Growing in Grace

992. Faith Without Works Is Very Much Alive

Someone who out-performs the majority of Christians with extraordinary works and extends compassion towards others outwardly, could do so with great consistency without ever having claimed to believe in Jesus Christ. They could demonstrate what appears to be fruitful behavior through their works and actions without having faith that brings justification. On the other hand, a believer in Jesus Christ may have faith without demonstrating it outwardly in ways that we or certain religious people thi...

991. Boasting in Works? Let's Talk Justification - By Grace Through Faith Alone

Understanding that James did not have a full revelation of grace apart from the law of Moses at the time he penned his letter to believers from the 12 tribes of Israel will clear up much confusion for Bible readers. After offering his perspective on Abraham in the attempt to make his case for law, he said this: "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." Is that the good news everyone was waiting to hear? On the other hand, Paul also used Abraham as his example when h...

990. Faith Counted as Righteousness: God Justifies the One Who Does Not Work - But Believes

When it comes to righteousness as a gift from God, the "faith without works" crowd struggles to explain their inconsistent approach. Some will appear to speak words about God's grace while later their lips leak legalism because the mindsets they have been clinging to are based upon false assumptions that have been hammered into them by the church Doctrine Department. If one who believes in Christ doesn't have works, does this mean their faith is phony and not genuine? The Apostle Paul didn't see...

989. Why Do People Gravitate Towards Religious Rules and Law?

Paul wrote to the Galatians with the motivation to help turn them back to grace and the ministry of the Spirit that he had introduced to them. They had come freely to Christ by faith alone and received the Spirit apart from works ... but they would later be solicited by believing Jews who warned them they also needed certain applications from the law of Moses—starting with circumcision. It got us thinking about a question that may be difficult to answer: What if they had never been approached by...

988. Considering the Words of Jesus in Context

Christians today may often have the idea that Jesus was always speaking directly to us. If we start getting honest with ourselves and take a close look at some of the words He was speaking—especially to the disciples—we'll begin to see a religious and blinding veil lifted, and consider who He was speaking to, when He said it, and why He said what He said. The mixing of law and grace has been a common issue for a long time ... and much of it will have to do with misunderstanding the mission of Je...

987. Doing Everything Jesus Said (Hypocrisy Exposed)

When church folks advocate and attempt to indoctrinate that we are required to keep and obey *everything* Jesus said, there is a very apparent and glaring problem with this mindset. You may have noticed ... *they aren't doing it themselves.* Hypocrisy is exposed but usually ignored, as the very thing they are touting is really just a selective version of pick and choose as they deceive themselves into thinking they are "doers" who end up landing in a pile of filthy rags known as self-righteousne...

986. Jesus: "Observe All That I Commanded You" (Uh Oh)

We pulled an email from the archives that we received from a listener who was explaining that their pastor believes the "sermon on the mount" was a teaching from Jesus that was meant as a list of new instructions—a Christian thing for future believers to follow and obey. They arrived at that conclusion because of something Jesus said to His disciples after the resurrection: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Sp...

985. Fully Accomplished: The Law, The Prophets and The Psalms Fulfilled

Jesus told His disciples that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill. And what was meant when He said that not one jot or tittle will pass from the law? Does this contradict what Paul said about the law having been abolished by Jesus in His flesh? For those who might suggest the words of Jesus in Matthew 5 imply that the Mosaic law continues to function in some way, shape or form ... they may want to pause and carefully examine what that would look like—every jot and ...

984. The End of the Mosaic Law Brought a New and Permanent High Priest

Nullified. Cancelled. Abolished. Annulled. Set aside. Ended. Obsolete. After the cross and resurrection, these are some words used to describe the Mosaic law of stone tablet commandments contained in ordinances within a covenant between God and the Jewish people. It had a purpose for a certain period of time but was destined to reach an expiration date ... which was until the time of Christ and His fulfilling of the law and the prophets. Some misunderstood or misinterpreted writings within the N...

983. The Law Nullified Brought a New and Permanent Priesthood

The world is filled with people wanting to know they are forgiven and in right standing with God. Even professing believers in Jesus may struggle in fear and uncertainty. The foundation of the Christian religion is sometimes a confusing mishmash of works and faith which often puts the focus on behavior and a modernized version of law keeping. Just exactly what is it that changed when Jesus shed blood and was declared to be the one and only eternal High Priest? Something significant changed and i...

