Not By The Law

Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. 

Acts 13:38-39 

Acceptance with God is never by works. It has not ever been by works and will never be. There are only two types of religion. The one type demands a plethora of works for acceptance with God. The other is free grace with works as the evidence of true gratitude for what we have received. Ancient Judaism was based on the law of Moses. The Ten Commandments provided much of the basic foundation from which the rest of the practices derived. Having said that, the law could not ever bring anyone into a right relationship with God. Along with the law there was always the promise of Messiah. From Genesis through to Malachi ‘to Him give all the prophets witness.’ As Paul points out in Galatians, ‘Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.’  Therefore, as Paul is preaching to the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia he articulates justification by faith and goes on to point out that justification is not by the deeds of following the law of Moses. Paul is setting forth salvation by free grace. Here is where the faith of Christ departs from every other religion, ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.’ As Paul says elsewhere, ‘by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight.’ This plants the knife into the heart of all self-righteousness and works-righteousness. We cannot ever do enough. Christ, has done what the law could never do.  

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice that You are the reason we can be justified. 
We praise You that what You have done 
is what we need most.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning