No Salvation Due to Works of the Law

“²⁰For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” – Romans 3:20 (ESV)

There is no excuse for us as we are fully aware of the Law of the LORD as He has written it on our hearts. Because of that, we are accountable to the Law of the LORD to follow the Law. But even as such, we are not justified by our works. No matter how much we do in the Law of the LORD or what actions we take, those works are not going to do anything for us in the line to salvation. It is not the works that bring us to salvation, but our hearts in the following of the Law that the LORD has written there.

“⁹Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” – Matthew 7:9-11 (ESV)

You see, even evil among us know how to take action that is right, but that action does not make righteous. We are judged according to our actions, but we are saved according to our heart, our acknowledgment of, our acceptance of, and our devotion to our LORD and to His works for His Glory and not our own. We take action not to gain salvation, but as an outward display of our salvation the new condition of our heart.

Where does your salvation come from? Are you striving to do the best for the world to see in hopes that you will be rewarded? What if your reward has already been given through salvation and now you do works to show the condition of your heart?

Ignorance is No Excuse

Ignorance is not a bad thing. There are things in this world that we just don’t know and it is okay not to know. It is in the choosing not to know where the excuses stop. When the information is available and we choose not to make it known to ourselves that we find the “bad”.

“¹²For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. ¹⁴For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them ¹⁶on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” – Romans 2:12-16 (ESV)

When it comes to the Law of the LORD, there is no excuse for not knowing, as it is written on our hearts. Regardless of where we are, where we come from, our exposure to God, or any other circumstance where we are not privy to the Law of the LORD, we still know internally the difference in what is right and what is wrong. There is no excuse for us to not follow God’s Law, and we will be judged on the day of judgment based on our keeping of God’s Law.

Now, do not misunderstand me to say that salvation is possible for those who are ignorant to God. Remember;

“⁶Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6 (ESV)

We are held to getting to be with Jesus by knowing Him and that is the only way. But, we will be judged according to our adherence to the Law of God and that is written on our hearts, regardless if we have heard or been exposed to the Law.

So, we uphold the Law of the LORD based on our hearts. We know what is right under His Law and we are held accountable to acting as such. Ignorance in our mind is no excuse for doing wrong in the eyes of God.

What are your thoughts on ignorance of the Law? Are we given a pass because we did not know the Law of the LORD? What if you look inward and see that even as you did not know in your mind, your heart was still in the know of the Law of the LORD and therefor ignorance is no excuse?

The Law Through Moses, Grace Through Jesus

Before we get into this morning, NO, Moses is not the creator of the Law. He was however the one God worked through to bring the Law to the people and this world. Jesus, as God in human form is the creator of grace.

“¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” – John 1:17 (ESV)

I was compelled this morning to speak of “grace through Jesus Christ” as I continue to study the word “law”. Jesus came to this world to bring and give grace to it, even as we do/did not deserve it. He did not have to come as God could have just made it so as He had done with so many other things in this world. Yet, knowing that we are human and largely are more like the apostle Thomas and require to see things for our own eyes, He sent Jesus to bring the grace.

Jesus came to this world to complete the work that God had for Him regardless of what that work would require. God sent Him out of love for you and me. Jesus came to fulfill the law that was brought through Moses not to change it. He would adhere to the Law of God and do His work to demonstrate that Law and show us just how much love came from the Father.

“¹⁴The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” – 2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV)

The above is the salutation from Paul to the Corinthian Church. Notice the roles of Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit. Here we see that Paul echoes the grace to the world through Jesus and that it was out of the love of God that grace came. We didn’t/don’t deserve this grace and love, yet God give despite this fact as we are the pinnacle of His creation from the beginning (see Genesis 1 and 2).

Who brings your grace? Is it someone of this world alone? What if you see grace coming from God through Jesus for us all?

God’s Law Was and Is

The Law of the LORD was in the Old Covenant and is in the New Covenant. There, I can see, a tendency to split the law from the Old to the New Testaments in God’s Word, the Bible. I hear all of the time that things in the Old Testament are void based on a few items that no longer hold true in the New Testament. Take the eating of pork for instance. In the Old Testament pork is considered unclean and in the New Testament that has been voided.

“¹⁶The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. ¹⁷But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.” – Luke 16:16-17 (ESV)

It is not that the law of eating pork has been voided, it is that the eating of pork was a symbol of uncleanness and now, thanks to the coming, dying, and resurrection of Jesus, that symbol has been overridden. Pork is still unclean when one has not adhered to the salvation that comes with the acceptance of Jesus as our savior, it is just that the intent of the pork has lost its sting for those who have.

In Texas for instance, it is illegal to allow your camel to roam free on the beach in Galveston. The truth is that it is illegal to allow any large animals to roam free on public streets or other public property. When they animal is attended to there is no such restriction. When we are attended to by God, eating pork is not a thing anymore.

You see, the Law of the LORD was around in the beginning and the Law of the LORD is around today and the Law of the LORD will be around forever. The Old Covenant required the strict adherence to the law to be in right standing with the LORD and therefor. One set time and place was in place for the chance to seek and be granted forgiveness of our sins against the Law. This created the sense that there were those who were more holy than others as they were closer to the time and place regularly. In reality, it was just that those were “showy” in their adherence to the Law. In private there were those who where no different than everyone else.

