Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Works of Law

John 10:25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you don't believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these testify about me.

So just what is a work of law? We so often here the words work of law being tossed about by Christian's when pointing their finger at others, or a religion, yet, out of the same mouth the person will list a whole series of good works they have done to prove they are a Christian's, very confusing?

John 14:10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works.

Let break this down and make it simple! A work of law is a rule a commandment, or a law we perform to conform to a certain standard of society, in a religion, government, and/or commerce a condition they have created to uphold a standards to operate in peace and order, to judge, and correct ones conduct, to punish, and/or convict a person of a violation.

John.6:28 They said therefore to him, "What must we do, that we may work the works of God?"
6:29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

Essentially, in religious terms, to prove oneself right when brought into judgment, and/or questioned about our integrity or intent. The word righteous/righteousness came from the word to be right, right when judged by God, laws of man, religion, government, and/or business, or commerce.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.
The Meaning of Works of Law Lost

The meaning of works of law is lost among most Christian's religions in today's world it is narrowly defined into the Law given to Moses, and or used as a crutch to put down and demean other religious people with.

Galatians 6:4 But let each man test his own work, and then he will take pride in himself and not in his neighbor.

In its purest form a works a law for a religious person is trying to prove oneself righteous by meeting certain biblical commandments, rules, dates, place, things, emblem, idols, and so on . . .

Luke.18:9 He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others.
18:10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: 'God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
18:12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.'
18:13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'
18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

What is lost for Christian's is there is no righteousness they have as a human born under sin that makes them acceptable to God by some work performed. The only righteousness a Christian's has is Christ, and not their own-self! This is why they are called Christian's, from being born again in Christ, that is, part of his members receiving as a free gift the life of Christ, i.e, his righteousness that allows them to be son's of God.

Philippians 3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

Romans 3:10 As it is written, "There is no one righteous; no, not one.

Rom.1:29 that no flesh should boast before God.
1:30 But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:
1:31 that, according as it is written, "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord."{Jeremiah 9:24}

Subsequently, wittingly or unwittingly, anything but the gift of Christ life is a work of law for a Christian. We can run a laundry list of things we have done for God, preaching, gifts of mercy, paying tithes, helping the poor and the elderly to prove we are Christian's but we cannot prove we are righteous by any human efforts; our righteousness is the life of Christ working in us and through us doing God's works, no other works is sanction by God, or scared, i.e. holy. No human rule, place, things or date is scared but Christ God's temple in heaven.

Titus3:3 For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
3:4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared,
3:5 not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
3:6 whom he poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior;
3:7 that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Sin A Work of Lawlessness

Adam became lawless once he sinned, he could not go back and make up his lawlessness by some work; now really think about that? In other words, if Adam lets says thought to himself; I am sorry for sinning so I will spend the rest of my days on earth building for God a new Garden of Eden, thus, proving how much I love God and how sorry I am for my sin, it would not of matter one wit, it would not have fixed the problem of sin, now would it? Nor would it have been God's works, it would have been Adam's works, done for God to make payment for his sins, and prove he is good, and/or righteousness enough to please God, In other words, a work of self-righteousness to make up for his sin, which was impossible for him to do!

Romans 5:15 But the free gift isn't like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

Romans 5:16 The gift is not as through one who sinned: for the judgment came by one to condemnation, but the free gift came of many trespasses to justification.

We as sinner cannot do God's sacred works, or add to God and his right standards of sinlessness, which is what the word true righteousness actually means it means without sin. We do not remove sin from ourselves by some work we can do, any work, or any celebration, any meeting, any date on a calendar.

Romans 9:32 Why? Because they didn't seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone;

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

The subject of works of law is flatly, and unequivocally not about personal emotions, and the desire to please God. Factually, the subject of works of law is about an act of God, because of his love, to redeem mankind from sin that no works they can do or perform in their flesh will make up, remove, or change them from being a sinner, hence, any sin, not the amount make a sinner them lawless as Adam was in God's eyes after sinning. Thus, making his works unrighteous even if done in the name of Christ Jesus, YHWH, or Jehovah.

Romans 3:9 What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin.

Romans 3:20 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin."{Psalm 32:1-2}

Romans 5:12 Therefore, as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned.

The works Adam did before sinning were God's works, not his, once he sinned he fell short of God's glory that of being sinless, which sinlessness allowed him to enter into a personal Spirit relationship with God so God's Spirit could move and direct Adam into the works God wanted him to do for God's glory.

John 5:41 I don't receive glory from men.

John 5:44 How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don't seek the glory that comes from the only God?

John 7:18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

John 8:50 But I don't seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and judges.

John 8:54 Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is our God.

Shadow Reality Confusion

Let us make clear a shadow is under sin, it is less than God's glory, of sinlessness as Adam was before his sin, and Christ who came to us without sin making him the last Adam for the human race, and God's glory!

