“It’s not ‘what we do, but what we believe’ that is most important.”
We are to follow after Christ in the spirit, not in the flesh.
Christ was not a Christian. He is the Christ, but also, he was a Jew. He was born, raised, and worshiped as a Jew. In fact, he was so Jewish, he was the only Jew to ever keep the law perfectly. 2 Cor, 5: 15-17 tells us that we should not follow him after the flesh. If we do so, we are practicing Judaism. However, if we follow him after the spirit, we are practicing Christianity. As we follow him after the spirit, we are actually walking by faith and not sight. 2 Cor. 5:7
The ‘Law of Works’ spoken of in Romans are the actual ten commandments and the additional laws included in Jewish rule to provide for atonement. Romans 3:19-28 tells us that the ‘Law of Faith’ is greater than the ‘Law of Works’. The law of faith was implemented to bring people to salvation thru Christ, but the law of works were to show man that he was sinful and needed redemption. Romans 3:19-21; Eph. 3.
We were in slavery to sin while under the law of works, but now that we have proclaimed Christ as savior, we are under the law of faith. And Christ has bought us with his Blood, giving us freedom from sin and freedom to serve our savior without sin and in righteousness. Romans 6:3-16
Works are important in our relationship with God, but are a very distant second priority to salvation and our relationship with Christ. Eph. 2:8-9 tells us that salvation is a unearned gift and that we could never be ‘good enough’ to save ourselves. However, there is a huge chasm or gulf between verse 9 and verse 10 of Eph. 2. Verse 10 speaks on how God ordained certain works for us to complete as we walk with him.
If we walk by faith and in the spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Romans 8: 4-5; Romans 13: 13-14; Gal. 5: 16-18
To assist us in walking in the spirit, we are told to change our thinking and take control of our own minds in order to bring every thought into captivity. The way we think reflects what we believe thru faith. Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor 5: 3-5; Eph 4: 17-24.
After salvation, we are given a new nature that seeks out Christ and, by nature, seeks to please him in love. As God removed the command to do right, he replaced it with a lure that creates both a desire to please him and a desire to know him like never before.
So, as we all know, the joy, gain, and blessings we obtain on earth as we serve Christ is in the relationship, not the doing. So, encourage one another to embrace the relationship, the doing will care for and control itself.
