“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes of the Gentiles also” (Romans 3:28-29).
Many people have a hard time accepting something without working for it. In many cases, that’s true. For instance, if you want to eat and buy food, you need to have a job and work in order to earn money. In matters of faith, though, you cannot work in order to earn salvation. Jesus paid the full price for our redemption, and there’s no amount of works we can do in order to make us holy or bring salvation.
Our faith should encourage us to do good things for others, but any good works we do need to be done for God’s glory and not our own. Our faith should show in our actions, but that’s not where our salvation lies. Good works might consist of helping someone who has a flat tire, or if you see someone fall, help them to their feet. Whatever you do, do it in the name of Jesus.
“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18).
We must remember that humans have a sin nature that makes all of us very unclean. Our righteousness only comes from Jesus. Whatever good things we do, they must be done in Jesus’ name. If you don’t get a pat on the back for some marvelous work you’ve done, remember that it should have been done to bring glory to Christ.
When Paul wrote a letter to the Galatians, he was writing to Christians who knew their salvation was by faith, but they had listened to false teachers who were trying to go back under the Law. We see the same thing in our modern times. How many people do you know who will only worship on Saturday, or women who feel they must wear a head covering, or only wear dresses? I’ve noticed that the denominations which require such things pick and choose which part of the Law they feel they must follow.
When God gave the Law to Moses, keeping the Sabbath was one of the Commandments. God also said, “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:16-17).
If you want to worship on Saturday, you are free to do so, but don’t do it because you think you’re obeying the law. Jesus did things on the Sabbath that were opposed to the strict following of the Law in order to make a point. We are saved by grace through faith, not by works. Remember, Christianity is not a religion; it is faith in the saving grace of Jesus.
Jesus was born into a Jewish family and culture. That wasn’t an accident. The nation of Israel was taken out of the Gentiles and given the Law to teach them God’s expectations. God chose them to bring the Messiah into the world. He came first to the nation of Israel, and when they rejected Him, salvation by faith was opened to the Gentiles. I’m very thankful for that fact, but I feel deep concern for the nation of Israel.
The Gentile nations were pagans who worshipped idols and sacrificed children to their demon gods. We still hear of the Roman and Greek gods, such as Venus, Hercules, Athena, Mars, Neptune, and others. The Egyptian gods were as wicked as the Greek and Roman gods. The children of Israel had been captive in Egypt for many years, and when they were finally freed from slavery, God had to teach them His ways and move them away from the pagan Egyptian lifestyle they were used to. God took them out of Egypt; now Egypt had to come out of them. The Law was given to them as a schoolmaster to teach them how to please God.
“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:23-25).
The moral laws haven’t changed, but Jesus was the final sacrifice to take sin away; His pure blood was the final sacrifice. It’s still sin to kill, or to blaspheme God, or to commit sexual sin. Learn from the Law, and know how to live a moral life.
One day a group of people asked Jesus what works they could do for God. The Jewish Law required works in order to be righteous before God, and they wanted to know about works.
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:28-29).
Christianity isn’t about works or religion, but about faith. They understood religion, but not faith. Religion carries a set of rules – do this, don’t do that, cross yourself, wear a head covering, etc. Faith is belief in Jesus. The problem is that work is never finished, and man’s solution is temporary.
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30).
You can either believe in what Jesus did for you on the cross, or you can believe in your own works for salvation. Works cannot bring salvation, so I choose Jesus.
Does our freedom in Christ mean that we can sin all we want and still please God? That’s not what it means at all; we don’t have a license to sin.
“For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:13-14).
We have freedom, but we must use our freedom wisely. Sin only glorifies Satan, and doesn’t glorify God at all. Look around and you’ll see the evil caused by sin. When you watch movies that are filled with sin and violence, does that put God’s love in your heart? When you listen to heavy metal music singing about the highway to Hell, is God glorified? When you listen to or watch sin-filled entertainment, you aren’t drawn closer to God, but pulled away down the path of darkness.
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7).
Fellowship with Jesus is much more satisfying than fellowship with Satan, and Jesus loves you. Pray that the Holy Spirit will be your guide and listen to His voice. Study Scripture so that you can know God better and know what pleases Him.
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law” (Galatians 5:16-18).
We need to make a choice to follow the Light instead of stumbling in darkness. Take a harsh look at your way of life, repent of the things which aren’t Godly, and pray the Holy Spirit will help you to put the way of the world behind you. What are some of the things the world wants you to do?
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).
These things are promoted in most movies and songs today. Put it all behind you, and move forward in the Spirit. A life filled with the joy of the Lord is very satisfying.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
At first, it will take effort on your part to turn away from the lust that the world offers, but if you claim to be a Christian, then be led by the Spirit in all you say and do. Do this out of your love and gratitude for what Christ has done for you, not as a set of religious rules that cannot save you.
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:24-26).
Living by faith is a much more pleasant way to live. Pleasing God, not the world, brings a satisfaction to your life that you won’t find anywhere else. You won’t find it in the local bar, or in a religion that requires works to prove your salvation.
The Apostle Paul, and indeed all of the Apostles, understood what it meant to leave the world behind and to walk by faith. They lost friends and family, but gained the peace of God and eternal life.
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
Live by faith, not by works. Do the work of God, which is believing in the One He sent. Believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Think on things of God.
If you’re a Christian, then you’re saved by grace through the faith you have in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. No work you do can compare to what Jesus did.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
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All original Scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).