The difference between "dead works" and "works of faith."

With dead works, one can boast e.g. "God rewarded me with a job and money because I paid my tithe, washed church toilet and obeyed the Ten Commandments." Notice no Christ saving in the equation? It's all about the person and his works. Notice the contradiction of Romans 8:32-

"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 with works of faith, one cannot boast in the flesh (human effort.) God gives us ALL things FREELY with Christ. He is our Source of righteousness and our power to "live in triumph over sin and death" (Romans 5:17.) Because of His sacrifice for us, we don't HAVE TO live right aka depend on the arm of flesh that will fail at keeping the law. In Him, we GET TO live right. In Him, we get to love, give, do exploits and live a life of moral excellence that exceeds that which the law demands, yet not us but Christ in us. Our boast is in Christ alone and not human striving like the Pharisees who disregarded Christ and His finished work. See Ephesians 2:8-10-

"For it was only through this wonderful grace that we believed in Him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! 9 So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving."

Pastors and leaders, only the blood of Jesus has the power to set us free from sin and cause us to serve the living God in the way He wants us to; not more law-keeping or more lists of dos and don'ts! This according to Hebrews 9:14-

"how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

Dead works are things done get into God's good books or score points in righteousness AFTER God gave His own Son up for us to make us right with Himself, e.g. telling people to use the Ten Commandments as their standard of righteousness, fast or sow seed in order to get God to bless them or escape His wrath. Notice no finished work of Christ in the equation? See how Isaiah describes all these works in Isaiah 64:6-

"We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight."

In Christ, we are not under law but under grace where sin does not have dominion over us! The more people are told to obey the law and do things by human effort to get right with God or receive from Him, 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.

See Romans 8:32- "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?"

In Christ, God's blessings upon us are given FREELY, without terms and conditions like sowing seed, being sin-free by human effort, paying tithe or whatever. Matthew 1:21 says of our Saviour Jesus Christ:

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

God's Grace (Christ Himself) is not a license to continue in sin! Never! He is the Way out of a sinful life to one of Right Living! He came to save us from our sins. Let's take our blessed brains to church: How can a Saviour who came to save us from our sins use those very sins that He came to save us from as an excuse for not saving us? This is akin to an oncologist dad refusing to treat his own beloved child who has cancer and even punishing his child....because his child has cancer.

In Christ, God gave us His gift of righteousness and supplies us with His Spirit- the only "chemo" that can get rid of the cancer of sin as well as its effects in our lives. His eyes burn at sin but radiate perfect love for the sinner who believes.

Christ came to save us from those very sins that some false doctrine preachers say are a barrier to receiving from God. Such say you "fall from grace" when you sin but see how God's word says a person falls from grace:

"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.

Our sins are what qualify us for God's abundant Grace. And all have sinned. No matter who we are, we were all destined for hell until Jesus came and became sin for us. Based on His sacrifice, Romans 5:9 says of God:

"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 false doctrine peddlers say you are no longer righteous because you sinned and that God will pour His wrath on you unless you redo the "one time" sacrifice of Jesus! Believer, understand that this side of heaven, no one can EVER be sin-free by human effort. Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd will never abandon we His sheep because we fell or defecated on ourselves. Until Christ comes for His saints, this is what He said He is doing in our lives:

"Jesus said, “Don’t bicker among yourselves over Me. You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent Me is in charge. He draws people to Me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do My work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End."

God's gift of righteousness to us in Christ everlasting and apart from works. Romans 3:21 says:

"But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago."

Some people read this and act like we who are under Grace invented it. Such DISBELIEVE GOD'S WORD and say things like:

"So we can just go and be sinning anyhow? So I can go and kill someone and God won't mind? We have to keep the Law in order to be holy."

To such, we ask the question: why would you deliberately become sick just to enjoy the cure?

Jesus came for the sick, not those who have their sin act together by themselves (Mark 2.) His "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "go and sin no more."

Believing things like "God blessed me because I paid my tithe and don't fornicate or lie" is a testament to being under law where sin has dominion. All these "good things" done to get into God's good books are like a menstrual rag in His sight. See Isaiah 64:6-

"We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight."