In the New Covenant, this singular place and time were removed and all who accepted Jesus as Savior were made clean and were given the unlimited access to Him to seek forgiveness of our sins. We are no longer unclean and can come to Him for forgiveness. The New Covenant is in place for eternity. We all now have unlimited access to God.

Even with the unlimited access, the Law of the LORD is still in place and valid, The Ten Commandments are still there. Although that is just an example. The difference is that we follow the Law of the LORD today as a result of our forgiveness and not in our quest for it. The Law of the LORD is not the way to God, but is the way to show His example to others. The Law of the LORD was and is.

What is your view of the Law of the LORD? Is is something that no long applies as we have now moved into the New Covenant? What if we see God’s Law as always valid, only we don’t use it to get to salvation, but now it is the example of our salvation?

Love the LORD and Your Neighbor

We are always told what not to do when it comes to the law and in rules to follow. Think about the commandments as examples; Don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t covet, don’t worship idols. All of these are obviously right actions and laws to follow, yet they are, as are most others, actions that we are to avoid as opposed to those we are to take.

Jesus was asked which of the commandment is the greatest and I find it amazing that His answer was not of those actions we are to not take, but those that we are to embrace and lead with.

“³⁷And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” – Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV)

Love the LORD and love your neighbor are the greatest and second greatest of the commandments. These actions are what we are to do and not to avoid. We are to love and go from there.

Lori has a former co-worker that had a rough incident and she and I met with him to offer our support. He had spent his whole life being pushed toward religion and resisted and continued to resist even today. We continued to present God’s love to him in our discussion and when we get together even now. But as a point of living the greatest commandments as stated by Jesus, we did not push him, we simply displayed love to him and did not shy away from showing him the love of God. His comment to us was that he loved and appreciated us right back thanks to our simple truth of loving him.

Where we landed with Lori’s coworker is the place where we should be landing every day. We are to love the LORD and love our neighbors. We are to display those actions daily and not shy away from them. We are to be truthful and demonstrate the love of God through our actions with others so that they can see that love, embrace it, and work to display it their own lives as they move forward. So here it is again as Jesus said:

Love the LORD and Love your Neighbor.

What is your view as to what actions to do? Are you always looking at what to avoid as the going and best approach? What if you listened to and took the action that Jesus says, love the LORD and Love your Neighbor?

Do Unto Others

“¹²So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12 (ESV)

Most have heard of the golden rule. We are to give what we expect. Well, I believe that we get that backward a lot of the time. We feel as though we should give as is given to us. If someone treats us right, we will treat them right, and if they treat us wrong we do the same. Notice how that is, we are reciprocating the behavior that is given to us.

Now, look at Jesus’ words from His Sermon on the Mount, we do first to others the we would like to be done to. In other words we give first, not with an expectation of return gifts, but with the love that God gives. We just give as we would want others to give to us. In the title to my writing this morning I stop with our actions as it is not about the actions we receive, but the actions that we give.

I think back at my actions as a dad at my boys athletic events. I was very vocal and loud at the officials of those events. I have been “kicked” out of games as a spectator because I was too critical and vocal. As I think back this morning I find myself wondering if I was following the golden rule in my actions and to some degree the answer is yes to the critical piece, but no in my approach. We should be critical or correcting when things are incorrect. Someone’s feelings should not stop us from being truthful, but the critique should be calm and measured and loving as opposed to loud and overtly vocal. I as a trained official myself sought to know when I was incorrect or got it wrong so that I knew for the next time. But I would push back if/when someone would lack caring in the their approach.

So here is the thing for today, do unto others as you expect them to do to you. It is important for us be the giver first and then allow others to do give back. We are to give the truth to others, yet we are to come from a place of love and care with our correction and teaching. We are give that which God has for us to give and allow others of receive it and give back when/where they feel a calling to, however our gift is not contingent on theirs. We give to them first and that gift is in a/the way that we would like to receive.

What is your approach to giving? Are you one that looks to give after you have received and in like manner? What if you were of the approach of giving first and in the way that you would prefer to receive if/when someone feels compelled to give back to you?

Honor the Law

“¹⁷Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” – Matthew 5:17 (ESV)

When reading this verse it may seem a bit confusing when not placed with the right context. You see, “Law” here is referring to the words and teachings like the law of thermodynamics or the law of gravity as opposed to law in the legal sense. These laws are what keep things going and are not able to change. Jesus came to this world not to refute the words and teachings, but to affirm and fulfill them. He proved them correct.

Think about the law of gravity or other sciences. We submit to them every day and where there are those who are out in the world working to prove them wrong, even they obey the law until it is proven wrong. The same goes for the Law of the LORD. People, even I will push the limits in an effort to prove it wrong, but will fall back into obedience when I realize that it is not wrong.

I am not so smart that I can refute the Law of the LORD. I can try, but the LORD is way more smarter than me (yes I know it used incorrect grammar). The same goes for those around with Jesus. There were those who knew the Law of the LORD but even then, they would bend it to fulfill their own will as opposed to allowing it to stand on its own and fulfill the will of the LORD. These “educated” peoples were smart in the knowing of the words and concepts of the Law, yet they were constantly working to undermine it for their own benefit.