John 1:14 The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul."{Genesis 2:7} The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

In other words, any attempt for sinner to unveil their eyes to God's glory ends in death. Sin put the whole human race in the valley of shadow of death, the reality of God was lost, now we are not saying the thought of God was lost, but the reality of God which is a vastly different.

Romans 1:4 who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:5 and hope doesn't disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 7:6 But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.

The law of Moses was a shadow, why? One, 1.) it could not remove sin out of mankind once for all time, one could not meet the law perfectly; all were proven sinners by the law, every mouth was closed among the human race by the judgment of the law. That is, when measure against the law, all were found wanting, a sinner, less than the glory of God.

Two, 2.) blood of animal did not have the power to make mankind righteous, that is, remember, the word righteousness means sinless the only way a person can know the reality of God, who he is, like Adam did before sinning it to have the Spirit and mind of God, being part of God that is the connection lost by Adam for the human race.

So when a person hears Christ was our reality, it mean, he made us sinless, not lawless, making Christ the light, and truth for us. All those factory lets a Christian's do the works of God.

1 John 3:4 Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.

1 John 3:5 You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and in him is no sin.

The Myth of Christian's Works

If you are a Christian's the first thing that will stand out from your bibles is how the early Christian's never exalted the flesh, it was to them evil. Today most of what is done in the name of Christ is from the flesh, and very little if any done by the works of God in sinless works of Holy Spirit.

1 John 5:18 We know that whoever is born of God doesn't sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn't touch him.

Let us clear up a myth? The flesh cannot be changed, it is a sinner and it acts from the flesh, and thinks from the flesh. Thus, God does not reform a Christian's flesh, no matter how much we protest, it is not righteous, nor can it be made sinless making it right in God's eyes.

1 Peter 3:21 This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you--not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Romans 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law, worked in our members to bring forth fruit to death.

God kills our flesh, he does not take it into consideration as something we can make serve him. God used his sinless law to prove that, thus, God sent us Christ, because none were found righteous, that is, sinless under the law.

Romans 8:7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God's law, neither indeed can it be.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

Romans 8:12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

The flesh acts two ways with God's law, it sees the word freedom as evil, as loose conduct, so it clamps down on the flesh by more rules to control the flesh to bring it into line with the scriptures. But at the sametime the flesh uses freedom to become more and more lawlessness making all things scared and holy mundane and foolish showing great disrespect.

Romans 3:20 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.

Those focused on the flesh will find if they are honest that all of Satan system of things, that is, under the veil of the sinful flesh has in its government, religion, and commerce both extreme, law keepers, and those constantly pushing to remove laws to have no restrictions.

But none of those two extreme has anything at all to do with Christ our reality. Breaking the law or keeping the law does not remove sin, or making a person righteous.

Ephesians 6:12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Christian's Works

We must acknowledge first of all the flesh can't please God, or know him. Subsequently, the flesh at its best and strongest desire cannot know the works of God. Now where can we find in our bibles that any person before Christ was our reality; where in our bibles can you find any other righteousness given to mankind than the gift of Christ life. Christ is God's works for mankind, and no other!

1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

Christ does the work of God, in Holy Spirit and its fruit, it is the fruit that proves Christ is righteous. No human on earth produces God's fruit upon a tree having sin which cannot please God, no tree other than Christ has the saying of everlasting life. To judge fruit of works of law against Christ it is impossible, no one can judge Christ works for they are God's works, no sinner can judge God and come up correct in their most logical deduction.

Christ works are declared beyond human judgment, that is, beyond a shadow of sin and corruption.

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

2 Corinthians 4:5 For we don't preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake;

Having said that the only way to produce good fruit, that is, God's works in by being made into Christ, as part of his living being, having his life become our life. In other words, being part of him as a body member.

John.15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.
15:2 Every branch in me that doesn't bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
15:3 You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
15:4 Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can't bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.
15:5 I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Christ is not of the flesh any longer, he was made alive in the spirit to make us us alive in the same spirit. Our being in Christ means we have no judgment of what the flesh considers righteous or unrighteous. Christ become the light of God too us, that is, not having a shadow, a spot of sin. We have the light, because Christ is our life, with no flesh. The veil of the flesh is lifted from our eyes because of the Spirit we can now commune with God, because of Christ sinless life which has been given us by God's gift of love too us.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:19 We love Him, because he first loved us

1 John 4:8 He who doesn't love doesn't know God, for God is love.

The works we do is Christ life, not a word in the bible, or a meeting, or a date, or anything else under the Sun on this earth. We live, we breathe, we belong to Christ our life. It is his will that the body does in performing God's works. It not the other way around, I do works to prove I love Christ, no!

