Don't just profess Christ. Believe Christ.

Believers, in Christ (having our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as our righteousness and not relying on that which comes from our doing works of the Law,) God sees us as perfect because He sees in us the perfect work of Christ in removing our sins.

If anyone could have confidence in his efforts at keeping God's Law, it would be Paul. He outlined his credentials in his letter to the Philippians (see chapter 3): "a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book." MSG version.

But some of these very credentials that people, even Christians, are still waving around as something special, Paul said he was tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else he used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Look how he describes all of his own achievements at keeping the Law:

"7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith."

Believers, the whole essence of the gospel of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is JUSTIFICATION/RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH, never by works of the Law. We are made righteous by "one Man's obedience," Christ's. Unless one discards his own righteousnesses from works of the Law by which no one can be made righteous in God's sight, one cannot gain Christ and become one with Him.

We see that pre-conversion Paul persecuted the church too, a persecution that is going on till this day! Bear in mind that any place where Old Covenant truths such as keeping the Law in order to be right with God/receive from Him or your Rapture being dependent on how much of your effort you put into God's service are being taught in the name of Jesus is not the church. If our being caught up with Christ at His coming depended on our law-keeping prowess, no one will make it - see Romans 3:20.

The spirit of the anti-Christ is not anti-God. In fact, God can be central to their teaching but Christ and His finished work are usually not. You only find our Saviour in the "in Jesus name" at the end of each prayer point. Here, Christ is professed but not believed. How?

Romans 5:19 tells us "For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous." But in such places, you are taught that your right-standing with God is determined by how well you are keeping the Ten Commandments, very contrary to Romans 3:20 which says no one can be made righteous in God's sight by doing what the law commands. These ones have been 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."

Galatians 3:13 tells us that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law but in such places, you still have to redeem yourself from the curse by bringing your childhood picture to church for deliverance and fasting to break padlocks of bondage. You'll notice that the cycle never ends here. There's always something for you to do, curses to break, grandma's in the village/colleagues to be careful about, etc. God does not rejoice in the death of sinners.

Romans 8:32 tells us "He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" But in such places you are taught that YOU must do certain things that only the pastor can prescribe SO THAT God can heal or provide for you, just like an old covenant priest. Here, the burden of your salvation rests on you and Christ's finished work for you - e.g his stripes for your healing which is all you need with no additives of fasts and seeds -takes a backseat or no seat at all.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says "But we with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." But in such places, you must transform yourself to be like God by keeping the Law.

So much more.

Please beware of such Christ-professing but unbelieving establishments and preachers. These are the ones that usually twist Paul's question in Romans 6:1 "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" to make people continue to try to keep the law in order to get right with God, an effort in futility according to Romans 3:20 and the way to get cut off from Christ and fall from God's grace according to Galatians 5:4.

These people, many of them agents of the devil, will never give you the background that is Romans 5 where from Paul's letter, we learn about how we are made righteous in Christ apart from works. Paul's question was a rhetorical one, asked and answered by Paul himself because people were accusing him of preaching that it is okay to continue in sin because of grace. See Romans 3:8 

"Why not say, “Let us sin that good will come from it.” (Some people have said I talk like this!) They will be punished as they should be."

Yes, people accused Paul of preaching that it is okay to sin because "we are under grace." The descendants of these same people are still doing this by twisting Paul's words.

His question was a prelude to explaining why we will not continue to sin since Christ's death has freed us from sin and made us slaves of Righteousness which we see in Romans 6-7. Under grace, you cannot continue to sin. According to Romans 7:4, grace will make you produce "a harvest of good deeds for God." 

Trying to keep the Law to get right with God on the other hand will get one to produce "a harvest of sinful deeds that result in death." Romans 7:5

 As the righteousness of God in Christ, your path is like the shining sun that can only grow ever brighter unto the perfect day; never darker. This is the logic of heaven. Not by power, not by might but by the Spirit of the Lord.

Beloved of God, why clean yourself with your own righteousnesses from works of the Law (used menstrual rags according to Isaiah) when Christ has already washed you clean with His blood? By His grace, don't just profess Christ. Believe that He has accomplished all that He did for you. Ask Him to make things clear to you and He will.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.