The law kills but grace gives life
PASTOR JERRY FAVOR Contributing Writer
There are basically two religions in the world regardless of all the denominations.
There is the belief that the way to God is by works and the belief that the way to God is by grace. They both cannot be equally true so one way is wrong and one way is right. The Bible clearly explains that the way to God is by grace alone without any works on our part whatsoever. As I love to say over and over again, salvation is by Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Salvation by law involves our efforts to keep it so that God is happy with our works. The only way God will accept us into His family through the law is if we were perfect and never sinned for the entirety of our lives. That is because God is holy and cannot tolerate even the smallest sin in His sight. That is why Jesus came to earth.
He lived the perfect life we couldn’t live to satisfy the holy demands of God. Our hope is totally in the perfect righteousness of Jesus. When we repent of our sins and believe Jesus died and rose again He covers us with His righteousness and God sees us through Jesus righteousness and not our own.
The law is impossible to keep. The law demands absolute perfection. The law doesn’t accept good deeds or motivations. The law sentences us to eternal punishment in hell. The law listens to no confessions and offers no grace. The law accepts no partial payments for violations. But the good news is that Jesus fulfilled the law’s requirements for us.
Paul said in Galatians 6, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel … If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” ESV
He made it perfectly clear that salvation is not by works.
The good news is that the grace of Jesus saves us apart from our works and God is satisfied with Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. Grace alone, not mixed with works, religion, or any effort of our own saves us completely and eternally.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 , ESV)
Jerry Favor is pastor of Victory Church, 602 Gun Club Road, Sagle.