The One Who Has Faith in Jesus Christ

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:21-26 ESV)

I believe that the subject of “law and grace” is one of the most difficult and complicated subjects in the New Testament Scriptures, and one of the most widely misinterpreted and abused and misused of all the Scriptures, too, especially for all of us who did not grow up as Jews during the time period prior to Jesus’ death on that cross and his resurrection from the dead when he did away with the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification and dietary laws, including the requirement for circumcision.

For many people today, possibly the majority here in America, are interpreting these verses to say that we are no longer under any law, and therefore we do not have to submit to Christ as Lord, and we do not have to repent of (turn away from) our sins, and that we do not have to obey God at all. And if we read these verses out of the context of the whole of the teachings in the book of Romans, I can see where people might come to that conclusion, which is why context is critical to correct biblical understanding.

But if we read the whole of the book of Romans, and the whole of the teachings in the New Testament, that should dispel that notion. For we will learn that faith in Jesus Christ = obedience to his commands under the New Covenant, which are primarily his moral laws which never went away. And we will learn that if we do not obey our Lord’s commandments (New Covenant) that we do not have salvation from sin, we don’t know God, and we do not have eternal life with God, regardless of what we profess.

So when this teaches salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, that faith is not lawless. We just aren’t under the Old Covenant liturgical laws that the Jews of old had to obey. For this faith comes from God, it is not of our own doing, it is perfected by Christ, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God to do the will of God for our lives. But we are not saved by doing a list of ceremonial laws and works that have nothing to do with our salvation from sin. Yet our salvation is not absent of works, for we still have to obey God.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Titus 2:14]

For what is the righteousness of God? It is divine approval, the approval of God, and it is what is deemed right by the Lord, i.e. what is approved in his eyes. And all throughout the New Testament we learn that what God approves is us surrendered to him to do his will, doing what he commands us to do, dying to sin daily, and walking in obedience to his commands in holy living and no longer in sinful rebellion against the Lord. And if we hold on to sin and we don’t obey him, we do not have eternal life in him.

And what is God’s grace? His grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works,” “which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10; cf. Romans 2:6-8; Philippians 2:12-13).

And what is redemption? It has to do with God buying us back from our lives of slavery to sin and winning us back to him and to his righteousness and holiness. It involves us being rescued from what enslaved us so that we can now live for our Lord and honor him with our lives. It is about deliverance from our old lives of living in sin so that we can now live holy lives, pleasing to God. And to be reconciled to God means that we change from living in sin and for self to now following our Lord in obedience to his commands.

And what was the gospel that Jesus taught? He said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands, then we have the hope of eternal life with God. But if we deny him with our lives then when he returns he will deny us (see Luke 9:23-26).

So, we are not under the Old Covenant liturgical and ceremonial laws. We do not have to obey them as the Jews of old had to. But faith in Jesus Christ is obedience to him and to his commands under the New Covenant, and it is walking in holiness and in righteousness, and it is dying daily to sin and living for the Lord in doing whatever it is that he commands us to do. For by faith we die to our old lives of living in sin so that we now walk by faith in obedience to our Lord in holy living, which is pleasing to God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

He Gives Purpose  

An Original Work / June 9, 2012

“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.

Obey freely My word.

Follow Me in all of My ways.

Do all that I say.

Hear Me gently whisper to you

My will for your life and future.

Give all of your life and heart to

Follow Me always.”

Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.

He’s your Lord and Master.

He died for your sins so you could

Live with Him today.

He has a plan for your life and

He gives purpose and direction.

He gives meaning to your life,

So follow Him today.

“I love you so much I gave My life for

You to walk in My ways,

Living for Me each day as you

Bow to Me and pray.

Witness for Me of your love for Me and

Of My grace and mercy,

How I died to save you of your

Sins now and always.”

https://vimeo.com/119038798