Unbelievers are unable to do good works because all their works are described as "dead." This fact alone severely corrupts true worship. The author of Hebrews made this connection in Heb. 9:14: "how much more will the blood of Christ cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." Since good works are essentially the outflow of sincere worship of God, and pure worship cannot flow from a defiled conscience, it naturally follows that unbelievers with defiled consciences cannot truly worship/serve God and produce good works as a result. This episode stresses that salvation cleanses the conscience of all DEAD and so--called "good" works" based mostly on self-idolatry, for the purpose of undefiled, exclusive worship of the LIVING God.
OK, I’m Bad..Now What?
The episode traces the journey of those who do good works. All are initially "sons of disobedience" and are "by nature children of wrath." (Ephesians 2:2-3) Mankind can do no good, and none are "children of God." The Holy Spirit convicts "the world" of failure to trust Christ (the essence of sin) and the means of becoming good through the work of Christ. (John 16:8-10) Faith in God is the condition that justifies believers and makes them good or righteous. Hence Paul declares in Romans 4:5 that "the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness." Once one receives Christ by faith, God regenerates the heart, making the former son of disobedience a child of God. So John 1:12 promises "as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." Finally, the believer who now has an intrinsically good heart, "created in Christ Jesus for good works," learns to abide in Christ and bear much fruit. (John 15:5)