God in His wisdom has decided that He will reward no works but

"God in His wisdom has decided that He will reward no works but His own." — These words of Johannes Tauler, a great mystic and theologian of the 14th century, resonate with the ancient understanding that human efforts, no matter how noble or diligent, can never truly earn the reward of divine grace. In this truth lies a profound and humbling revelation: the works of man, even at their best, are insufficient to merit the blessing of God. Instead, only the divine work — the grace that God imparts through His own action — can bring about salvation, transformation, and eternal reward. In this sense, the very nature of God’s wisdom and grace upends all human pride and ego, teaching us that humility is the true path to divine favor.

The ancient scriptures speak of grace as a gift, an unearned favor bestowed by God upon those who seek His heart. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” This grace is not something that can be bought or earned through human deeds. It is not dependent on the magnitude of our efforts, but on the mercy and wisdom of God. Tauler’s words echo this profound truth: God alone is the source of salvation, and the reward for our labor is not in our own actions, but in the divine action that works within us.

To understand this teaching more deeply, let us turn to the life of Saint Augustine, one of the greatest minds in Christian history. Augustine, in his youth, was a man driven by ambition and pride, seeking fulfillment in worldly pleasures and intellectual pursuits. Yet, despite his efforts, he found no lasting peace. It was only when he humbled himself before the grace of God and surrendered to the divine will that his heart was transformed. Augustine, like Tauler, came to understand that no human works could bring him salvation. It was the work of God within him — His grace — that ultimately brought him the reward of peace and understanding. In this way, Augustine became a living example of the wisdom Tauler speaks of: that it is not our works, but God’s own work in us, that brings about divine reward.

The story of Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, offers another illustration of this truth. Luther, in his early years, sought to appease God through an endless cycle of works — fasting, praying, and seeking penance for his sins. But it was only when he discovered the principle of justification by faith that his soul found rest. He realized that salvation is not the result of human striving, but the gift of God’s grace. In this moment of realization, Luther, like Tauler, understood that God’s wisdom had decreed that no works of man could compare to the divine work of redemption. Luther’s life and writings stand as a testament to the truth that God rewards only His own works — the work of grace.

What then, is the lesson for us? The truth in Tauler’s words invites us to let go of our pride, our striving, and our illusions of self-sufficiency. To think that we can earn God’s favor through our own works is to misunderstand the nature of grace. God in His wisdom has made it clear that no matter how good or noble our efforts may be, they are insufficient in the face of His divine mercy. Instead, we must come before God with humility, acknowledging that the reward we seek — peace, redemption, eternal life — is not something we can attain on our own, but something God freely gives through His own work. Our salvation lies in His grace, not in our accomplishments.

To live this truth, then, we must place our faith in God’s work, not in our own. We must surrender our hearts and minds to His wisdom and allow His grace to transform us. This does not mean that we should abandon our efforts, but rather that we must view them through the lens of humility. Work becomes meaningful not when we seek to earn something, but when we offer our efforts as a response to the grace already given. In the face of life’s challenges, we must remember that it is God’s work in us that brings lasting transformation, and not our own striving.

In the end, Tauler’s teaching is one of liberation. It frees us from the burden of trying to earn divine favor, reminding us that our efforts are not in vain, but only when they are aligned with God’s will. Let us labor not out of pride or fear, but out of love and gratitude for the grace that sustains us. When we recognize that God alone is the source of all blessing and reward, we live in the peace that comes from surrendering to His wisdom, knowing that He will work in and through us in ways we cannot fully understand. Our role is not to earn, but to receive — and in this receiving, we find the fullness of life.