How does one find righteousness (a right standing) with God the Father?

1) Through obedience to the Commandments etched in stone and the 613-Levitical Laws of Moses?

2) By grace (unmerited favor) through faith (believing-trusting) in Jesus Christ as God who died to pay our sin-debt, a debt we cannot pay through human effort?

I ask you,

1. What Law does the Holy Spirit announce as relevant “before the beginning of Time?” Was it not the Gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 1:9-10)?

2. What Law governs the affections of the angels in the Kingdom of God?

3. What Law governed the affections of Adam, Enoch, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, seeing that Moses had not yet approached Sinai nor had Moses penned on parchment the 613-Laws governing every aspect of God’s righteous decrees pertaining to the holiness of Israel as God set them apart specifically for His purposes?

4. Prior to the Mosaic Law, was the Law of Hammurabi relevant or the Law of Conscience as written on man’s heart by God (Romans 2:15)?

5. To whom did God impart His Law, both the Commandments and the 613- Levitical Laws? Was it not the Hebrew Tribes and those sojourners who would convert to Judaism? Did God require the Gentiles to observe the Law of Moses-the Commandments?

6. Were the Gentiles told to obey the Law of Moses at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)?

7. What law does the remote Aborigine, having never seen a Bible or heard a Scripture, function under as he lives within a community necessitating order? Does not the Aborigine intuitively know that stealing from his neighbor is wrong? Does he not intuitively know that raping his neighbor’s wife is wrong? Does he not intuitively know that murdering his neighbor is wrong? Is not the Law of Nature through the conscience at play (Romans 2:15)?

Discussion,

It is perfectly clear and beyond rebuttal that the Holy Spirit has declared the Law of Moses-the Commandments as having been fulfilled in Messiah (Matthew 5:17) and that these Laws were given to the Hebrew Tribes specifically to point them to their coming Messiah as righteousness through a Law would not be ascertainable by sinful mankind; therefore, the Law that could only condemn mandated an Intercessor for the atonement of sin (Hebrews 10:4; Romans 3:20). When Messiah entered the World and initiated His Earthly ministry, the Law given through Moses was fulfilled (Matthew 5:17) and therefore was passing away until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25); therefore, the one who believes in Jesus as Lord is NOT under the Law of Moses but under grace through faith (Romans 6:14) in the One who fulfilled the Law in perfection (2 Corinthians 5:21).

It is written concerning the passing of the Law of Moses…

The Law has faded away,

“4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.” 2 Corinthians 3:4-11

What is the point?

If you have humbled yourself before God the Father and repented of your sins, believed in your heart and confessed with your mouth that Jesus Christ is your God who died to pay your sin-debt and you believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead for your justification (Romans 10:9-10) and you believe that Jesus is completely sufficient APART FROM WORKS to save you from your sin and provide righteousness (a right standing) with God the Father – THEN – you “decide” to pursue obedience to the moral aspects of the Law of Moses, the Commandments, during your walk of sanctification in obedience to the Holy Spirit, you do well and honor God through obedience and a good conscience in faith. ***BUT*** If you deny the sufficiency of Jesus Christ and faith in Him alone to provide righteousness but you believe that obedience to the Law of Moses and the Commandments are necessary to justify you before God the Father apart from Jesus Christ, you are condemning yourself to death in sin and death in Hell because the Law of Commandments cannot save you because you are a sinner (Romans 3:23) and have violated the Law of Commandments and to violate one-jot or one-tittle of the Law is violate the whole Law (James 2:10). You have rejected Christ and fallen from grace and you’re pursuing a Law that only condemns and a Law unable to provide atonement for sin and righteousness with God the Father.

“Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the Law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” Galatians 5:3-4

In closing,

It is only by grace (unmerited favor) through faith (believing) in Jesus Christ as your God who has redeemed you by His atoning blood that you will find righteousness (a right standing) with God the Father and it is ONLY SUBSEQUENT to your confession and believing that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9-10) that your works of obedience and philanthropy become relevant in the equation concerning righteousness as it is your good works, your obedience, your philanthropy, SUBSEQUENT to your confession that validates and authenticates your relationship with God the Father; that relationship with God the Father having been FIRST established by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord. If one then desires to honor the moral aspects of the Law of Moses and the Commandments in their daily walk of sanctification through the indwelling Holy Spirit, they are free to do that with the knowledge and understanding that the Law of Moses-the Commandments did not, cannot, will not, save them from death in sin and death in Hell.

Tragically, some Messianic Jews err in attempting to keep the Law of Moses and believe that Yeshua is Lord and died for their sin-debt but simultaneously believe that the works of the Law are necessary to somehow complete that atonement; this is the work of Judaizers who deny the sufficiency of Messiah’s atonement and with futility attempt to complete that atonement with good works; this is an eternal error (Ephesians 2:8-9)!

It is written,

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” Galatians 2:20:21 (ESV)

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Galatians 3:1-10 (ESV)