Is your pastor feeding you Death or Life?

Believers, by God's grace, watch what your pastor is feeding you. Is it "works of the law" or the "hearing of faith?" We know that-

We cannot please God without faith:

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

Faith comes by hearing (faith is not something you "muster up"):

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." "Romans 10:17

God supplies His Spirit to us and works miracles among us by the hearing of faith:

"Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—" Galatians 3:5

But what is this "hearing of faith?" It is definitely not the Law, (including the Ten Commandments.) This we know because:

The Law is not of faith:

Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them." Galatians 3:12.

Believers, the Law is not of faith, and without faith, it is impossible to please God. It is impossible to please God with our efforts at keeping the Law, including the Ten Commandments. Keeping the Ten Commandments as a means of getting right with God is being FAITHLESS. The Law is not of faith. You can never please God this way.

Anyone that teaches you, a believer in Christ, after you are born-again, that it is by your own ability to keep the Ten Commandments or do right that you can please God or that God supplies you with His Spirit and works miracles among you when you keep the Law is preaching a gospel that is different from that of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no room for our Saviour Jesus to save here, since these people are saying that your salvation is up to you.

In Galatians 3, Paul was so passionate about believers not falling into this trap that he called the Galatians foolish for believing those who preached this to them; those who say "Yes, you are saved by grace through faith but you still have to use the Law to measure your righteousness in order to "maintain your salvation" and be really saved."

In Galatians 1, he says:

6 "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed."

There is a double curse in those who preach this mixture of Law and Grace; neither hot nor cold; saying "saved by Grace but still keep the Law to remain righteous."

Believers, we are made righteous in Christ by God "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21.

This is the foundation of the gospel - RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH. Nothing to do with our own efforts; all to do with what Christ has done. This is Grace, God's undeserved, unmerited favour. His righteousness is a gift. It is an everlasting righteousness that is given apart from our works.

But God's grace is not a license to continue in sin!

Proverbs 4:18 says: "The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." "The righteous" here is not the one that has a checklist of how well he is doing on the scale of the Ten Commandments which can never make anyone righteous before God (Romans 3:20). It is those who have received God's gift of righteousness in Christ. Those that are made righteous "by one Man’s obedience" (Romans 5:19.) These ones will not continue to sin and not by their own effort but because "The Lord is my Shepherd" and "He leads me on the path of righteousness" so we will not go astray. Those on this path will not continue to sin and not by their own effort but "Christ that lives in me."

Verse 19 says "But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble."

The difference between the righteous and the wicked is not what they do or do not do by their own effort. It is how they believe that they are made righteous: by faith through Christ or by works of the Law. Anyone outside the umbrella of righteousness that we have as a gift in Christ is "the wicked."

Those who think that it is their good works and law-keeping that make them righteous before God are the wicked. Even though they profess Christ, He has no part in making them righteous.

These ones do not know the path of righteousness yet profess to walk it. The Law that they try to keep also cannot make them righteous! These ones can boast about what they do and condemn others for not doing "enough" because it is not "Christ who lives in me" that does what they do. Many in this category, even leaders, struggle with secret sins like porn addiction and other sexual sins! These ones have the "old nature," live by the law and will continue in sin, according to Romans 7:5 -

"When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death."

Mixing our complete salvation in Christ with a "do good, get good; do bad, get bad" doctrine is how to get cut off from Christ, according to Galatians 5:4-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

Those who go back to using their ability to keep the Law that Christ has delivered us from as a measure of their right-standing with God reject the gift of righteousness which Christ died to give to us, and thus return to being under the curse-

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”" Galatians 3:10-11.

Please beware of anyone who says you have a part to play in "maintaining your salvation" by your efforts at doing "works of the Law." These are faith killers who want to put you right where the devil wants you, back under the Law and the curse where the accusations of the enemy can stick and where judgment follows.

Believers, the devil and his agents do not come looking all ugly in red underwear and carrying black pitchforks. 2 Corinthians 11:15 says "These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve."

The letter kills. By God's grace, don't let anyone force you to clean yourselves with "filthy rags" - your own righteousnesses from works of the Law - after Christ died to make you righteous.

Isaiah 64:6 says "We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind." "Filthy rags" here has been sugar-coated by bible translators. The correct translation from Hebrew is menstrual rags.

Only the righteousness of God that is available as a gift to all who are in Christ counts with our heavenly Father. Why clean yourself with used menstrual rags before or after Christ has given you a clean bath?!

By God's grace, His Spirit will lead you to a place where you can hear the "hearing of faith."

Believe Right and you will Live Right.