The Final Events
Walking by Faith. Walking by the Spirit.
Part Sixty-two in a Series.
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When we walk by faith, the Holy Spirit who lives in us will produce in our lives the works of Christ, works of faith. Works of faith always have their origin in the Holy Spirit. Faith says “I am making myself available to you Lord Jesus because there is nothing good in me.”
“Works of faith” are the result of Christ living in us by faith. Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
How does Christ live in me? Through the Holy Spirit.
Paul says: “You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Romans 8: 9,10
In works of faith, the Spirit is the One doing the works. I am simply bearing fruit. When I look at works of faith from my perspective, they are not works; they are simply the fruit of the Holy Spirit, who is living in me. Paul commends the believers at Thessalonica for their “work of faith”. 1 Thessalonians 1: 3
He urges Titus to affirm in his churches that those who have faith in God should maintain good works. Titus 3: 8
And James deals with works of faith as evidence of justification. “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Do you see how faith wrought with his works and by works was made perfect.” James 2: 21, 22
The Final Events will end with the splendor of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ also known as the Parousia. The Signs of Parousia are detailed in the Final Events Blog series and emphasize the Imminent Return and Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and the Love of the Father for all mankind.
“Works of faith” and the “fruits of the Spirit” are therefore synonymous. These are the “hot works” Christ refers to in His letter to Laodicea. We have seen, then, from the scriptures, that “cold works” represent “works of the flesh”. “Hot works” represent “works of faith”.
What do “lukewarm” works represent? Lukewarm works represent a mixture of hot and cold works and attempt to mingle works of the flesh with works of faith. The Bible describes these as works of the law. What does the Bible say about works of the law? A good starting point is Galatians 2:16 where Paul uses the phrase three times: “Knowing 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.”
In the next chapter Paul gives us the reason why works of the law cannot justify us. “As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, cursed is everyone that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Galatians 3:10.
What does Paul exactly mean by this phrase “works of the law”? He defines it for us in Philippians 3:9. “He says that he wants to be in Him, Jesus Christ, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ.”
Righteousness that comes by works of the law is self-righteousness— a righteousness that is produced by self. Works of the law represent a self-righteousness produced through one’s own efforts. We have a word for that in English and we call that legalism.
One of the hardest things for us to do is to recognize our true condition. As long as we don’t understand what we really are like then the faithful and true witnesses counsel is meaningless to us once we recognize our condition, we are well on our way to the solution.
But why does God object to self-righteousness? Although it has shortcomings isn’t self-righteousness better than no righteousness at all? Isn’t it better to be lukewarm than to be cold?
The Final Events
Walking by Faith. Walking by the Spirit.
Part Sixty-two in a Series.
The Final Events will end with the splendor of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ also known as the Parousia. The Signs of Parousia are detailed in the Final Events Blog series and emphasize the Imminent Return and Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and the Love of the Father for all mankind.