How to live a life of moral excellence that is pleasing to God
Every believer desires to live a godly life (and rightly so) but many take the death path of trying to keep God's Law and do good works in order to achieve this. There is only one Way to live a life of moral excellence that is pleasing to God and it is not by the Law. The letter kills.
All the law-keeping in the world cannot help one attain righteousness in the sight of God. This according to Romans 3:20 says "For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are."
Believers, let's be for the Law for the purpose for which it was given. This is the reason for which it was given: Galatians 3:19 - "Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins."
Romans 3:19 goes on to say "Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God."
Believers, be for the Law for the purpose for which it was given: To show our guilt and help us see our need for God's grace personified by our Saviour Jesus Christ! This is what law-keeping to get into God's good graces will cause: 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."
Trying to keep the Law to get right with God cuts one off from Christ, smack where the devil wants us to be. To be under Law (trying to keep the Law to get right with God) is to reject God's gift of righteousness which Christ died that we might have (2 Cor. 5:21.) It is to reject all that His death accomplished for us on the cross, including redeeming us from the curse of the Law, including all generational curses, and justifying us from "all things from which we could not be justified by the Law of Moses." See Acts 13:39.
But we still have Christians praying prayers like "I break every generational curse of my Father's house in Jesus' name" usually after deploying carnal (human effort) weapons such as vigils, neglect of the body, fasts and baths with Psalms water. But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal...
Trying to keep the Law to get right with God is to believe that we can do what God's word says is impossible in Romans 3:20 - get right with God by our own efforts. It is pride and hypocrisy because no one can ever cast the first stone. Remember James 2:10? Stumble at one point of the law and be guilty of all? God's righteousness demands that the one who simply lied about his location on the phone and the one who raped and murdered a child face the full wrath of the Law - dying they shall die. Both are in the same boat of unrighteousness.
You cannot mix law and grace. Believers, by God's grace, don't be found in the category of those who profess Christ but do not believe all that His death has accomplished for us: given us free and unlimited access to God's undeserved, unmerited favour; given us His righteousness as a gift apart from our works; every curse broken; made whole in Him; delivered from every judgment; our sins and lawless deeds remembered by God NO MORE; blessed by our heavenly Father with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ and so much more. Nothing to do with our own efforts. All FINISHED by our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Why put yourself under another yoke of bondage (the Law) to fear? There is no abundance of grace and no gift of righteousness through the One, Jesus Christ here. Christ is of no effect to anyone here.
Under Law is where the Accuser's accusations can stick (weapons prosper,) because everyone under Law is under the curse (Galatians 3:10) and subject to death. Galatians 3:10 says "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."
God is a just God. Inflexible in His Righteousness and unbending in His Holiness, He will punish every sin to the uttermost in the lives of those who are trying to keep the Law to get right with Him because they have rejected His gift of righteousness in Christ, the only brand of righteousness will suffice for escaping punishment. His righteousness demands that sin be punished to the uttermost. Those who think they can keep the Law in order to be righteous do not know how much God hates sin. He cannot abide an atom of sin in oceans of self-righteousness obtained from law-keeping. Without the Lord as our Righteousness, 100% obedience to the Law is required to avoid His wrath (See James 2:10) and no one on earth can boast of this. All under Law stand condemned and the wages of sin is death. "Stole a pin" sin or "stole an elephant" sin.
Because He loved us so and does not want us to perish as was our fate under the Law, He sent His beloved Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ to die for our sins. God punished all of our sins in His body; "...He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" according to 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Only by His undeserved, unmerited favour are made righteous in His eyes.
Believers, we re not under Law but under Grace. Romans 6:14 says "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." But somehow many in the church have it backwards, thinking that grace will cause sin to rule over one!
So how can a believer live a life of moral excellence? It is only by Grace! We find this in Titus 2 -
"11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."
It is the grace of God, personified by our Lord Jesus Christ, that is our Teacher. Grace is our Teacher, NOT YOU OR I. Preach Grace - God's undeserved, unmerited favour and Grace will do the rest. It is God's grace that teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. It is God's grace that teaches us to look forward to the blessed hope (Rapture.)
