t we felt a certain joy when around those who appear to be motivated by doing what is right, instead of reward?


Reward properly is the delight, blessedness, and happiness that are in the love or affection of good and truth. When we do what is good and true from an affection of good and truth, thus from the Lord and not from self, we can feel and experience this reward (see Apocalypse Explained 695:5). We can only experience this reward or this kind of love and affection by regeneration. By means of regeneration our proprium of self-love which takes delight in rewards of self-glory and fame is removed, and a new proprium is given by the Lord in which the Lord is present and conjoined with us. The Divine of the Lord then dwells in this new proprium which is from Him. The Lord dwells within us.

To truly do works of charity we must come into a state of doing good works from an affection for doing good without thought of what’s in it for me, thus not for the sake of merit and reward. Only by regeneration can that which is interiorly hypocritical within us, which seeks salvation as a reward, be put away.

From the ideas which the world has concerning charity we have a great tendency to think of good works as being only the benefactions of charity, But the Word teaches that good works are more than these. Good works are the effects of charity and faith. Charity and faith have their existence in good works. But we can only do good works which are truly good if charity and faith are in us and part of us. Only to the degree that good works are done out of true charity are they truly good works.

In order therefore for us to do good works which are good, we must come into charity and faith. This can only be done by shunning evils as sins, by reformation and regeneration. When we think of good works, it must be kept in mind that good works are first to be done to the Lord, who is our neighbor in the highest degree. And this we do by shunning evils as sins against the Lord, by living according to His Word. Amen

Scripture Readings: Matthew 6:1-4; Luke 11:37-42                                     Heavenly Secrets 8253-55, 8257