[D-fendr]

Thanks for your reply. Very well thought out and presented. Some questions:

Isn't all good conscience, the ability to know good, from God?

Doesn't anyone who chooses to do good based on love glorify God?

Are these limited completely to saved Christians?

[HarleyD]

Isn't all good conscience, the ability to know good, from God?

I'm confused by the construct. Man is a fallen, corrupted being. Man already knows good and evil.

Doesn't anyone who chooses to do good based on love glorify God?

You are equating doing "good based on love" with glorifying God. I wouldn't make that connection. The first commandment is to love God with all our hearts. You can't glorify God by breaking the first commandment.

Are these limited completely to saved Christians?

What? "Good works" as defined above? Absolutely. People cannot please God without knowing the Son and then our good works come from Christ.

Doing "good things"? Non-Christians (and Christians for that matter) can do good things but that doesn't earn them any status with God. God shows no partiality and all have sinned.

OTHO, if you means can non-Christians do works that glorify God, sure. Joseph's brothers did a very "evil" thing in selling Joseph into slavery, but God meant it for good. God caused it to happen.

You're equating doing something very good as something that God finds pleasure in and glorifies Him. God glories in His own work, not ours. We take pleasure in His glory and we rejoice in His work.