It is Christ who redeems us from every lawless deed and purifies us, not rules and regulations and "dry fast" prescriptions as was the case with the priests of the old covenant. To be redeemed from every lawless deed means that these lawless deeds have a legal right to hold the sinner captive. A price needs to be paid to be free indeed from sins - lying, stealing, sexual immorality, disrespect for parents, all sins. A price that Christ paid with His blood. Redemption can only be obtained by believing Him (that He has accomplished all that His word says He has accomplished, including making us who are truly in Him righteous apart from our works.)
Yet we see many pastors shouting at the flock to "stop sinning" and "come to Jesus." If sinners could break free from the prison of sin all by themselves (recalling that the arm of flesh will fail), why do they need to be redeemed from their lawless deeds by our Saviour? Because these part-Law part-Grace, "neither hot not cold" teachers do not walk in the shoes of these beloved of God, they tell them to "snap out of sin, or else" like closing and opening a water faucet, without revealing the love of our Saviour Jesus Christ and how, like the woman with the issue of blood, bringing their issues to Him is what will set them free. These ones say we are to heal ourselves of our issues before we touch the hem of Christ's garment!
Any results achieved by such carnal means (human effort) will be temporal. Only the blood of Jesus truly and permanently sets free from the clutches of sin. He purifies us, not our works or prescriptions from old covenant church daddies.
Believe and preach God's grace - His undeserved, unmerited favour which no man can earn by good works - and the people will Live Right. Unveil the love of Christ to even the worst sinner and he will be transformed to the image of His glory. He will be at peace, give more, pray more, praise the Lord more and reflect His glory yet not he but Christ in him. In Christ, we don't give to get; get to give. We get to live right and reign in life.
This is Grace - undeserved, unmerited favour. It swallows up sin.
Once you forsake your own filthy rags righteousnesses from works of the Law and accept God's abundance of Grace and of the gift of righteousness in Christ, you will reign in life. You will not continue to sin. Rather, your path will be like the shining sun that shines brighter unto the perfect day. You will "produce a harvest of good deeds for God." See Romans 7:4. Yet not you but Christ in you.
The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.
Believe Right and you will Live Right
All the law-keeping in the world cannot help one attain righteousness in the sight of God. This according to Romans 3:20 says "For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are."
Believers, let's be for the Law for the purpose for which it was given. This is the reason for which it was given: Galatians 3:19 - "Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins."
Romans 3:19 goes on to say "Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God."
Believers, be for the Law for the purpose for which it was given: To show our guilt and help us see our need for God's grace personified by our Saviour Jesus Christ! This is what law-keeping to get into God's good graces will cause: 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."
Trying to keep the Law to get right with God cuts one off from Christ, smack where the devil wants us to be. To be under Law (trying to keep the Law to get right with God) is to reject God's gift of righteousness which Christ died that we might have (2 Cor. 5:21.) It is to reject all that His death accomplished for us on the cross, including redeeming us from the curse of the Law, including all generational curses, and justifying us from "all things from which we could not be justified by the Law of Moses." See Acts 13:39.
But we still have Christians praying prayers like "I break every generational curse of my Father's house in Jesus' name" usually after deploying carnal (human effort) weapons such as vigils, neglect of the body, fasts and baths with Psalms water. But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal...
Trying to keep the Law to get right with God is to believe that we can do what God's word says is impossible in Romans 3:20 - get right with God by our own efforts. It is pride and hypocrisy because no one can ever cast the first stone. Remember James 2:10? Stumble at one point of the law and be guilty of all? God's righteousness demands that the one who simply lied about his location on the phone and the one who raped and murdered a child face the full wrath of the Law - dying they shall die. Both are in the same boat of unrighteousness.
You cannot mix law and grace. Believers, by God's grace, don't be found in the category of those who profess Christ but do not believe all that His death has accomplished for us: given us free and unlimited access to God's undeserved, unmerited favour; given us His righteousness as a gift apart from our works; every curse broken; made whole in Him; delivered from every judgment; our sins and lawless deeds remembered by God NO MORE; blessed by our heavenly Father with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ and so much more. Nothing to do with our own efforts. All FINISHED by our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Why put yourself under another yoke of bondage (the Law) to fear? There is no abundance of grace and no gift of righteousness through the One, Jesus Christ here. Christ is of no effect to anyone here.
