This episode and the next several focus on the 8 woes of Christ against the Pharisees in Matthew 23. The series has so far demonstrated that "good works" are contingent on a good heart. Extrinsic goodness or outwardly good works must flow from a good heart in order to be characterized as good. Since none has a good heart (Romans 3:10-12), no one can produce "good" works, based on God's standard. Christ's 8 woes against the Pharisees underscore this point, recording possibly the most devastating rebuke of hypocrisy in all of Scripture. Christ essentially concludes that all the Pharisees' outwardly good deeds were in fact corrupted because they arose from a corrupt heart. Christ commanded "first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, SO THAT the outside of it may become clean also." (Mt 23:26) Outwardly "good" works are unclean when the inward condition of the heart remains dirty. The rest of Scripture provides the answer with a new clean heart provided in regeneration.
Half Good Ain’t Good Enough
This episode sets the Biblical standard of goodness, where outward manifestations of goodness are consistent with the heart from which they come. Extrinsic goodness flows from intrinsic goodness, and God alone meets that standard. "You [God] are good and do good" declares Psalm 119:68. The test of intrinsic goodness is the great commandments, perfect love of God and neighbor, and Christ Himself noted that no man meets that standard. So the Biblical high standard of good works is the marrying of intrinsic goodness with outward manifestations. Regarding the latter, unbelievers can in fact do externally good works. Christ acknowledged that "evil" men can give "good gifts." (Luke 11:13) Yet this "good work" does not reach the standard of goodness that God deems a "good work," since it emanates from an evil heart.
The Foundation of ‘Goodness’ and ‘Good Works’
On the way to properly answering the question, this initial episode addresses an even more fundamental question: can believers do good works? The answer provided by Scripture is a resounding yes, but the basis from which Christians can do good works is entirely the finished work of Christ. Ephesians 2:10 declares that "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works." Good works stem from being "created in Christ Jesus," which itself is a work that God did in response to faith in Christ, "by grace you have saved through faith." While these verses definitively claim that Christians' good works are founded on God's workmanship in Christ, it says nothing about the possibility of good works for unbelievers, even though this conclusion is strongly implied. The remainder of the episode highlights Scriptures that indicate that "goodness" depends on intrinsic goodness, and only God meets this standard