When are Good Deeds ..... Good?

Just finished listening to a Tim Keller 2014 audio series on Questioning Christianity.  Tim Keller audio podcast sermons have become a staple in my daily listening habits in the car.  After purchasing all 1500+ sermons and talks, it will be a long time before I get through all the content.

In the "Questioning about Jesus" topic Keller states many good deeds are self motivated unless you see good works through the lens of Faith in Christianity.  This argument is the classic "Works vs Faith" debate about Salvation in Christianity.  

At breakfast this morning, with P.N., we discussed Free Will and the book "Modern Physics and Ancient Faith by Stephen M. Barr.  The debate between Determinism and Free Will is also an endless debate like Works and Faith.  How appropriate after my Vistage presentation on Decision Making.  At the root of decision making is the underlying truth (or not) of free will.

P.N. feels that determinism is beginning to overtake the free will view. My view is less defined (or determined :)

My own curiosity into this philosophical realm led to an attempt (yes the failed attempt) to read Sam Harris's book on Free Will. My memory is that Sam Harris (one of the famous Four Horsemen of Modern Atheism), believes there is no free will.  Yet the existence or non existence of free will does not indicate your belief in Christianity or not.

So using the Free Will argument -   Are Good Deeds, Good because of your free will? (I decide what's good)

Using the Faith vs Works argument - Are Good Deeds, Good if you don't believe in Grace (Faith)?

Maybe that is the genesis of the term  "Goodness Gracious" … great balls of fire!