Tried of Trails

I have been down many wilderness trails myself, even sprained my ankle a few times on the other hand, I have also been through many trials in this life on a spiritual level as well as the physical... through many trails and trials I have come .... sounds like the words to a song... seriously, the ones who "make it", those who will be able to stand in front of God on that great and terrible day of judgment, are only those clothed in the righteousness of Christ... you see, we are all sinners... the bible makes it clear that even after conversion, we will sin: 1 John 1:8 (ESV) If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." No one can be saved by obedience to the law... Galatians 3:11 (ESV) Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” the bible says that all who rely on the law as a means of justification are under the curse: Galatians 3:10 (ESV) 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.” if I could obey the law, then the bible says that Christ died for no purpose: Galatians 2:21 (ESV) I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. the purpose of the law is to hep us to see our inability to keep it, and then to despair at the lack of our own inherent righteousness, so the law is a "tutor" to teach us of our inability under the law, and those who are in Christ are no longer under the law: Galatians 3:24-26 (ESV) 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. of course the law is still good, it is not "contrary to the purpose of God".... we need it to teach us what pleases God, to teach us so that we may know how we shall then live... but not to teach us how we shall we saved... we need to cast ourselves wholly on Christ...... those who will stand are those who have faith in Christ, the promise is eternal life, and those who are in Christ are those who will receive this promise:Galatians 3:21-22 (ESV) 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." Romans 7:12 (ESV) So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good."we need to remember in all this that it is true faith that saves... not just the faith of devils... but true faith, as Martin Luther said a fides vive... a "living faith"... one that will produce works, but not one based on works... and this faith is ITSELF a gift from God... you cannot obey "X" number of laws, make "X" number of promises to God "this time I really mean it God, I am really going to give my life to you"... you can't walk down the aisle of the church to altar calls over and over again... none of this saves.... saving faith is a gift of God and only He can give it: Ephesians 2:8 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this (your faith) is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,"God specifically ordered the plan of salvation in this way so that no one would have cause to boast before man or before God: Ephesians 2:9 (ESV) not a result of works, so that no one may boast."think of it like this: good works are the fruit of justification and salvation, not the root.... in this "what comes first, the chicken or the egg" scenario... it is justification .... true saving faith that must come first... for only salvation in a person's soul has the power to convert someone's tainted dirty works into something pleasing to God... Isaiah 64:6 (ESV) We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Salvation is not the result of obedience to any laws, it is according to the will of God.... again... salvation is not the result of anyone "running or willing", doing any activity at all... it is based on the mercy of God: Romans 9:16 (ESV) So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy."so obey the law in so far as it actually applies to you as a post-Christ post-atonement new covenant Christian... but realize that even the obedience you are able to give to God is itself due to God's mercy and work in your life... you can take no credit for even your good works for that would be to boast as well... the Bible sums this paradox up by an excellent passage in Philippians... many who want to pursue works-based righteousness will quote the first half of this passage but not the second, for some strange reason... lol... but I think I know why... it is human nature to want to take credit for what we do... we want to be the captain of our ship... we want to be the one who decides if we are saved or not... we don't like it that our eternal destiny is in the hands of someone else, even... for some strange reason... in the hands of God... but instead we ourselves think we know better than God Himself!... and further, that not only is our salvation in someone else's hands, namely God's, but our good works are also the result of God at work in us, and not us "working and willing": Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV) 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 or it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." so cast yourselves wholly on Christ, for only He alone can save, you can't save yourself by any obedience to the law, Christ is the one who obeyed the law perfectly for us, so that when the Father looks at a Christian, He sees literally a "little Christ" or a "Christ-one" (which is simply what the word "Christian" means), for God sees us clothed in the righteousness of His beloved Son, the only true righteousness there is, the righteousness of Christ.... Romans 3:21-30 (ESV) 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. blessings,ken