With Christ, there is nothing like: "Now that you are born-again, you have to keep the Ten Commandments or else, hell."

Jesus said in John 5:19 - "The Son can do nothing of Himself. He can do only what He sees His Father doing."

In Christ, we have received the Spirit of sonship from our Heavenly Father. We are now children of God. "As Christ is, so are we in this world."

With Christ as our righteousness and forsaking that which comes from our puny efforts at obeying the law just as Paul did in Philippians, we GET TO do what our Heavenly Father does. And what He does is LOVE! So we love! It's difficult for you to desire to do things that can hurt people that you love.

When the love of Christ and His gift of righteousness and no condemnation (check out the story of the adulterous woman!) is constantly unveiled to the people from the pulpit, they will Live Right. They will not desire to continue in sin! 2 Corinthians 3:18 says "But we all, 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."

The transformation happens through the power of the Holy Spirit, not by beating the sheep or levying the sheep with more rules and regulations or forcing acts of "godliness" down their throats and condemning them because they can't do it! Of course we can't!This is why Jesus died for us! If we could handle sin on our own, we wouldn't need our Saviour! Matthew 1:21 says of Him:

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

And with our Jesus, it's all or nothing. If you feel that you still have some good in you, you don't qualify for His grace. Our Lord God justifies the ungodly, not those who feel they can keep even just a tiny part or the Ten Commandments on their own!

The Holy Spirit transforms us. The transformation happens when we are "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord"- when we look at our lives and see ourselves as what God gave His own Son to make us- the righteousness of God in Christ, despite our flaws, because His righteousness is a gift to all those in Christ.

The Holy Spirit transforms us from glory to glory; changes us from inside out. The Law cannot transform anyone. In fact, the essence of the law is to show man how sinful he is, not to save - Galatians 3:19

"Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people."

The Ten Commandments was not given for us to keep in order to be righteous before God, "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.

This is how we are made right with God and escape His wrath: Romans 5:9

"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."

Pastors and leaders, Pharoah could not resist the blood of the lamb ( a shadow and type of our Lord Jesus Christ) which ensured that Israel was delivered from bondage in Egypt. By the same token, only the blood of Jesus can deliver from today's "Egypt" of the bondage of sinful living, the power of darkness, addiction and molestation of the enemy. Not our efforts to stop sinning or more law-keeping and condemnation, which kill. Our salvation has got nothing to do with our efforts. It's all to do with Jesus!

Jesus said "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

But what is the kingdom of God? Romans 14:17 tells us that it is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! As believers in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in us. We are God's righteousness in Christ (His righteousness, not ours, which are like filthy rags). We have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. In Christ, we are partakers of the kingdom of God! Colossians 1:13 "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood,the forgiveness of sins."

All other things - including the grace to live according to His will - are added unto us! Nothing to do with us. All to do with Jesus.

Believer, by Grace, stop trusting in dead works (works of the law) to get you salvation from hell and earthly ills. This action will only cause sin to strengthen its grip over your life:

"For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14.

Satan knows this so his ministers in many churches have been actively preaching keeping the Ten Commandments to get right with God as the way of salvation for a long, long time. No friend. This way seems right to common sense, but it is the way to death that Proverbs 14:12 speaks of:

"There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."

The letter (the Law) kills. The Spirit gives life and with the Spirit of the Lord, it is neither by might nor by power. Believer, this is the crux of the message of Christ: RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH. Romans 3 gives a summary of the message of Christ. It 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."

"The law is not of faith" is a popular bible verse. Trying to obey the law in order to get right with God is the definition of faithlessness. But this is illogical to many:

"For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18.

Believer, trust in Christ to save you from your sins and cause you to live right. This is what He came to do:

"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.

By grace, let's not deceive ourselves like Peter who thought he could keep the law - "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" - but ended up denying Christ three times. The reason why we are not committing particular sins and why many think they can keep the law (dead works) is because God did not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear - 1 Cor. 10:13. The arm of flesh will fail. Never trust yourself. Trust in the Lord with all your heart!

Believe Right and you will Live Right!