“²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:20 (ESV)

I and we are to know and understand the Law of the LORD and as such are to use it to fulfill the will of the LORD and not our own. It is not about me and you, it is about the LORD. His Law should be the law of the land and our driving force in this land. We are here for and at His pleasure and not our own. It is not about being smart, but rather being obedient to the Law of the LORD and that is where we get glory. We give honor to the Law of the LORD and in return, we are honored by Him.

What is your view of the Law? Are you here using it for your benefit? What if you were to honor it and know that in return, we will be honored by the LORD?

The Law Within

I have a comparison of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant in the back of my Bible and where my current study is not directly related to these, law is and is an important thing for me to remember. The Old Covenant was an external one where we were informed of what was needed so the LORD would not exact his wrath on us. We were given the law to abide and were reminded of our sin. The New Covenant is internal and we are drawn near to the LORD in protection from the evil in the world. We are given the law to remove sin from our lives.

“³³But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. An I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV)

The LORD will put His law within me, not just give it to me, but write it on my heart for always. My heart is within me and that is where He places His law. Reading and visualizing this morning has opened my eyes a bit more to the intentional actions of the LORD in my life. He does not just provide the law for me, He writes it on my heart within me. He no longer is driving fear in me, but faith. He does not keep me away from Him, but draws me near.

“¹I love you, O LORD, my strength.”

— Psalm 18:1 (ESV)

When I look to the New Covenant and see that the LORD writes His law on my heart, the above verse hits a little different. Our strength comes from the LORD, and now, I know and can take solace in the fact that strength has been written on my heart and comes from and will always be within me.

Where is God’s Law in your life? Are you still trembling in fear to keep from sin? What if you embrace the LORD and His Law as He writes on your heart and gives you strength to be realized is within you?

Desire to Know a Law

Yes, “a law” is what I meant. In this morning’s study of the word “law” I was led to the book of Isaiah.

“⁴Give attention to me, my people,

and give ear to me, my nation;

for a law will go out from me,

and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.”

— Isaiah 51:4 (ESV)

In the above verse we see the word law and it is defined here from my study as “teaching” or “instruction”, which really helps to understand the context of the verse and the passage. I have to remember that God’s Word is not just rules and regulations to follow, but it is instruction and teaching that lead to discipline. It does not come from man, but from the LORD. It is breathed out by Him and for my daily use.

Man’s law is in place to stop us or keep us from doing things that injure other people. God’s Law is for us that we might not injure Him. When we break the Law of the LORD, we hurt Him. When we sin, where those sins may not hurt any other person, those sins are against the LORD and He feels the betrayal and is hurt in the process.

It is up to me to know that the Word of God is for my benefit and not my regulation. By following God’s Law, we will not cause Him harm and by extension will not cause harm to others (You shall not steal or kill, clearly impacts other people). And how do we keep God’s Law but to know and follow it.

God’s Law is instruction and teachings for us to follow. We find what to do and what not to do to bring glory to the LORD. Bringing glory to Him is clearly not causing harm to others while bringing praise and adoration to Him. We are to desire to know that instruction and teachings or “as law” of the LORD.

What are your thoughts on “a law” of the LORD? Are you seeing them as rules and regulations to follow so as not to bring harm to others? What if you saw them as instruction and teaching instead as a way to not bring harm to the LORD and bring Him glory?

Keep the Law

Seems like a little thing and easy to understand, yes. But as I read this morning, there is a bit more to it than just keeping the law.

“⁷The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,

but a companion of gluttons shames his father.”

“⁴Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,

but those who keep the law strive against them.”

— Proverbs 28:7 & 4 (ESV)

I know, the above verses are in reverse order, first verse seven then verse four. I was led to this passage through verse seven, but I see verse four as an extension in my study and learning. You see, we are to keep the law to be thought of well by our father and family, and in doing so, we are showing the wicked that there is this better way.

I know that in the short there seems to be very slow movement forward and there is a tendency to seek a more speedy gain. I struggle with seeing all of the, what appears to be, prosperity of those around me. It seems as though it comes easily and in great amount for others when I am seemingly struggling to make ends meet. There is a real drive to go outside the law to get to what others have and experience that seeming prosperity for myself. But, I am not seeing all that there is. I may not see that those who “fell into prosperity” may actually have been struggling and working hard for the past 20 years and this is the reward for their faithfulness. I have to remember that.

It is in the law that we find understanding and fight against evil. We are in with the LORD and He will provide when the time is right. Ours is to simply obey and follow His guidance through this world. We are to keep the law and that is where we will find the prosperity that keeps us free. Yes, we may feel the struggle that comes with being without, but were we meant to have that now or even at all if it keeps us from the Father. You see, it is in the LORD that we find peace and it is manifest through our keeping of the law.

What is your viewpoint on the law? Do you believe that we have to break it to get the prosperity we want and that it is okay to do so? What if we found our prosperity in the LORD and that is manifest from our keeping of the law?