God works through us, to prove God's love for mankind, it is the works of God that prove righteous not us. In other words, how does a work yet being done make a person part of the body of Christ? It cannot! We simply don't understand the word reality, the reality is ours, if we are Christ, it not being gained by some works, it is the very air we breathe is Spirit in the Body of Christ that we cannot live without, it is the very life given to us that does good works because the will of the body head does not allow for anything less.

Romans 3:28 We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

Romans 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward God.

Romans 4:4 Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as debt.

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

Freedom is not a word regarding laws of the flesh in trying to break laws of the flesh, or keep them; is Christ under laws of the flesh? Is Christ living by the rules of this world or a religion? Freedom mean love, without hypocrisy, can any rule of the flesh produce that?

How can a person boast in being in Christ, under the law of love, and claim others need to be under laws of the flesh point up sin making them obey out of fear, out of eye service to please others in the flesh?

Hosea 14:4 "I will heal their waywardness. I will love them freely; for my anger is turned away from him.

Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers{TR adds ", raise the dead"}, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give.

1 Corinthians 2:12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.

Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely bestowed favor on us in the Beloved,

Revelation 21:6 He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.

Is Christ lawless? Then how can freedom in Christ mean more lawlessness that so many preach out of fear? Being a Christian's means we are not lawless, we are sinless, either we are or we are not?

Romans 4:14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of no effect.

Romans 4:15 For the law works wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience.

Romans 5:20 The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;

Romans 7:4 Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might bring forth fruit to God.

God does not created lawless son's of God, we cannot judge God's works and remain innocent. Are not the son's of God, God's most intimate works, the paradise restored in the life of Christ?

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

Is any part of our body not working when we are working, why would some one impute evil to a body member and not be unwittingly imputing evil to all the body? Who would think they have the right to judge another body members, if they boast as being in the same body because it did not seem to have the same ministry as theirs?

Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in eating, or in drinking, or with respect to a feast day or a new moon or a Sabbath day,

2 Timothy 4:1 I command you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom:

Spirit Body, Fleshly Body

God's children are spirit son's of God, they have been removed from the judgment of their flesh, and made alive in the Spirit in Christ Jesus.

They are governed by love, not mankind merit love, but the love of Christ in a gift of undeserved kindness. So many cannot imagine what the love of Christ is, how it is the finality, the reality and the light.

John 8:12 Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world.{Isaiah 60:1} He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life."

Colossians 1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;

1 Thessalonians 5:5 You are all children of light, and children of the day. We don't belong to the night, nor to darkness.

1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don't tell the truth.

We are told the God's love, not ours, owe us nothing, but love. In other words, its not a debt that must be paid, God's love is given freely out of his own goodness to love us. There is no motive for repayments, or obligation but for us, if we will, love him because he owes us nothing, and himself is love.

Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn't love his brother.

1 John 3:11 For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn't love his brother remains in death.

1 John 3:16 By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Those in Christ are motivated by love to freely with clean hearts love the Father they don't have to, they are not made too, they want to because they are loved by the Father. The thought is not what can I get away with, or I have no laws of the flesh lets just party. No! That is not at all what in Christ their heads mind means, Christ not a meaning but a reality working in us, but neither is there imputing of evil to his Father thinking God puts yokes and burden upon us to make us love him. If one must legislate laws and commandments to brothers and sisters in Christ they are not in Christ and/or so weak in their flesh the Holy Spirit has given up teaching them. How can we think that Christ would so neglectful of his own body when he loves and cherish it?

Heb. 6:1 Therefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection--not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,
6:2 of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
6:3 This will we do, if God permits.

Eph.5:28 Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.
5:29 For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly;
5:30 because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.
5:31 "For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh."{Genesis 2:24}
5:32 This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly.
5:33 Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

What rule, law, or commandment birth a child of God into the spirit world into Christ? Where can you find that program? What work did you do to be birth into this world? Can we do something to be in Christ? Did we earn that privilege, then why boast if you received it freely out of God's love as a gift of kindness.

1 Corinthians 3:21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,

1 Corinthians 4:7 For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn't receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

Have you received the reality of Christ, that is, his life in you, and you in him? Do you think Christ is unrighteous to sin, do you think being in Christ is nothing? Do we teach freedom of Christ as evil that his life is lawlessness, and opening a door to a flood gate of lawlessness?

James.1:16 Don't be deceived, my beloved brothers.
1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.
1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
1:19 So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
1:20 for the anger of man doesn't produce the righteousness of God.

No one in Christ, his life as a reality could even imagine the power in them is so weak! The reality is their own born again life, working in Christ and Christ through them is not a theory on paper or a law in the bible but the living power of God incoming Kingdom.

1 Corinthians 1:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 2:4 My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

1 Corinthians 4:20 For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

1 Corinthians 6:12 "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are expedient. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be brought under the power of anything.

1 Corinthians 6:14 Now God raised up the Lord, and will also raise us up by his power.

Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might

Ephesians 1:21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.

Ephesians 3:16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.