Silence by shūsaku endō

Within this kind of thinking is where Shūsaku Endō’s seminal novel Silence enters the scene.

Doing works of righteousness will glorify God to others and make you a holier person deserving of God’s grace. They’ll tell you that you could (and should) act and do good (and more precisely), BE good. God gave up everything for you and, while that love is conferred upon you forever, you could at least try to be grateful. The church cultivates and guides our faith, but can often put conditional expectations upon us, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Of course, this transactional relationship is us putting ourselves on the level of God, claiming that there is something we must do to earn our salvation. Our faith often feels as though it balances upon a tenuous tension between believing in God’s unwavering love for us and a fear that we need to work, show, and sacrifice in return and in thanks to God.