Doing the Works of Christ
I am a grace-teacher, I believe in righteousness by faith, not through works. But on the same token, I am passionate about the works of God that we are called to do. The problem is that many of God's people misunderstand the works that He has called us to do, so we go about doing the wrong works which lands us in unbelief.
The works in terms of righteousness is what the church today often refers to as works, but the fact is that if we are working for our righteousness, we are under the law and have fallen from grace. We think of falling from grace as to say, falling into sin, but that is not what the scripture is saying -- when we fall from grace, we have fallen in a place of unbelief, as we're relying on our works to make us righteous.
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Galatians 5:4
This is not what God intended. We cannot have peace with God while relying on our fallible human willpower to be righteous. We can only have peace with God when we rest by faith in His finished work of the Cross, thereby clothing us with His righteousness.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.
Romans 3:22
If we try to earn or own righteousness, then we have not received His righteousness by faith and we have fallen into unbelief concerning the work of Christ. Satan uses unbelief to enslave God's children into the wrong kind of works and he uses this common misunderstanding of scripture to put them into bondage.
So if the works we are called to do are not works of righteousness, intended to make/keep us righteous, then what kind of works were we called to do? The other day I was thinking about the works that Jesus called us to, and you know what the Holy Spirit showed me? It wasn't works as in living a sinless life so that we can be righteous (we are that in Christ by FAITH!)... the WORKS that we are called to do are the WORKS that Jesus Himself did Himself... cast out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead!!!
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 14:12
Jesus has done the work of making us righteous by clothing us with His righteousness when we accept His work on the Cross by faith. Our job is to accept that righteousness, which is done through believing by accepting by faith the work of the Cross. That is a done deal! But then God calls us all to do the works of Christ, the same things that He did while here on earth. That is, minister the good news of Christ to the lost, heal the sick, cast out demons, and yes, even raise the dead!
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Matthew 10:7-8
When we step out and do what God has called us to do, the signs and wonders of Christ will begin to follow us. It should be normal for a Christian to do the very miracles that Jesus did!
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Mark 16:17-18
Dr. Ronald & Sheila Powell
Dr. Ronald & Sheila Powell
