K110. Did Paul tell us just to confess righteousness instead? (3)

This is the third time I talk about the doctrine of Paul on righteousness.
I have explained in (K108) that Paul had no condemnation in Rom 8:1-4 because he was not under the law to do the rituals or the ritualistic works of the law; but in the law of Christ to serve and do the law of God with his mind (Rom 7:24-25).

Doing more is the law and Spirit of Christ
Today, we can still go deeper to find out what is the law of the Spirit of Christ since we are in the law of Christ:
Rom 8:2-4 KJV  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  (3)  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  (4)  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Since we are in the law of Christ, we need to walk in the law and Spirit of Christ. Hence, when we are no more under the law to do the rituals or the ritualistic works of the law, it does not mean that we have no more law. It does not mean that we do less law of God. No, on the contrary, we do more under the law and doctrine of Christ. We do ALL the laws and commandments to worship and obey God. It would include the Ten Commandments, the doctrine, the parables, and the law of Christ too.
I will ask those who say that listening to the law of God is like listening to the devil or the Pharisees, Did Paul listen to the devil? No. Of course, Paul did not listen to law of the rituals, the circumcision, or the religious works of the law, but he still listened to the laws and commandments of God or the law of the Spirit to do God's righteousness. I have said in K108 that there were two laws: the law of God in the Spirit and 'the law' of sin and death in the flesh and of the flesh. When we listen and focus on the law of the rituals or circumcision, we serve the law of the flesh; but when we listen to the law of the Spirit, we serve the law of God because the righteousness of the law is found in us and we would walk in it:
Rom 8:3-4 KJV  For what 'the law' could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  (4)  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Hence, we conclude that Paul did not listen to the devil; he listened to Jesus Christ.

The world would do less, do the minimum, or do nothing in the law of God
Mat 22:33-40 KJV  And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.  (34)  But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.  (35)  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,  (36)  Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  (37)  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  (38)  This is the first and great commandment.  (39)  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  (40)  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Ha, that was a great answer from Jesus. The lawyer had probably asked the question to test Jesus, hoping that the answer of Jesus would be ONLY ONE great commandment which he could boast and use it argue against Jesus. When he got a different answer (to do ALL the commandments), he was silent by Jesus instead.

Jesus has the words, the law, and the Spirit of God; we must do likewise
The same lawyer could have asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbour?" in Luk 10:26. Look at the wisdom of how Jesus answered him. The lawyer thought that he could trap Jesus with his question, but in the end, he was trapped by his own question and his own answer:
 Luk 10:26-30 KJV  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?  (27)  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.  (28)  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.  (29)  But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?  (30)  And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.. .. (36) Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?  (37)  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Of course, we can learn from the whole lesson that Jesus was very wise, but it also shows that Jesus has the law and the Spirit of God to do all the commandments of God and he would tell us to do LIKEWISE too. If we are not convinced, please read His sermon on the mount and find out if He would teach us with the same Spirit to do more for the kingdom of heaven:

The words, the law, and the Spirit of Christ can never be obsolete for the kingdom of God
Mat 4:17 KJV  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 5:3 KJV  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:10 KJV  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:19-22 KJV  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  (20)  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.  (21)  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: (22) But I say unto you..
Mat 7:21 KJV Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 13:11-12 KJV  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.  (12)  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 25:1 KJV  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

The words, the law, and the Spirit of Christ is our weapon against the devil too
If we are still ignorant of the law and the Spirit of Christ, please read His words against the devil again:
Mat 4:4 KJV  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
One of the weapons of Christ which will defeat the devil is to do every word, not one word or a few words of God. It is not just to obey one commandment or a few commandments of God; it is to obey all the commandments of God. Now please ask ourselves, Can obeying every word or commandment of God be obsolete? Absolutely not. How can we cast away our most effective weapon if the devil is still around? We may cast away the 'bond woman' or the old covenant; but not the laws and commandments of Christ to keep, obey, and do the commandments of God. Otherwise, we are the most blinded believers on earth - like the foolish virgins who has no oil for their lamps. They are so foolish that they would carry an empty lamp without any oil until they realize it when it was too late. Empty lamp without the oil is the picture of a church with no law (light), no commandment (lamp) and no Spirit (oil):
Pro 6:23 KJV  For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
1Sa 16:13-14 KJV  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.  (14)  But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

How foolish are the foolish virgins (or the churches)?
Mat 25:1 KJV  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
The foolish virgins were foolish enough to keep just enough oil for the lamp. But do we know that there are foolish virgins or churches who are more foolish than that? If we observe long around, we can find that there are three level of 'foolishness' in the Bible, in real life, in the churches, and in the kingdom of heaven:
1. Being foolish enough (for the virgins or churches) to keep just 'enough' oil for the lamp (without the Spirit of the law to do more in Christ or in the law of Christ)
2. Being very foolish (for the virgins or churches) to have an empty lamp without any oil (by rejecting the Spirit of the law of God totally and maintaining only an 'empty' form of godliness without the power and light of God). 2Ti 3:5-7 KJV  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.  (6)  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,  (7)  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
3. Being extremely foolish (for a virgin, church, or believer) to have cast away their lamp or God's commandments and become totally naked without the light and the glory of God to 'cover' themselves. Mat 22:11-12 KJV  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:  (12)  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Some people said, "There is no cure for stupid". I think there is some truth in it. It is because: If we do not do something right, we may repent when we are told to do it right. But if we are stupid, we will never repent even if we are told to do it right. Instead, we could be so stupid that we keep telling ourselves that "there is therefore no condemnation for doing wrong or doing nothing" or "We can never confess sins or repent because we can never do wrong". Hence, this is the utter foolishness that the Lord would not want the churches to teach and practise in the last days with His parable.

