Never trust yourself. Trust in Christ.

Believer, can you imagine an air-conditioner that is not connected to electricity boasting to its maker that it can work by itself and all to prove that it loves its maker? No matter how much it tries, it cannot work unless its maker plugs it into electricity, services it and makes sure that it is in good working condition always. This is a picture of our salvation in Christ. But many of us do not know how fallen humanity is. Paul said it well in Romans 7:18- 

“For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but will-power is not enough to accomplish it.”

Remember Peter seemed to be making good on his promise to not deny Jesus at first — he slashed off someone's ear when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane, ready to defend Christ. Then his circumstances changed and he sang a different tune…three times. 

Jesus knew Peter's default mode from the start, the same as all mankind- to commit sin even though the longing to do what is right is there. But Peter had no idea that the reason why he could slash off someone's ear for Jesus (a work of the flesh which Christ does not even want!) was because he had not been tempted beyond what he could bear, otherwise he would have scampered off earlier than before his denial! Same thing with all mankind. 

With all of the knowledge of the Ten Commandments, man’s default mode is to do wickedness (Romans 3:9–18.) Of ourselves, there is no good in anyone of us. Peter knew and heard the Ten Commandments probably more than anyone reading this today, "but will-power is not enough to accomplish it." 

What is the point of rattling out sins and the Law every Sunday without pointing the hearer to the One who died to save us from our sins (Titus 2:14) and to redeem us from slavery to the law (Galatians 5:1)? We often think that "other people" who are sinning want to wallow in their sins and don't want to stop so we have to tell "them" to stop fornicating, coveting, etc- as if we are the only ones who hate sin! No friend. I believe that Romans 7:18 above is true for many sinners: people already know the law and want to be doers, "...but will-power is not enough to accomplish it." 

The more such try to keep the law in order to be saved and escape God's wrath as they are told to do in church, the more sin has dominion- "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14. But many have this verse backwards.

People need to hear about the Way out of sins. The Way has got nothing to do with our “strong moral resolve, will-power or determination” which will all fail whenever one gets tempted beyond what he can bear. The Way is Grace. Grace is a Person. His name is Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11 says of Him: 

"11 God’s marvelous grace has manifested in person, bringing salvation for everyone." 

See verse 14 of the same Titus 2: "He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

Christ came to free us from every kind of sin and to transform us to right living, just as He transformed Simon (meaning "Reed"- easily swayed by the elements) into Peter (meaning "Rock"- bold and unshakable in any kind of weather.) Those who  can transform themselves by their will-power that can never be enough do not need Grace, and only by Grace through faith are we saved. The law is not of faith.

Telling people to "stop sinning" is not enough. Telling people to "pay tithe" or "stop fornicating" or "honour your parents" so that God can bless you is quite pointless if it is not accompanied with plugging them into the "Electric Charge" that is Christ who gives life and saves from sins. People already know that sin is terrible and many desire to do right but the will-power is just not enough in any of us.

Christ says In John 15:5- “I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

See the TPT: “I am the sprouting Vine and you’re My branches. As you live in union with Me as your Source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from Me you are powerless."

Without Christ, we are as powerless as an AC without electricity and maintenance; as powerless and useless as a branch that has no source. It just can't work. 

But some might think: "I am not that bad. A person should at least try to be good and I am doing good things by my effort." Such are yet to understand that the reason why they are not wallowing in sins and seem to be able to keep the law is because they have not been tempted beyond what they can bear. See 1 Corinthians 10:12-13:

"12 So beware if you think it could never happen to you, lest your pride becomes your downfall. 13 We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust Him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously."

If God was not screening and filtering our trials, we would all see the extent of the sinfulness of human nature in ourselves. Paul addressed this in Romans 1 where a group who “suppress the truth” of righteousness by faith (verses 16-19) DEVOLVED into sin after “God lifted off His restraining hand…” —

“24 This is why God lifted off His restraining hand and let them have full expression of their sinful and shameful desires…”

Such who say they are not that bad, can keep the law or have some good in them also contradict God's word: “For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but will-power is not enough to accomplish it.” Romans 7:18.

Once a person is "plugged in" and is being "serviced and maintained" by Christ the same way you plug an AC to electricity and maintain it with good service and repair, you won't have to tell him to work well before he works well. He will automatically work well (bear fruit) because of the work of Christ in us- 

"He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds." Titus 2:14.

We are plugged in aka "abide in Christ" and get to bear much fruit when we believe John 3:16; when we believe what Romans 5:9 says of God and how He sees us in Christ: 

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

But fake pastors tell you who believe that you are no longer righteous and that you will still experience the wrath of God for the same sins that Christ died to save us from! Such tell you to "do your best" to keep the Law in order to get right with God and remain in Christ- but this is how to get separated from Christ as we see in 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."

But Christ says in John 15:5- 

“I am the sprouting Vine and you’re My branches. As you live in union with Me as your Source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from Me you are powerless."

To live separated from Christ is to be powerless and this happens when a person is trying to make himself right with God by keeping the law- smack where Satan wants everyone to be! Law and Grace cannot mix: 

in order to depend on oneself (law-keeping) as a power source for godliness and right-living as many false doctrine preachers preach today, one has to be disconnected from the power Source that is Christ. That AC that is man has only one power inlet- either by Law (human effort which is powerless aka the arm of flesh that will fail) or by Grace (undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour.)

Believer, run away from any pastor that preaches the slightest dependence on human effort (law-keeping) for godliness. This is the same strategy that Satan used to seduce Eve in the garden of Eden when he told her that she would be godly (be like God) by human effort at doing something. See the forbidden fruit as a picture of the law that many are trying so hard to obey in order to be godly in Romans 7:8-12 (MSG) -

"Don’t you remember how it was? I do, perfectly well. The law code started out as an excellent piece of work. What happened, though, was that sin found a way to pervert the command into a temptation, making a piece of “forbidden fruit” out of it. The law code, instead of being used to guide me, was used to seduce me."

