I'm still thinking on the topic of 'works' verses faith and grace

I'm still thinking on the topic of 'works' verses faith and grace. I want to say a few things about the core mechanics of what it actually means to be under works, or under grace. Here is what it's all about really: There is nothing that a human being can do on his own to earn favor or right standing with God. If there were then Jesus would not have had to come to this world and give his life for the sins of all mankind. That takes me to the memorable and powerful statement made by the apostle Paul in his rebuke of the apostle Peter, when Peter was at Antioch and shied away from the Gentile believers when his Jewish brethren from Jerusalem arrived there: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified... I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (Gal. 2:16,21). Paul tells us why the law was given by God, and to what purpose it served: "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made" (Gal. 3:19). God chose Israel to himself, and he gave them the law as a guide, which guide was to lead them to Christ, who was the appointed 'seed' mentioned in the verse above (Gal. 3:16,24). The problem was that man was in sin and had no way out of that condition, and the law was not able to solve that problem. Paul said again a couple of verses later; "Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law" (Gal. 3:21). But the law could not impart the righteousness of God into the hearts of men, because as the same apostle said in another place; "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" (Heb. 10:4). The law could not take the condition of sin out of the hearts of men, so even if a man could keep the whole law he would still be running on his own steam so to speak, and not on the steam of God's personal righteous nature. So what it comes down to is whether we are 'trying to do the right things,' or whether we are getting ourselves altogether out of God's way and allowing him to work his righteous will and nature in and through us.

The faithful under the old covenant were trying to do the right things according to what the law showed them to do. That was the best that they could do because the righteousness of God was not available to work in and through them, as we saw from Galatians 3:21. But Jesus, by his death and resurrection from the dead, and through his heavenly priesthood, has provided us with the means by which we can have sin taken out of our hearts and souls, and replaced by the "divine nature" of God (Heb. 9:14; II Pet. 1:4). As Paul again explained: "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference" (Rom. 3:21,22). If we have believed on Jesus unto receiving his Spirit, then that same Spirit will live in and through us, provided that we are willing to die to the fleshly nature and mind: "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Jn. 7:37-39; Rom. 12:1; Rom. 8:4). The Spirit of God is in fact the very life and nature of both God and his Son Jesus Christ, and Jesus came here to make the way for that divine, eternal life to dwell in us as well: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (Jn. 10:10). It is in fact that same divine life that washes away our sins and gives us power to live our lives free from sin (I Cor. 6:11; Acts 1:8; Rom. 14:17). "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2). The holy Ghost being the life and the nature of the Father and the Son, is in fact itself the very righteousness of God: "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy IN the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17). So the only way that we can be truly righteous and acceptable to God is by being literal partakers of HIS righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. And the only 'works' that God accepts from us are those that are being wrought in us by his Spirit living in and through us. As we have seen, that can only take place by faith in Jesus Christ, and it CANNOT take place by ANYTHING that we can do ourselves. And that 'anything' includes EVERYTHING that is not strictly by means of our faith in Jesus and the resulting empowerment of his Spirit in us!

In fact the ONLY thing that God sees as acceptable is what Jesus told us to do while he was yet here: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (Jn. 13:34). We simply cannot carry out that commandment unless we have believed on Jesus and have thereby been make partakers of his love, which in fact IS his Spirit: "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5). We can 'try' to love, or we can love with human love, but we cannot love one another the way Jesus loved us unless we have his love dwelling in us. It's that simple. There is absolutely no 'work' under the sun, whether ceremonial, moral, or mental, that can take sin away from our souls and put the love of God in our hearts. That comes only by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins, and his priesthood in heaven that administers divine life to us. And that FAITH is "NOT of ourselves," as the scripture says; but rather it is 'the GIFT of God," as the same verse states (Eph, 2:8). So then there is absolutely no place for the pride of man to stand on his own and say he has done anything at all to make himself right with God, as the next verse after the last one quoted says: "Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:9). Now that my friend is what you call 'grace;' that God was so gracious as to send his beloved Son to this world to suffer and die for my sins and yours, so that we could have a way out of sin and into the very righteous nature and life that dwells in him and his Son. And what did we do to deserve that grace? Well according to the scripture, not much: "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:6-8). So once again I say, that is what we call GRACE! May God bestow an abundance of his grace upon you today, tomorrow, and forever! Amen.