Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Notice that? They were judged every man ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS. Not according to their faith. They're judged according to their WORKS!
James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."
James: 2:21 "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?"
James 2:24 "24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
What are works, then? Your works are following God's statues and commandments. I know many folks quote this in regards to the law:
Galatians 3:24 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
So, you've gone to school. Your schoolmaster taught you arithmetic, how to read, and write, but now that you're graduated--do you just forget what your schoolmaster has taught you? Does arithmetic and reading and all other things you've learned no longer have a use in your life? Or has it become a foundation for you? Is an integral part of you? And now that you have that foundation you can move on and see the spiritual aspects of the law and are no longer limited to the physical aspects of the law.
Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Let's pick this a part. "Wherefore then serveth the law? It WAS ADDED BECAUSE OF TRANSGRESSIONS, til the seed should come." . . . "Is the law then AGAINST the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law."
Christ came to give life, because the law could not give life. It's not saying that the law was bad or ineffective, it just could not do what Christ could do. Christ has the ability to give us life--a spiritual life. When we are spiritual beings we have the ability to keep the law. We cannot transgress the law as spirit beings.
Grace is a reprieve from the penalty of the law. That does not mean that the law is done away with, it just means that we're CURRENTLY not under the penalty of the law. We're not going to be stoned to death when we transgress something. We know the law is our schoolmaster, what happens when it's the final exam? Or, let's say, you're called before judgement. You will be tested on the law; you have to know the law. And the only way you can know the law is by following the law. To have been taught the law. Are you going to get an 'F' on the final exam, or are you striving for an 'A+'?
We're in a grace period. We're not under the penalty of breaking the law, but it's expected we do our best to follow the law, because the grace period will eventually end.
Isaiah 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (4) And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
This is a prophetic message talking about people who come to the house of the God of Jacob. Christ shall judge the nations and rebuke many people: "out of Zion shall go forth the LAW, and the word of the Lord."
The LAW is with Christ.
Our grace period I liken to a condemned house. The house is the temple of God, which is in us (1 Corinthians 3:16), the clutter inside represents sin, and the building inspector represents Christ.
The building inspector comes to a house and sees all manner of filth and clutter. He warns the owner of the house that it needs to be cleaned lest it be condemned. He gives the individual a grace period to clean-up the house, warning that he would return at a time they would not expect.
It's the owner of the house's responsibility to clean the house of clutter (sin) and put it in order and make it clean, so when the building inspector returns, he does not condemn the house.
If the building inspector returns and finds the house still in a disheveled mess, he's going to say, why didn't you clean this? I came and I warned you that it would be condemned. He will judge the owner of the house by their works (or their lack of work) The owner didn't work hard at getting the place clean and therefore it will be condemned.
Christ did not abolish the law; the law is still in effective. Following the law mechanically cannot give one eternal life, but faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. But at the same time we cannot have faith without the law.
"James 2:14-17 "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
We cannot reached eternal life by works alone, but we can't reach eternal life by faith alone. We need both to have eternal life.
Romans 6:15 "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid."
Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
The law taught Paul what is sin. The law was the schoolmaster, teaching what is sin and what is not.
The Law is not a happy meal in which one picks and chooses the things that satisfies him. One doesn't say, "Thou shalt not murder"; that sounds right, "thou shalt not steal", yup, I wouldn't want anyone to steal from me, "Thou shalt not commit adultery", what? But that puts a crimp in my love-life! How will I be able to sleep with John and Joe, and Steve and Nick and Jimmy? AH! I know, I'm under grace. Christ forgives me.
James 2:9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 11 For He who said, "DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," also said, "DO NOT COMMIT MURDER." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law."
The above is saying that one should not show partiality in anything, even the law itself.
If the law has been done away with, then we won't know sin. If we don't know sin how can we perfect ourselves for Christ? If Christ did away with the law, then Satan is no longer under the law either and all manner of sin is acceptable. If sin is acceptable why then bound Satan?
Hebrews explains which things Christ changed in the law, like no longer needing a sacrifice since Christ was our sacrifice and that he is now our high priest, we don't need to go to priests and rabbis anymore and ask them to atone for our sins. He has become our mediator.
Malachi 3:6 - "I the Lord do not change."
Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Matthew 5:17 - "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
Fulfill means, literally, to fill to the full. If something has been filled to the full it's been added to--not taken away.
John 15:10 "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love."
We see Jesus Christ saying this in John 10:30 - "I and the Father are one."
Since Father and Son are one, we know that the son Jesus Christ cannot reject the teachings of his Father God. If God ordered something, it is suppose to be kept.
Christ would have followed every commandment in the Torah being the Son of God. So anything that God commanded he would have done. We see he even attended The Feast of Tabernacles. Luke 2:42 "And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast."
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So what's the conclusion? You will not be tormented forever in a hell fire; however, it's prudent to obey God's laws because we see during The Great White Throne Judgement men are judged according to works--not by faith.