982. We Can't Undo the Work of the Cross (The New Covenant Guarantee Cannot Fail)

We've received some heartbreaking letters over the years from people living in fear and torment. Much of this is because of misinformation being communicated from those claiming to be educated Bible teachers. Some are leading a local church, while others are quite popular nationally, with books, big churches, and TV or radio ministries. Some even prefer to be called "doctor." There are far too many people today who have been told that their salvation and justification is not guaranteed ... that ...

981. Work Harder and Run Faster (Or Try Resting)

Jewish people under the Old Covenant dedicated themselves to trying to follow a written blueprint (law) they believed would bring them to a place of God's acceptance. First, they felt favored and privileged as people who were born under the banner of such a covenant made between God and Israel. Now all they had to do was to actually do what the law said. They convinced themselves they were doing it—but they were really just working at establishing their own (self) righteousness, while being igno...

980. The Futility of Pursuing Righteousness By "Doing"

Paul explains in Romans 9 that under the Mosaic law contained within the Old Covenant, the Jewish people were attempting to pursue righteousness through their works and actions. They believed the commandments written and engraved on tablets of stone would get them to this destination. But they failed. They were never able to attain or arrive at the "coveted" place of right-standing with God through such a law because faith wasn't in the mix. On the other hand, Gentiles—non-Jewish people—who neve...

979. Just Another Religion? Shrinking the Christ Life Down to a Religious To-Do List

If someone were to sincerely come up and ask you: "What is the Christian life?" How would you describe it? Let's pause this week and ask ourselves this same question. By doing so, it may lead us to pause and reflect—and perhaps learn something from the One who abides within. Has our belief in Jesus Christ been turned into something that can be found in the smorgasbord of most of the thousands of other religions that are out there? Have we shrunk what was meant to be a supernatural, interactive r...

978. God's Long-Term Plan for the World: A Better Covenant

The New Covenant is far better and more glorious than the old and obsolete one established with the people of Israel initiated during the days of Moses. In other words, the ministry of JESUS is superior to the first covenant containing the law. Why? The old way required the people to hold up their end of the agreement (they said they would *do* it - but they didn't). The new way of Jesus would be based on an oath God made - swearing to Himself - because he could swear by no one greater. A covena...

977. Jews, Gentiles and the New Covenant

Many who have attended a church for most of their lives can attest that they seldom or never heard teaching that revolves around the concept of the New Covenant. They may have been taught to view the Bible as one book, and in doing so, have been confused with a combination of two very different covenants that don't always translate into the true gospel. There are also some who don't believe there is a New Covenant available except to those who are Jewish. Paul spent a good deal of time explainin...

976. Bearing God's Fruit Without Law or Boasting (It's Not Your Fruit)

As we keep browsing through the later part of Paul's letter to the Galatians, notice the contrast between flesh and Spirit. To Paul's dismay, the Galatians had been baited into adding works and law to their faith in Christ. Paul was trying to pull them out of the ditch and steer them back onto the road less traveled ... walking by the Spirit and bearing the fruit of the Spirit, where there is no law. Interestingly, notice Paul's point about how the Jews who were encouraging circumcision were not...

975. How to Fulfill the Law of Moses (Good Luck!)

Did Paul encourage the Galatians to keep the Mosaic law? In spite of the many church teachings we've been exposed to over the years, the answer is no. But one may ask, didn't Paul encourage his audience to work on loving their neighbor as themselves? Isn't this the key summary to people fulfilling that burdensome law? If we chop up one verse without the context, some may assume this is what he said. So let's zoom out and then take a closer look. Not even this one law from the law could bring lif...

974. Door #1: Stand Firm in Liberty; Door #2: Entangled in a Yoke of Bondage

As Paul nears the end of his letter to the Galatians, he begins to wrap up his thoughts expressed previously, with a big "therefore" to start chapter 5. The exhortation is centered on standing firm in the freedom which came to them through belief in Christ alone, while avoiding the temptation of doing something to make themselves acceptable to God. They began their journey in the Spirit until some "bewitchers" came along to steer them into a mixture of the Mosaic law and grace. Paul reveals that...

