Definition of Good deed

Good works, or simply works, within Christian theology are a person's (exterior) actions or deeds, contrasting with interior qualities such as grace or faith.

In Christian theology, grace can be defined as the love and mercy given to us by God because God wants us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favor, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most manifest in the salvation of sinners. Christian orthodoxy has taught that the initiative in the relationship of grace between God and an individual is always on the side of God. Once God has reached out in this "first grace," however, each person has the option to accept it or reject it, as well as a responsibility to abide in the Messianic covenant. The Calvinist doctrine of irresistible grace, however, states that a person dead in sin cannot resist the efficacious call of God to salvation, and only individuals whom God has predestined to salvation will receive that call.