[winodog]

Good answer. It certainly does seem to encompass quite a bit of stuff, not just what we think of works today

[LearsFool]

Yes, exactly. We need to be sure, when we read the Bible, how the author is using the word, or else we might make mistakes in our understanding of what he's trying to tell us.

Here's another example:

"They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God?
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." - John 6:28-29

Clearly these works are different from those in John 8:41:

"Ye do the works of your father...Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do."