973. Two Different Covenants: Slaves and Guardians, Children and Heirs

Bible chapters and verses can cause us to trip, skip and miss the crux of the context. Paul isn't hopscotching around on a variety of topics as he writes to the Galatians, but keeps making his points that piggyback off of one another as the letter flows. And it all revolves around a law of works that was once given to Israel and how it contrasts with life found in grace through faith for all people (Jew and Gentile). This time, we're in Galatians 4, where there is verbiage being used about slave...

972. Not One Line Item From the Stone Tablets Could Give Life (The Promise of a Better Covenant)

There is one true promise keeper - God. None of us were even nominated or received honorable mention. No "A" for effort. It is an unchanging and eternal promise for those who believe, which began in the days of Abraham and carried through to the Seed - Jesus Christ. Once the Seed had come, the Jewish people were no longer considered as being under the "guardian" ... known as the law of commandments. Many from the twelve tribes would struggle with Paul's message along these lines. But because of ...

971. Jews Redeemed From the Curse So Gentiles Might Receive the Promise of the Spirit

Continuing in Galatians Chapter 3, Paul was providing these believing Gentiles with a hard-hitting explanation of why they do not want to pursue works of the law — which they were never under — in order to perfect themselves. They began in the Spirit and were being coerced into thinking they needed Jesus plus works in order to be justified. This was a common mindset among believing Jews in the early church. After all, it wouldn't be "fair" for believing Jews to be required to continue in the law...

970. Abraham Believed and Was Declared Righteous (Faith Not Works)

Paul appears frustrated as he addresses "you foolish Galatians" in the beginning of Chapter 3. Why? They had started out receiving the Spirit of God by faith but were being lured by a more popular persuasion from men who came from James - and had started to convince these Gentiles to adhere to the old Jewish law in combination with faith in Christ. This led to Paul carefully laying out an explanation over the next couple of chapters or so of how works and faith could not be mixed when it came to...

969. "Draw Near to God! Cleanse Your Hands! Purify Your Hearts!"

We're wrapping up our series about some things found in the letter from James to believers in Jesus from the twelve tribes of Israel ... and the contrasts found with Paul's writings. One example we'll look at is in James 4, where an old covenant mindset is communicated as James tells believers to draw near to God, to cleanse their hands and purify their hearts. Paul communicated that believers are already near to God, cleansed and purified. Are we saying James shouldn't be in the Bible? Listen i...

968. After the Cross: The Mixing of Law and Faith

Throughout the pages of the New Testament, we see numerous examples of Jewish people coming to believe in Jesus, but understandably also believed the law of Moses was still in place for them. The Apostle Paul came along a short while later with a gospel message he claimed was taught directly to him by divine revelation ... to declare the former law had been put aside and nailed to the cross. But he was in the minority and suffered much persecution because of it. Various places within the New Tes...

967. "The Law of Liberty" - Something New or Something Obsolete?

Continuing with Program 3 of our series on being a "doer of the word" and what this was meant to be about. The "law of liberty" is seen twice in the New Testament, both times used by James in the first two chapters of his letter written to the twelve tribes of Israel which had been scattered to different regions. In context, he encourages his audience to follow all of that law and to speak "and do" as those who will be judged by that law - what he calls a law of liberty - but had just defined it...

966. "Be Doers of the Word" (But What Is the "Word" in This Instance?)

James made a statement in his letter to the twelve Jewish tribes ... believed by most historians to be the earliest writing in the pages known as The New Testament. "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22). This passage, along with what follows has a consistent but curious theme of externals, doing and works - and all under the topic of righteousness, salvation and justification. In Program 2 of this brief series, we continue to take a closer look at the en...

965. Can We Have a Word? (A Look at the Word "Word")

The popular phrase from the Old Testament known as "The Ten Commandments" is more rightfully interpreted as "The Ten Words." Is it a big deal? Perhaps not, but we wanted to point out a few things about this to lay some groundwork before getting into something that James wrote to his believing Jewish brothers and sisters from the twelve tribes. James made a statement to them about being a doer of "the word" and not a hearer only. It's easy to brush past this, but let's put on the brakes and check...

964. Identifying as a Doer... Or a Believer

963. Thou Shalt Read Your Bible (And Like It!)