John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a part and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift, for while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
Romans 4:13-16 (Amplified) says, "For the Promise to Abraham or his posterity, that he should inherit the world, did not come through observing the commandments of the Law but through the Righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the Law who are to be the heirs, then faith is made futile and empty of all meaning and the Promise of God is made void, is annulled and has no power for the Law results in Divine wrath, but where there is no Law there is no transgression of it either Therefore, inheriting the Promise is the outcome of faith and depends entirely on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of Grace (unmerited favor) to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the devotees (adherents) of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is thus the father of us all."
Romans 1:17 (Amplified) tells us, "For in the Gospel as righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith), As it is written; The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
We must be declared and made righteous by the righteousness that God ascribes, by our faith and not by the works of the Law. This doesn't mean we're not to do or live in righteous works, but that we do the works in righteous and not to obtain righteousness. We were made or created in righteousness in Christ Jesus. When we substitute and perform works to become righteous in God, we are trying to obtain righteousness within ourselves, instead of God's Grace. No man was made righteous by the Law and when we try to obtain righteousness by work (which is Law), we make the Righteousness that God ascribes, void in our lives.
Paul writes about this in Romans 3:10 (Amplified), saying, "Well then, are we Jews superior and better off than they? No, not at all. We have already charge that all men, both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles), are under sin (held down by and subject to it's power and control), As it is written, None is righteous (just and truthful and upright and conscientious), No not one."
The above scripture clearly tells us that the Law couldn't "make" men righteous in God's eyes. Paul writes again to the Church in Romans 3:23-24 (Amplified) saying, "Since all have sinned and are fallen short of the honor and Glory which God bestows and receives. All are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His Grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the Redemption which is provided in Christ Jesus."
Romans 10:17 (Amplified) tells us, "So faith comes by hearing what is told, and what is heard comes by the preaching of the Message that came from the lips of Christ (the Messiah Himself)." We've been hearing more about the Law from preachers and teachers, instead of hearing about God's Grace and His Truth. This has left the Church living in the old covenant under Law, instead of the new covenant under Grace. We're still trying to be good enough to receive the Promises, by our works, rather than simply receiving the Truth of the fulfillment of the Promises by faith.
We can't earn what Grace has provided, by our own merits. Such things as healing, answered prayer, and peace with God, must be by faith that it might be by Grace. This doesn't mean that we're not to do righteous deeds. We don't do them in order to become righteous, but we do them because we are righteous in Christ Jesus.
We can walk righteous and do right things before God, because we've been made righteous through Jesus. Righteous means we came come into God's Presence without guilt shame or condemnation. Jesus and His Righteous has restored us. to where we now have the right to come before the Father, like Jesus could come before Him. Our trying to become righteous, reveals our lack of trusting God's Grace to make us righteous.
Paul writes about our trusting in God's Grace to become righteous in His eyes, because of Jesus' Sacrifice in Hebrews 4:9-10 (Amplified). After bringing the people out of Egypt, God intended for them to rest in His Grace and allow Him to provide everything they would need in the Wilderness. They wouldn't accept by faith, His Grace to provide though. Thus Paul says, "For then, there is still awaiting a full and complete Sabbath-Rest reserved for the true people of God. For he who has once entered God's Rest also has ceased from the weariness and pain of human labors, just as God rested from those labors peculiarly His Own."
God has made His new creation people and has rested from His labor, like He did after the first creation in Genesis. God considers His work is finished, because the full Redemption of mankind was laid upon Jesus Christ. We know that the "Promises of God are now Yes and Amen" to us, through Jesus, according to 2Corinthians 1:19-20 (Amplified) which says, "For the Son of God, Jesus (the Messiah), Who has been preached among you by us (by myself, Silvanus, and Timothy), was not yes and no, but in Him is always the Divine Yes. For as many as are the Promises of God, they all find their Yes answer in Him (Christ). For this reason we also utter the Amen (So be it), to God through Him (in His Person and by His Agency), TO THE GLORY OF GOD."
God receives glory, when we simply by faith, receive the Fulfillment of His Promises through Jesus. God doesn't receive glory from our human abilities or works or our trying to do for ourselves, what He has rested from through Jesus. Grace is the unearned and undeserved favor of God working in our lives. Grace is a Gift, which we receive by our faith in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ. When we try adding to His Grace by our works, we're demonstrating our unbelief that Jesus was enough to fully make us righteous and free from sin, death, sickness or the works of satan. We continue trying to add a P.S. at the end of His Finished Work, adding our own ideas to it. It's not the cross and our good works. It's the cross without any of our good works. We don't need to add our own ideas to salvation, in order to make it valid in God's eyes.
We are to govern ourselves by His Word and His Spirit. Laws and rituals that appeal to the flesh and make us feel better, don't work. 2Timothy 3:16 (Amplified) says, "The true sons of God are supposed to learn, walk and govern themselves by God's Word. Every scripture is God-breathed, and given by His Inspiration and profitable for instruction for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteous, in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose and action."
We are the righteousness of God in Christ are are to receive from His Word, whatever we have need of by His Grace, to provide all we need and walk with Him in rest and peace. Don't allow yourself to be brought back under the Law of performance, but walk in God's liberty of Grace. This doesn't mean we can do anything we choose to do and be hedonists, but allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, receive His Word and walk in His Righteousness.
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