Under Law is where the Accuser's accusations can stick (weapons prosper,) because everyone under Law is under the curse (Galatians 3:10) and subject to death. Galatians 3:10 says "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."
God is a just God. Inflexible in His Righteousness and unbending in His Holiness, He will punish every sin to the uttermost in the lives of those who are trying to keep the Law to get right with Him because they have rejected His gift of righteousness in Christ, the only brand of righteousness will suffice for escaping punishment. His righteousness demands that sin be punished to the uttermost. Those who think they can keep the Law in order to be righteous do not know how much God hates sin. He cannot abide an atom of sin in oceans of self-righteousness obtained from law-keeping. Without the Lord as our Righteousness, 100% obedience to the Law is required to avoid His wrath (See James 2:10) and no one on earth can boast of this. All under Law stand condemned and the wages of sin is death. "Stole a pin" sin or "stole an elephant" sin.
Because He loved us so and does not want us to perish as was our fate under the Law, He sent His beloved Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ to die for our sins. God punished all of our sins in His body; "...He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" according to 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Only by His undeserved, unmerited favour are made righteous in His eyes.
Believers, we re not under Law but under Grace. Romans 6:14 says "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." But somehow many in the church have it backwards, thinking that grace will cause sin to rule over one!
So how can a believer live a life of moral excellence? It is only by Grace! We find this in Titus 2 -
"11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."
It is the grace of God, personified by our Lord Jesus Christ, that is our Teacher. Grace is our Teacher, NOT YOU OR I. Preach Grace - God's undeserved, unmerited favour and Grace will do the rest. It is God's grace that teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. It is God's grace that teaches us to look forward to the blessed hope (Rapture.)
It is Christ who redeems us from every lawless deed and purifies us, not rules and regulations and "dry fast" prescriptions as was the case with the priests of the old covenant. To be redeemed from every lawless deed means that these lawless deeds have a legal right to hold the sinner captive. A price needs to be paid to be free indeed from sins - lying, stealing, sexual immorality, disrespect for parents, all sins. A price that Christ paid with His blood. Redemption can only be obtained by believing Him (that He has accomplished all that His word says He has accomplished, including making us who are truly in Him righteous apart from our works.)
Yet we see many pastors shouting at the flock to "stop sinning" and "come to Jesus." If sinners could break free from the prison of sin all by themselves (recalling that the arm of flesh will fail), why do they need to be redeemed from their lawless deeds by our Saviour? Because these part-Law part-Grace, "neither hot not cold" teachers do not walk in the shoes of these beloved of God, they tell them to "snap out of sin, or else" like closing and opening a water faucet, without revealing the love of our Saviour Jesus Christ and how, like the woman with the issue of blood, bringing their issues to Him is what will set them free. These ones say we are to heal ourselves of our issues before we touch the hem of Christ's garment!
Any results achieved by such carnal means (human effort) will be temporal. Only the blood of Jesus truly and permanently sets free from the clutches of sin. He purifies us, not our works or prescriptions from old covenant church daddies.
Believe and preach God's grace - His undeserved, unmerited favour which no man can earn by good works - and the people will Live Right. Unveil the love of Christ to even the worst sinner and he will be transformed to the image of His glory. He will be at peace, give more, pray more, praise the Lord more and reflect His glory yet not he but Christ in him. In Christ, we don't give to get; get to give. We get to live right and reign in life.
This is Grace - undeserved, unmerited favour. It swallows up sin.
Once you forsake your own filthy rags righteousnesses from works of the Law and accept God's abundance of Grace and of the gift of righteousness in Christ, you will reign in life. You will not continue to sin. Rather, your path will be like the shining sun that shines brighter unto the perfect day. You will "produce a harvest of good deeds for God." See Romans 7:4. Yet not you but Christ in you.
The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.
Believe Right and you will Live Right
Comments
Post a Comment