The Imitation of Christ · Chapter
Of Works of Charity explained
This chapter emphasizes that no evil should be done for any worldly good or human love, and that good works must be motivated by charity.
What happens
This chapter emphasizes that no evil should be done for any worldly good or human love, and that good works must be motivated by charity. True charity seeks not self-interest but the glory of God alone, and even small works done in love bear good fruit. The chapter warns against false charity rooted in natural inclination or selfish gain, and affirms that all good comes from God.
Themes in this chapter
Love of God Above All
The chapter teaches that true charity seeks God alone as the highest good, desiring His glory above all else.
Humility and Self-Denial
The text warns against self-will and selfish joy, urging the reader to minister to the public good rather than personal gain.
Characters to notice
- The Disciple
The narrator reflects on the nature of true charity and the importance of doing all works for God's glory.
- God the Father
God is identified as the Fountain of all good, the End, Peace, and joy of all Saints, and the one who considers what a man is able to do.
Key passages
“Without charity no work profiteth, but whatsoever is done in charity, however small and of no reputation it be, bringeth forth good fruit; for God verily considereth what a man is able to do, more than the greatness of what he doth.”
No work is beneficial without love, but any act done with love, even if small or unnoticed, yields good results because God values a person's effort more than the size of the deed.
This emphasizes the primacy of intention over outward achievement in Christian ethics.
“He who hath true and perfect charity, in no wise seeketh his own good, but desireth that God alone be altogether glorified.”
A person with genuine love does not pursue personal benefit but wants only God to be honored in everything.
This defines perfect charity as complete selflessness focused on divine glory.