" As God's redeemed children, we obey God that He would be " glorified in all our words and works" (Q.99). Only those which proceed from a true faith, are performed according to the law of God, and to His glory. The Glory of God: Is there any doubt that God's glory motivates the believer unto obedience and good works? The HC asks in Q.91, "What are good works? A. Rather, there are other factors, in addition to gratitude, that motivate Christians unto obedience and good works. But it is overly simplistic to assert that gratitude for our justification is the only biblically or confessionally recognized motivation for Christian obedience. Gratefulness, therefore, is a defining mark of the Christian. as if I had never had had, nor committed any sin yea, as if I had fully accomplished all that obedience which Christ has accomplished for me" (Q.60). God, without any merit of mine, but only of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ. We overflow with thankfulness when we consider our justification through faith in Christ, the fact that even though each one of us has "transgressed all the commandments of God. Through His sufferings, "especially on the cross," Christ has "delivered me from the anguish and torments of hell" (Q.44). The Christian's Spirit-enabled obedience should surely flow from a heart bursting with gratitude for what Christ has done on our behalf- his sinless life, propitiatory death, and Hell-conquering resurrection to deliver us from the wages of sin.
Good works are described as "fruits of thankfulness" (Q.64). Gratitude is indeed a cardinal theme in the HC as it concerns good works and obedience. The HC teaches, without question, that gratitude for redemption in Christ is the chief motivation for Christian obedience (Q.2).
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