The Law condemns the best of us; Grace saves the worst of us.

Believers, remember Romans 2:13- "(for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;" See the NLT version: "For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in His sight."

Clearly in order to be righteous in the sight of God, one needs to obey the law! But perfect, 100% obedience is required if one's righteousness is from the law; a perfect obedience that is impossible for man to achieve according to Romans 3:20- "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."

The Law does not grade on the curve. The Law does not say "I see that you have really tried your best to keep me so because of your effort, hard work and good intentions, I will give you a pass mark." This is how the Law grades those who are under it: James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law yet stumble at one point, he is guilty of all."

No matter how hard we try to keep the law and "do good things" in order to be righteous, we will always fall short. All the law-keeping and good works in the world cannot make anybody righteous before God. Even people who are not born-again can have a high sense of morality and do good things, but these works cannot save anybody or make us right with God. They only serve to cut one off from Christ. See 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."

Bear in mind that Paul wrote this to Christians and not unbelievers. This verse is for people in the church, not outsiders. Believers, don't be deceived by Satan's ministers of righteousness whose end is according to their works (2 Cor. 11:14-15.) Just as Satan deceived Eve into believing that she could be godly by her own human effort (eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,) these ministers of righteousness by works try to deceive many into thinking that they can be godly (be like God) by doing their best to obey the law (which gives knowledge of good and evil.) But the result of doing this is being cut off from Christ and sin having dominion over one; remember "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:14. Only under grace does sin lose its power over one.

Believers, let's not be found under law where sin multiplies! Our own obedience of the law of Moses cannot make anyone righteous before God says Romans 3:20. We are made righteous by the obedience of Christ, as it is written in Romans 5:19-

"For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous."

We are made righteous when we believe that God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor. 5:21.

This is the only brand of righteousness that cuts it with our Abba Father. Presenting own puny efforts at keeping the law is akin to but infinitely worse than a condemned person offering a king a cold glass of water with dashes of her feces or menstrual blood in it so that the king can pardon her and make her his daughter; this AFTER the king gave his own son to die for her for this same purpose. Sorry about the graphic details😇 Even we are irritated by this. How much more God the Righteous! But this is what many in the church are doing today- trying to fulfill the law that Christ died to fulfil for His church. 

From doers of the law, God expects perfect righteousness without which they cannot be accepted by Him. No one can achieve this perfect righteousness by works so no one can be accepted in this manner. But glory be to God for His grace "by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:6. For all who believe, this is our truth: Romans 3-

"23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

But does this mean that we can continue to wallow in sin? Certainly not! Only when we receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness can we live in triumph over sin. The more we try to keep the law, the more sin will increase (See Romans 7:4-5.) This seems illogical to many, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Cor. 1:18.

Romans 5:17 shows us the logic of heaven:

"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ."

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.