works – Page 7

691. “The Law Is Not of Faith” (Galatians 3:12)

February 24, 2019 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

We frequently find them blended into the doctrines and sermons of Church Incorporated… selected portions of commandments from the law which came by way of Moses. Not the entire law, mind you. Each religious brand will pick and choose what they think should be applied and what should be left off the list. The problem? There shouldn’t be a list. The entire written code of the letter from the Old Covenant was wiped out and came to an end. It was replaced with a better option that arrived when Jesus was manifested - it’s called faith. Paul was explaining to the Galatians they needed to make one of two choices… attempting to follow and live by the works of the law (the flesh) or to live by faith in Jesus Christ.

Before faith came, the Jews were held as prisoners under the law. The Mosaic law was a tutor or guardian which was meant to eventually lead them to the custody of Jesus Christ. When faith (Christ) came, there was no longer the need for the guardian because us who are in Christ Jesus became children of God by faith. The law and commandments are not based upon the faith that was provided for us within a new and better covenant.

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Top Picks of 2018

December 30, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Happy New Year from the Growing in Grace podcast! We'll return in 2019 with brand new weekly Growing in Grace episodes, but this week's topic is the Top Picks of 2018. Mike and Joel have both independently selected two of their favorite episodes from this past year.

We'll start with this pick from Mike: Dead to Sin, Alive to Righteousness. (Podcast 655).

"This is one of my personal favorite Growing in Grace podcasts in 2018. It quickly and simply covers a handful of topics that are commonly misunderstood within the vocabulary of legalistic religious circles:

Under grace, can we just go out and do whatever we want?
Sin, repentance, and struggles.
Understanding who you are: The righteousness identity of a believer.
Already forgiven and sins taken away."

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Joel's first pick comes from a 17 part series that we did called "Summarizing the Scripture." As we were nearing the end of the series, we did an episode called Contradictions or Different Covenants? (Podcast 645).

"I like this episode because it's a great summary of the differences between the Old and New Covenants, and we talk about why did Jesus often taught works-based teachings that seem to contradict the essence of the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, it was up to the people to keep the covenant, but all they ever did was fail. Everything in the New Covenant is based on the finished work of Jesus and God's oath that He made to Himself, and not the works of the people. It always confused me why Paul seemed to teach righteousness as a free gift that we receive apart from works, and yet Jesus seemed to teach that it was all works-based.

What I eventually came to understand is that Jesus was teaching the Old Covenant to those who were under it (Israel), for the purpose of showing them that they were not keeping it (and could not keep it), and they instead needed to turn, by faith, to this other covenant that was based upon God's oath to Himself and not their ability to keep a covenant with God."

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Next, from Mike, The Golden Rule: A Spiritual Death Sentence (Podcast 658).

"Here is one of my top 5 favorite Growing in Grace podcasts of 2018. It takes a traditional mindset 'head-on' with the subject of The Golden Rule as stated by Jesus:

'So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets' (Matthew 7:12).

Traditional Christianity has mistakenly mixed this law from the Old Covenant into church tenets and creeds. With one sentence He summarized the entire law which nobody could keep and it brought a sentence of guilt, bondage and death … not life. There is a better way."

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Another of Joel's favorites from 2018: The Gospel Is the Gift of God's Righteousness. (Podcast 665).

"Back to the basics with this one. We talk about questions such as What is the gospel? and How does it differ from the 'bad news?' The 'bad news' is that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but yet the 'good news' - the gospel - is that God justifies ungodly people by gifting them with His very own righteousness. The gospel reveals the righteousness of God that is given as a gift to those who do nothing but believe. Those trying to attain righteousness by their own works don't find it, and yet it's given freely to those who aren't even trying. This episode is one of my favorites because it's a great reminder to me that I have nothing to boast about before God, and I can stop trying to perform for God in order to attain or maintain right standing with Him. I've already received it, solely as His gift to me."

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We hope you enjoy our year end picks! Do you have any favorites? If you'd like to hear more, check out the "Most Popular Posts" in the column to the right, which lists the most viewed posts on this website in the last year.

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656. “Am I Right with God?”

June 17, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Something many people wonder deep inside is the question of whether they are right with God. Even those who call themselves believers in Jesus Christ may question at times as to where they stand with God. Their fear or uncertainty is sometimes triggered by their behavior and performance. They may tend to assume their identity as a child of God is filtered through their works and actions, or religious rule-keeping. The gospel reveals something that isn't always heard through weekly church teaching, and it's the greatest news you could ever want to hear. We've been gifted with God's very own righteousness. Right-standing with Him is no longer something you'll ever have to wonder about ever again.

The Prodigal Son and The Older Brother – What Were They Missing?

March 3, 2018 by Sandra

I want to share this story from a new perspective that the Father just dropped in my heart this morning. I like to release a blog post on Saturday morning if I have time so when I woke up this morning I immediately began to ask God if there was anything specific that He wanted […]

The post The Prodigal Son and The Older Brother – What Were They Missing? appeared first on Sandra McCollom.

636. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 7): A Promise of Faith Contrasted With A Covenant of Works

January 28, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

The promise of a covenant bringing righteousness by faith or belief as it was given to Abraham, would eventually bring what we often refer to as the New Covenant, which was ushered in through Jesus Christ. Several hundred years after God made this covenant with Abraham, another covenant would be established with the people of Israel, and would include the law which came through Moses. This law would bring a curse requiring that all of it be kept perfectly, causing God to find fault with the people in that covenant. Fortunately, that covenant of law would not nullify the covenant of promise made 430 years earlier. The promise of faith would end up kicking the law of works to “kingdom come” (because the law is not of faith). This week in our series, we’re transitioning from Abraham to Moses and the Law.

635. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 6): Abraham Did Not Waver at God’s Promise

January 21, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

In this sixth part of the series, we wrap up our brief look at Abraham and the significance of his part in God’s redemptive picture, which is a picture described throughout Scripture. Interestingly, in spite of what appears to be a fleshly effort by having a child through his servant Hagar, the Bible declares Abraham was not weak in faith, and did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith. Righteousness was credited to him because of belief, just as it is to us today, apart from law or works.

634. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 5): Abraham and the Child of Promise

January 14, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Hundreds of years before God gave the law to Moses, there was Abraham. Through him God brought forth a promise, where he would become the father of many nations that would occur through a child promised to him and Sarah. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. It was by faith the promise arrived, not works. The Apostle Paul explains how Abraham’s two sons represent the two covenants—both the Old and the New. The son born from Hagar (the bondwoman) was born according to the flesh, whereas the son from Sarah (the freewoman) through promise. One gave birth to bondage, symbolic of Mount Sinai, and the other gave birth to freedom, which would include justification for Gentiles through faith.

625. Justified Now! Sanctified Eventually?

November 12, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

The religious business is well known for finding a way to put pressure on people to perform. The motivation to do so will vary by church denomination, but they all lead to robbing people of fully experiencing the grace and peace that God delivered to us through Jesus Christ. One script that is commonly found is the idea that believers are now justified through the cross, but being sanctified (set apart) is a lifelong process that gradually occurs through behavior improvement. It’s promoted in a way so that the responsibility falls upon us to seek self-improvement with God’s help, which will hopefully make us more holy, set apart, acceptable, etc. While improved behavior is a good thing, it shouldn’t be identified or confused with the work of sanctification, which God already provided by placing us in Christ Jesus.

619. Where Do I Really Stand with God?

October 1, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Somewhere along the way, most of us have wondered where we stand with God. For some, this is an ongoing battle which can lead to fear and uncertainty. Are you stuck inside of a mindset that has caused you to feel compelled to ask God to cleanse you and purify you over and over again? If so, perhaps you haven’t heard the full story or understood the victory Jesus Christ won for us at the cross. It’s time to shift the (lack of) confidence from your ability to live the Christian life, to believing and trusting completely in the life of God that abides in you.

605. Faith and Believing

June 25, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

When the word "faith" is mentioned, it will likely bring a wide variety of different thoughts and viewpoints, depending on what people have been taught about the subject. There are some today who proclaim that faith and believing is no longer relevant and may suggest it's unnecessary. Others on the opposite end of the spectrum will turn faith into a work that leads to legalism. So how does faith and believing factor into our lives today in the New Covenant? That's our conversation on this week's Growing in Grace podcast.

604. Why “Trying Harder” Doesn’t Work

June 18, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Those Christians who are seeking to improve right-standing with God through their efforts are guaranteed to fail. Many will often wonder where they stand with God as they work to improve their behavior in order to attain more of God’s forgiveness, righteousness, holiness, sanctification, and even His love and acceptance. Don’t be discouraged by the guarantee of failure and the inability to acquire these blessings through your works. As the Jewish people under the law could’ve told you, it only leads to self-righteousness, which profits nothing. What if you could discover a guarantee to experience the fullness of the life of God on a daily basis, without fear, and without it being dependent upon your ability? It’s already been gifted to you in something called the gospel.

603. Believers ID’d as Righteous, Apart from Behavior

June 11, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

How you are identified as a believer in Jesus Christ is entirely separate from your works and actions. Israelites under the law declared that the attempt to keep the law of works would be righteousness for them, but there was never an individual who could accomplish the demand of doing it to the point of perfection, as was required. In order to receive the perfection and righteousness that was needed, Jesus fulfilled the law on our behalf and God placed us in Him. He became like us so we could become like him. Instead of pursuing works in order to establish ourselves (which leads to boasting), we abide in the faith of His finished work, where we have nothing to boast. Faith-based righteousness has brought us new life by God’s grace, which empowers us to live in the way of the Spirit, apart from the works of the law.