This blogpost opinion article by Mary Katherine May of
QualityMusicandBooks.com.
Sunday: 28 December, 2014. Reading the Bible, I began thinking about the Christian relationship to
works of the law as Saint Paul wrote about in his letter to the Galatians, chapter 2, verse 16. Are works good? Can works be good? Who do so many confuse Christian works with the act of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life?
Galatians 2: Know that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Works of the Law: What exactly are they?
I wonder. So often we Christians will read along through the Bible, accepting what we see without truly understanding what it is being talked about. If we cannot understand and explain to ourselves what a passage means, how are we ever going to explain it to a person seeking out Scripture for the first time?
I think this is a very important point: knowing in our heart what God is saying does not mean that we can explain it to someone else.
Works of the Law: Is There a Definition?
Theologians cannot even agree on what
the law is. Some New Testament scholars define the law as all of the Jewish requirements for life while some separate the law into moral law, ceremonial law, and the law as set down in the Torah and interpreted over time.
The
Halakhah: Jewish law on
this site tells us that the practice of following the laws is more than legalism and actually leads to focusing every action in life on God, the one who gave the law. Because I believe the author is correct, further explanation is needed.
Let's Be Clear About the Law
From my Christian view, I see God's Chosen People in ancient times before Christ struggling with faith as we do, attempting to follow teaching in Scripture, trying to live a Godly life. The
right time had not come. There was no Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior. No cross, no resurrection. When the law was given, however, it was the right time for the law.
Galatians 3:19 NIV: Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.
Think about this from another angle, the law itself can not be bad or Jesus Christ, perfect righteousness, could not have been its fulfillment. It is not the law that is cursed but rather those who seek salvation (1) by their own efforts
(If we could do it on our own why then do we need God at all?) and (2) through laws that cannot be followed perfectly and thus be righteous, for true righteousness holds no imperfection. Jesus himself tells us that he fulfilled the law: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law of the Prophets; I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5)
And thus, in the fullness of time, Jesus Christ became man. John the Baptist called out,
Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! When the Pharisees showed up he used strong words, calling them a
brood of vipers. But John wasn't attacking the law, nor did Jesus, nor did Paul or any of the other disciples. What was condemned was the motivation.
The Answer: Believe
John 6: Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works that God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
Evident Faith
Jesus Christ gave one requirement for salvation: believe by faith. He also expected that once saved that the believer's faith would be evident. Scripture tells us that the evidence of faith are the fruits, the good works. Many evangelical Christians go to great lengths to leave out
good works, but in the Bible passages about them are most certainly there.
What are we to do? Deny that a lively, exciting faith is of no consequence? We cannot because it does. If you were to come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ in the last moments of life you wouldn't have the opportunity to bear the fruits of faith, yet your salvation would be secure and Heaven would await. There are a whole lot of us Christians, however, who commit our lives to Jesus Christ well before our last breath.
Obedience and Motivation
What matters is the source. If a man lives by following all of what New Testament Scripture tells him to do without a soul motivated by love for Jesus Christ (i.e. faith, belief), the Son of God, Lord and Savior, his actions being wrongly motivated
works, would the Kingdom of Heaven.be his destiny? God knows but we cannot since we are not the ones who can judge the soul.
If a Christian woman works very hard in her church because each effort is a plus-point in her favor before God, if a pastor sets all kinds of rules for his congregation to follow and enforces them in dictator-like fashion, what then?
LINK to article by Ray Stedman on Christian Legalism
LINK to article: What Is Legalism? on Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry website.
Personally, there are times when I am not 100% where I should be motivational-wise and so I act out of obedience--because I love God and want to serve--but the right motivation is not there yet. It has been my experience that over time my obedience changes from following a rule to an action motivated by love.
Servants of Christ
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to unto me. (Matthew 25) Actions matter but should never be confused with, or conjoined to, the saving act given free by God to all who will come. What roles does motivation have in good works that do good and the bearing of good fruit?
Matthew 7:18, 19 NIV: A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruits you recognize them.
I think that committed Christians who love the Lord, who desire to serve and cannot do enough, who are filled with the love for God, have the right motivation whether acting out of obedience or out of an abundance of compassion from the heart. It is when rules matter more than God who is Love that trouble is in the wind.
The Will of God
It is true that to know the will of God you must believe by faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, Lord and Savior of the world. Christ tells us in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7, immediately following his teaching on good fruit the following...
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
As a Christian, doing good works is directly tied to the will of God. And thus, many do works that are good and this is to the benefit of the world, but not all do good works as Christians, who confess Jesus is Lord, believing with all their heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10).
