Merit

In Christian terms, an individual's efforts to use the gifts received from God to serve God through good acts are deemed worthy of reward, although much controversy has arisen over the relative merits of good deeds and faith. An act thus worthy of reward is termed meritorious, and both Old and New Testaments encourage the notion of reward for good and punishment for evil behaviour. Similarly in Vedic philosophy, the Bhagavad Gita encourages right action, "...the fruit of a meritorious action is spotless and full of purity", (Chapter XIV). Hinayana Buddhism lists "ten meritorious deeds" and Buddhism has many ways of acquiring merit, including observance of moral precepts. In Hindu, Jainism and Buddhism the acquiring of merit (or demerit) affects the circumstances of one's rebirth in the next life. The Judaic tradition is that blessing and welfare in this life and for future generations arise from observing the law. Islam recognizes praiseworthy acts and also acts which are required of all who are able, such as the pilgrimage to Makkah; but it does not consider salvation can be "earned" by such acts, this being dependent only on God's grace and His knowledge of what might be expected of each individual. Some Christian writers emphasize the inherent lack of merit of man's actions as compared with God, in the extreme putting forward the doctrine of total depravity; others agree that Christ alone has merit but that, through Him, man may also achieve merit.