Satan, through his seemingly holy ministers behind many pulpits, is still seducing many by telling them that keeping the law (a picture of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) is how to be godly. Believer, flee from such false doctrines! Like the tree, the letter kills.

Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13- "And each test is an opportunity to trust Him more,"? Sometimes, God opens our eyes to see how just how weak we are through our failures/sins as he did with Peter. Peter's three-time denial of Christ was an opportunity for him to see the futility of trusting himself. It made him see himself as we all are of ourselves. It made him trust in the Lord with all his heart -  Christ restored him personally and powerfully. He was restored and transformed by Christ, not condemned. Judas on the other hand still depended on himself with his efforts at restitution and he died.

For anyone that believes that he is not sinning because of his own will-power and wonders why "some people just won't stop sinning," beware. Such are at the stage of Peter boasting that he would never deny Christ and even seeming to make progress in his resolve by slashing of someone's ear for Jesus. Confidence in human effort at doing right is folly. The arm of flesh will fail.

Repeating laws that sinners already know by heart and telling them to go and accomplish it by will-power is quite useless. Hearing the Law alone is not enough. Remember Deut. 28:15 says- 

"However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all His commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:" 

This verse is followed by a host of curses. Notice "carefully follow all His commands"? The "all" here is not just to fill up space. Those who are trying to keep the law in order to get the blessing of Abraham and remain saved have to keep ALL of the Law. Nothing like "I will do my best to obey the Law and God will see that I have really tried and consider me and bless me" in the story of our salvation. This horrid mixture that is neither Law nor Grace is the "neither cold nor hot" that Christ spoke of in Revelation 3. One is either saved by Grace through faith or not saved at all. The law is not of faith. 

You have to be a doer of ALL the Law in order to escape the curse and have life by it. No one can be a doer by human effort. To be a doer, you have to do ALL. But James 2:10 says: 

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law yet stumble at one point, he is guilty of all." 

Most of us do not even know the over 600 laws of the Torah talk less of keeping them all. For any who depend on the Law: so you don't fornicate or murder but you wish for your kids to go to school abroad like Atiku's kids? You are guilty of the tenth commandment- You shall not covet- and thus guilty of ALL. This might not seem fair since murder is a worse sin.... until you realise that the reason why you are not committing murder for a living is because you have not been tempted beyond what you can bear. Let's not be like Peter who boasted that he would never deny Christ but ended up doing so three times. By grace, let's see the futility of trusting in the flesh (human effort). Given the right circumstances, anybody is capable of committing the worst sins.

Believer, let's be for the Law for the purpose for which it was given: Romans 3:- 

"19 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. 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."

Also Galatians 3:19- "Well then, why were the laws given? They were added after the promise was given, to show men how guilty they are of breaking God’s laws. But this system of law was to last only until the coming of Christ, the Child to whom God’s promise was made...."

The law was not given for us to keep in order to be righteous or saved or "make heaven." The law was given to show us how sinful we are so we can see that we all need God's saving Grace.The letter kills. In fact, boasting in one's ability to keep the Law like Peter did gives Satan the opportunity to sift a person like wheat. Failure is always the result because “There is none righteous…” (Romans 3:10.) But pride in the arm of flesh that will fail deceives many. Proverbs 16:18 counsels us:

“Your boast becomes a prophecy of a future failure. The higher you lift up yourself in pride, the harder you’ll fall in disgrace."

No sin is beneath anybody. The arm of flesh will fail. The potential to commit heinous crimes is in everybody. God sees this potential and how favourable circumstances can make some people think that some sins are beneath them and that they can keep the law for whatever reason.

This is what happens to anyone who is trying to keep the Ten Commandments for Salvation:

“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 5:4.

The Law is not of faith. Romans 3 says of God: 

"26...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."

In Christ, we are not under law but under Grace where sin shall not have dominion over you- "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14. But many have this verse backwards. 

The Law cannot save anybody or help you to live right. The Law makes no concessions for anybody. The Law will tell you what to do and all who try to get right with God by the law will fail: "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." Romans 3:20.

Romans 7:6 says: "Now, however, we are free from the Law, because we died to that which once held us prisoners."

Mr. Law will adjudge you guilty, condemn and imprison you as soon as you start a relationship with him for whatever reason. The letter kills. Pride in human effort (the arm of flesh) makes many believe that they can keep even the tiniest bit of it…until God lifts His restraining hand and eyes get opened like Peter's did after he denied Christ. 

Bride of Christ, 1 Peter 2:3 tells us of our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ: "By His divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the One who called us by His own honor and glory.”

Under Grace, we have EVERYTHING we need to live a life of moral excellence that exceeds even that which the law demands THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST and NOT through the knowledge of the law.

Believer, NEVER TRUST YOURSELF. Trust in the Lord who  will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear and is the Way of escape from every test, trial and temptation.

Only when we receive God's abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ do we get to “live in triumph over sin and death through the One, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17.

When the love of God, expressed in His undeserved, unmerited favour (Grace - our Saviour Jesus Christ) towards us, is unveiled from the pulpit, the people will live right. We love because He first loved us. Under Grace, we have all the moral excellence we need to live a life of morality. 

By Grace, let's keep on believing that "By His divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the One who called us by His own honor and glory.”

By grace, let’s keep on believing Galatians 5:1- “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”

In Christ, we have been freed from the law, not so that we should go on sinning sprees as many who try to redefine God's saving Grace say but that we should live in triumph over sin and death through Jesus Christ:

"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." Romans 5:17.

Right believing always produces right living.