Evil Work Makes A Good Man

In the esteemed theologian and former monk, Martin Luther’s Freedom of a Christian, he discusses the ideals of what makes a saved Christian man. The statement in question being, “Good works do not make a good man but a good man does good works. Evil works do not make an evil man, but an evil man does evil works” (Luther 6) However religious they may seem, these ideas apply to not only the religious way of life, but the life of the average person. The United States, in particular, is plagued by corporate greed masked in philanthropy and gifts to the public. In order to properly analyze this statement, it must be broken down into two parts, “Good works do not make a good man...”, and “ evil works do not make an evil man…” The idea that good
works do not make a good man in a religious sense for Luther create the idea that a man cannot receive the salvation of God through good works alone. He must be a genuinely good person with good intent, and faith in Jesus Christ. However, in a larger sense of the idea, just because a person does good works does not make them a good person automatically. The greed that permeates our society as a whole leaks into even the good works in life, as can be proven by the especially recent studies of greed within Wallstreet. CEO’s and other entity’s frequently use philanthropy and gift giving to gain control over others or even to hide money that is coming in via a shady avenue. It’s no secret to anyone. Good works do not make a good man. Many businesses and wealthy people give “gifts to people knowing full well that they do not have the ability to return the favor to gain some power and influence over them. Peter Verhezen, a senior consultant for the Melbourne Business school wrote this in his book entitled, Gifts, Corruption, Philanthropy: The Ambiguity of Gift Practices in Business, “ the ambiguity of a gift has made it possible to disguise bribes as if it were gifts and to elevate corporate philanthropy to the status of enlightened social responsible business practices” (Verhezen xvii) As he later proves in his research, the purpose of a gift is very often not a gesture of kindness or as Luther would put it “ a good work” but rather a clever guise for hiding its true motive of bribery or other method of control. Thus, it truly isn’t the good works that make a good man, but it's true that a good man does good works. The secondary part to this concept that Luther discusses is just as important as the first, and even more so to the average person.
“Evil works do not make an evil man, but an evil man does evil works”. This applies to nearly everyone in the world, especially in the work force. Almost every working person that is working towards their next raise, or next promotion, to better themselves and their family, will be required to do something that may be against their personal moral code. This is part of having a career, and living a life of success. Success comes at a price and many sacrifices have to be made along the way, but just because a person is forced into doing something they don’t personally believe in or is against their moral code, something they would deem an “evil work”, it doesn't make them a bad person. Soldiers returning from tours over seas come back with the guilt and terror they experienced because our country ordered them to kill or be killed. Should these men be considered evil because of the work they were sent to do? Of course not. (Still considering a few different sources to include here, one going over PTSD and another on people feeling uncomfortable with tasks given in the workplace) Or a doctor who couldn’t do anything to save their patient. Should that same doctor be considered an evil person because they had to take a patient off of life support? The same answer can be found here. These so called “evil works” do not make the individual themselves evil. This is the point that Martin Luther was trying to make when he said that, “evil works do not make an evil man”. However true the first part of the statement is, the second part rings just as true without any need of proof. Evil men do evil works. One only needs to consult the history books to find the truth in this statement. The mass genocide of a country’s own citizens, slavery, servitude, crucifixion, and murder. Evil people commit these evil works. Though his statement may be confusing,
when broken down, Martin Luther knew exactly what he was talking about. It would seem that not all evil is really that evil. Though good men do good works, and evil men do evil works, it is not the works themselves that define the character of a person. Simply doing good works does not make you a good person, and just because someone may have done an evil work does not condemn them to be an evil person. This is the point that Martin Luther’s confusing statement, in Freedom of a Christian, was trying to make. Even in a non-religious sense, in order to truly be a good person, one must be of good intention and character. Even the most evil and corrupt people of the world find themselves doing good works every once and awhile. And the same goes for an evil works. Doing something wrong is part of the human experience, just because someone had to do something they didn’t feel comfortable with doesn’t make them an evil human being. In order to discern someone's true character, they must be looked at as a whole from every perspective. Luther believed the same, works alone could not save you from hell, it was your faith in Jesus and your worth as a person.