By Gary Ray Branscome
Even though the Bible plainly tells us that, All of our
righteousnesses are like filthy rags, that no
one, Will ever be justified in Gods sight by the deeds of the law,
and that we are, Justified by faith without the deeds of the law,
Satan continually works to blind people to that glorious good news, and get
them to trust in themselves, and what they do, rather than in Christ (Isaiah
64:6, Romans 3:20 and 28). For that reason, we need to hold fast to sound
words, and sound terminology, when telling others of the faith and love
that are in Christ Jesus (2Timothy
Satan often uses a persons own sinful desires to blind
them to the gospel. He can do this by leading young people who want to be
righteous, and are struggling against sin, to seek motivation in the lie that
resisting sexual temptation makes them righteous. They can be argumentative,
disrespectful to parents, and nasty yet still think
that they are righteous because they resist sexual temptation. These are the
kind of people who desperately want salvation to depend on works, and pervert
the gospel in their own minds in order to convince themselves
that God is pleased with them because of their works. What they fail to see is
that if they were truly righteous they would not have any sinful desires to
begin with.
It is right and good for believers to resist sexual
temptation. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you
abstain from sexual immorality, (1Thessalonians 4:3). The Apostle Paul
said, I buffet my body, and bring it under my control: lest
there be any way that I, after having preached to others, might be rejected (1Corinthians
Because of this constant assault on the gospel: in teaching
the gospel we need to make it clear; 1) that Gods grace is His mercy
and forgiveness, not some ability to resist temptation, 2) that we are
saved by the blood of Christ and faith in what He did, not what we do, and 3)
that salvation is a gift of God, Not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The words, If by grace, then is it no longer by works:
if it were grace would no longer be grace. For if it is by works, then it is no
longer by grace: otherwise work is no longer work, place grace in
opposition to works (Romans 11:6). That means that when the Bible says, You
are saved by grace through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is
stressing the fact that we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). And, when
the Bible says, He did not save us by works of righteousness that we have
done, but because of His mercy, it not only stresses the fact that we are
not saved by works, but defines grace as mercy (Titus 3:5). At the same time,
the words, In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of His grace, tell us that we are saved by
the blood of Jesus Christ, and that His grace consists of forgiveness, not
works (Ephesians 1:7).
The words, Being now justified by His blood, we shall
be saved from wrath through Him, tell us that we are justified [i.e.
absolved of guilt and pronounced innocent] by the blood of Jesus Christ, not by
what we do (Romans 5:9). The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us of
all sin, (1John 1:7). However, Christ is of no benefit to those
who seek righteousness by the law (Galatians 5:4).
The words, Being justified freely by His grace through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus // So that being justified by
His grace, we became heirs having the hope of eternal life, tell us that
we are justified freely by Gods grace, and being justified by that grace, have
the assurance of eternal life (Romans 3:24, Titus 3:7).
The words, Having come to know that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, we have
also come to believe in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith in
Christ, and not by the works of the law: for the works of the law will not make
anyone righteous, tell us that we are not justified by works, but through
faith in Christ (Galatians 2:16). And, the words, Being justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom we also have
access by faith into this grace in which we stand, tell us that faith
receives the forgiveness that is already there for us (Romans 5:1-2). In
response to that cult which pronounces a curse on those who believe that we are
saved through our trust (faith) in Gods mercy (grace), David said, I have
trusted in your mercy; my heart will rejoice in your salvation (Psalm
13:5).
That being said, I want to make it clear that those who are
saved will experience an improvement in their behavior. It will not come all at
once, and it will never be complete in this life. However, it cannot even
begin until we are saved, for the Holy Spirit does not come into our hearts
until we have been justified by faith. As it is written, Did you receive
the Holy Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Did God give you His Spirit, and work miracles among
you, because you observed the law, or because you heard and believed the gospel?
You were Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, after you believed
(Galatians 3:2,5, Ephesians
After you have received the Spirit, Walk
in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For
the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and they
are opposed to each other: so that you cannot do the things that you would. But
if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law (Galatians