Right believing in Jesus Christ always produces right living

Believers, when you jump into a pool without your clothes on, there's no way you can avoid getting wet. Nobody has to order you to get wet when you are submerged in water. Same principle applies with living a righteous life under Grace through Christ. When you are under God's Grace, you will live a righteous life. Being under Grace without living in triumph over sin and death/having works of faith to show for it is as impossible as being submerged in water unclad without getting wet. God works His will and the ability to do His good pleasure in us (Philippians 2:13). Without trying or knowing it, we bear fruit to God through no effort of ours. Christ in us does it all.

This is why you won't find believers in Christ boasting about how "I sowed my car and God gave me a jet." For all of our works of faith and every blessing that we FREELY receive from our heavenly Father, Christ gets all the glory.

Imagine a person being in an impregnable prison (of sin) and a rescuer comes along and says "I will save you from this prison (of addictions, sin and disobedience), but only if you save yourself first."

Imagine that you've got diarrhoea that's so bad that you can't hold the poop for a second. You hear about a doctor who can make you well but you don't know how to hook up with this doctor. A fellow comes along and offers to introduce you, but tells you that you have to heal yourself of the diarrhoea and also smell of roses before you can see the doctor. If you could heal yourself, why on earth would you still need to see the doctor?

See Christ's response to the law-full Pharisees who accused Him of eating with tax collectors and notorious sinners-

"When Jesus heard this, He told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Mark 2:17.

There is none righteous; no, not one. We all need God's saving Grace.

Believers, if we could save ourselves from the bondage of sin and addiction and be godly by our own power, Jesus would not have needed to come and rescue us! Recall that Satan did not tempt Eve to lie or steal. He deceived her into trying to be godly (be like God) by her own human effort, this when she and Adam were made in God's likeness! This same antichrist and false doctrine is the message that many churches preach today:

"Now that you are born-again, you have to do your best to keep the Law, not for justification but in order for you to live a godly life."

See the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as a picture of the Law that many churchgoers are trying to keep in order to be godly today in Romans 7:8-12 (MSG.) Just like the tree, the letter kills. All it takes to kill is to depend on any part of it in order to obtain godly characteristics.

Some who teach the antichrist doctrine of trying to attain godliness by human effort as Adam and Eve were deceived into doing mean well and want people to live right. Unfortunately, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Right Living does not come from obedience to the Law that kills. It comes through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We don't need Hagar (the Law) to bring up Isaac (Believers in Christ). Sarah (Grace) is enough!

Maintaining our salvation and godliness by ourselves is like asking a child who has the great Physician as his father (and has no clue about medicine) to treat himself when he gets sick! He'll probably kill himself. We think we have a clue but see what God's word says about that will-power to live a godly life that many trust in as was Paul's experience 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."

God's word says human effort (the arm of flesh) will fail, is powerless and cannot. But Pride in the arm of flesh (human effort at obedience) that will fail says:

"No, I can. God must be wrong. I still have some good in me. I can keep the law and resist temptation to commit sin by my will-power. I can and I must do works to prove that I have faith. Since I can do it, others must too. They are just lazy and love to sin.”

Favourable circumstances make many pridefully feel that "I can never do that" but God's mercy is the "skeleton" that prevents man from crumpling into the sins-ridden mass of flesh that he is of himself.

We often put the cart before the horse - we think that we must do good works by our useless "arm of flesh" in order to belong to Jesus/maintain our salvation. The reverse is the case - believing in Jesus and accepting God's gift of righteousness and no condemnation through Christ is what makes us "go and sin no more." This is why Jesus came, to deliver us from sin and death! This is how God the Righteous Judge sees all who believe in Him:

"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." Romans 5:9.

Because Jesus took our place, we are always in right standing with our Heavenly Father. In Him, we are the righteousness of God in Christ. Nothing we do or don't do can change this for all who believe it, because we did not earn it to begin with. It is undeserved, unmerited favour. If you are "playing your part" by obeying the law in order to get right with God or to get godly characteristics (be like God,) Christ becomes of no effect to you - 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."

Beloved of God, Grace is a Person. His name is Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11 says of Him:

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

Verse 14 of the same Titus 2 says: "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."

Believers, our salvation and transformation is by the Grace of God, not by our self-efforts aka the arm of flesh that will fail. This is why it is by Grace - undeserved, unmerited favour. Ask our Lord God for wisdom today. Ask Him to erase the wrong theology and traditions that you have believed. Tell Him you desire to not lean on your own understanding. Trust wholly in Him with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. He will help you and direct your path! In Him, we get to live in triumph over sin and death-

"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 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 5:16-17.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.