It is sad that many Christians have been burdened by works of faith unto justification. This is due to the misunderstanding of what the Apostle James said in his Epistle when he was talking about faith and actions. James created a dialogue for us to see what he was referring to. Those of us, who read this out of context, thought we were still obliged to perform some works unto justification. I taught in my blog that people must sacrifice and pay tithes for justification. We must understand that the gift of grace requires no works, but faith alone.
The Bible affirms, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness? Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt” (Romans 4:2-4). So I conclude that, tithing is not for justification but for those who are justified. Tithing is for the justified, it is not for everyone, although when Abraham gave tithes he was not justified it is another topic for another day.
God didn’t owe us anything to give His Son up as sacrifice. Instead we owed God all the glory due Him. We robbed God of His honour. We robbed God of His praises. Although so, He still loved us. Although we failed to love Him with all our hearts, with all our mind and with all our might, He continued to have mercy on us and His loving-kindness has never ceased on us. We don’t actually deserve the mercy which He showed us. It is amazing how our God is.
Some doctrines however portray God as a monster that is out to get them. ‘If you don’t love God, He will not bless you’, that’s what they teach. God came to meet with us precisely at the point of our need. It is like what happened in Egypt when the Israelites started to cry out to Him, He came down to them. That God still exist and still the same. He loves you and wants you to believe that’s all. I hope and believe that you understand that God’s justification only comes by faith.
Read this, “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5). God justifies the ungodly by faith. Oh, I love this! He is not justifying the godly. Even the Lord Jesus on His earthly ministry was against the Pharisees because they deemed themselves godly. They were still sinners, read the seven woes to understand their sin better. Their works of the Law didn’t justify them.
What then was the purpose of the Law? Here is the answer: “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Romans 5:20). So we learn in this verse that the law made sin to abound on the earth that where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. So the Law showed men how susceptible they were without God. So, it’s almost like someone is wearing dirty clothes but doesn’t see the need to change them until someone throws a bucket of dirty water upon him then they will see the need to change them.
So when you know how bad you are, and see that you have no solution to your problem, you will run to the One who has the solution and that's our Lord Jesus Christ. The bible also says, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:19-20).
It is the law that introduced us to sin that through our sin we may be introduced to Christ. That is why Paul says, “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:46). Being under the law is being in the natural, where the flesh is in control. The gospel of grace has opened my eyes, now I can see the love of God more than when I was in the law. In the law, we see our need to first love God and He will in exchange love us back. But in grace we learn that God loved us first, and when we see the love of God upon our lives and we are able to love him back.
The question that remains is, what is the law that made sin to abound? See this, “For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’” (Romans 7:5-7).
So this is referring to the Ten Commandments. Where are those who say, the law which we are set free of is the one involving the Ceremonials, we keep the Ten Commandments for holiness. ‘You shall not covet’, is among the Ten Commandment for Paul to say this. The law includes all 613 commandments. So know this, no flesh can be justified through the works of the law, for justification is by faith apart of the works of the law.
Then someone may come and say, ‘Are you then free to murder now since you free of the law?’ The law of grace says that we should love one another, so can love steal or murder? Certainly not! Paul said, “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). When we love one another, we are establishing the law. I revere the law so much that I don’t even try to bind myself to say I will break one and keep the other nine. You are the worst sinner because you are trying to keep the law and follow the gospel of law simultaneously.
The purpose of the law was to show men their sins and how mankind needed the Messiah. The Law showed us who we really are just like the mirror. The Law is perfect. There is nothing wrong with the Law. Even the Apostle Paul said that he is not against the Law but he is establishing it. That does not mean we have to practise it all over again. No one could practise the Law, even the Apostle Peter confirmed it that it was the yoke that even their fathers could not bear.
By the grace of God we are able to come to God without having to bear that yoke. Paul again says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).
We didn’t have access to this grace before, but when we believed in the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ, we had an access. Easy isn’t it? Yes it is. You should know that you need to accept the message of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will have access to the grace of God. Paul reveals on how we are at peace with God. We don’t need to present sacrifices, offerings and tithes for the Lord Jesus has paid it all for us.
If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I suggest you do that right now. Just make a short prayer thanking Him for dying for on the cross. When you accept Him in your life, He will be there for you and you will be justified and called righteous. Your sins will be gone. Blotted out, and God will never remember them.
The bible says, “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile, you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).
John says in his Epistle, “I write to you, little children. Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake” (1 John 2:12).
Don’t be scared, you have a new life in Christ for your chains are gone. He has set you free if you just believe. If you believe in this message, you are declared righteous by God. Forget now about your sins and give your life to Jesus. Let your life start to be directed by the teaching of the bible.
Stay in health through grace and favour...
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