How can we do more if we are always arguing?
Many will still argue, "What? We must still do more after Jesus did His finished work for us? No, it must the voice of the accuser. God tells us that it is finished. It is enough for Him and for us. The Bible said, It is by His obedience; not by our obedience. But did not the Israelites boasted, "All that you commanded we will do", and they fell? It's because they think that they could do more, obey more, or keep more law .. Hence, don't talk about our obedience under the law anymore; but focus only on Christ's obedience under grace !"
Rom 5:19 KJV  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
I will tell them, Are you sure that if we are not saved by our obedience, it means that it is no longer necessary for us to obey God? Or if we are not saved by God's commandments, God's commandments are no longer necessary too? Can you understand what kind of logic it is when the devil would say that since you are not saved by love, it is no longer necessary for you to love too? It is obviously a lame excuse !
No, of course, God would never say that. But God would say, If you are truly saved by Christ's obedience, you will obey like Christ (Rom 12:16, Php 2:5-8, Php 3:15-16, 1Pe 4:1-2 ..). The question is not whether we have the obedience of Christ; the question is whether we  have the obedience of Christ to obey at all? The question is not whether we can do enough; the question is whether we can do God's words and commandments. If we can't do it, please don't talk about do enough or do more for the kingdom of God or heaven.
Rev 3:19 KJV  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
2Co 10:5-7 KJV  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;  (6)  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.  (7)  Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.
The foolish virgins or the Laodicean church had probably thought that they could just do enough or do nothing. But could they argue with the Lord who asked them to do more or do well for the kingdom of heaven? No. If we are like them and keep rejecting the voice of reproof, rebuke, or repentance with our own logics to relax more, rest more, and receive more, we may not have heard Him correctly.

God gave us His laws not because we boast to obey more laws
Many will argue, "No, Doing more is an Old Testament mentality. The Israelites were under the old mentality to do more and do all that God would command them. That's why God gave them the law. Similarly, if we boast today and say that we can do more and do all that God will command us, we are boasting like the Israelite, and God will condemn us with the law.."
Exo 19:7-8 KJV  And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.  (8)  And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
I will ask them, Please read your Bible again. Did God give them the commandments before (or after) they asked for the commandments? Exo 19:7 said clearly that Moses laid before their faces all the commandments of God BEFORE they asked for the law. So, it is wrong to conclude that God gave them the law only after they boasted for it. God would still give them the law whether they boasted for it or not. Today, under the New Covenant, God will still do the same as Jesus calls for us, the disciples, pastors, and elders of the churches, and lays before us all the words that God the Father has commanded us:
Joh 14:10-23 KJV  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. .. (23) Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  (24)  He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
Will Jesus tell us just to obey the Ten commandments to love God and our neighbour in the Bible verses above? No, Jesus referred to all the commandments that He had taught or laid before the people in His sermon on the mount and in His parables as He called the people to repentance too. Hence, Jesus did not give us His commandments just because we boast that we can do all His commandments; He gave us His commandments because it was God's plan from the very beginning. It was not an alternative plan; it was the original plan:
Heb 8:10 KJV  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people..

Can we find death in the laws of God?
Many will still argue, "But there was no death until the laws were given to the Israelites from Mt Sinai. Hence, the laws are the cause of all the problems to men. If the Israelites did not boast and ask for the laws, they would be continuously blessed as a nation without any law. Hence, the law was the culprit."
I will tell them, Please read your Bible again. How can the law be the culprit when God said that His laws and commandments were the testimony of His communion with them?
Exo 25:21-22 KJV  And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.  (22)  And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
Are you sure there was no death before the law was given? If this was so, there should be no death before they left Egypt too? Of course, this is ridiculous. When the Bible did not mention any death in Egypt or in wilderness, it did not mean no death. Of course, if the Bible did not mention that they went to the toilet, it did not mean that they did not need to go to the toilet too. Hence, it is foolish to assume something just because something else has not been mentioned.

Can we find fault with the laws of God?
I have already mentioned that the laws were not given just because the Israelites boasted and asked for the laws. God gave the laws because He had planned for it long before He did that (Exo 19:7, Heb 8:10, 10:16). He planned to give the Israelites good laws which could save them at that time. However, those who died at Mt Sinai were not killed by the law; they were killed by their lawlessness instead. Many may still argue, "But why did Paul say that the law is the law of death? Isn't the law the culprit and it kills?"
I will tell them, Yes, Paul did say that the law of the old covenant is the ministration of death. It has become the law of sin and death only because it was corrupted by the Pharisees. God had foreknown that this could happen. He gave good law to the Israelites, but the Pharisees under the Old Covenant corrupted it and make it bad. Hence, God would put His laws into the hearts of the true believers who will never allow His laws to be corrupted this time - in another words, the true believers under the New Covenant will keep His laws and preserve His laws. Because of this, Paul would conclude that the laws under the New Covenant are more superior than the laws under the Old Covenant. The Bible said that God found fault only with the law that was corrupted by men; but the devil will find fault with all the laws of God that were created by God. Hence, we must be careful how we interpret God's finding fault with the Old Covenant in the following Bible verses. If we are not careful, we will find fault like the devil:
Heb 8:7-10 KJV  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.  (8)  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:  (9)  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.  (10)  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
The devil will interpret that God found fault with all the laws; however, God had said it very clearly - He found fault with the OLD COVENANT or FIRST COVENANT. We must be careful not to twist His words and find fault like the devil.

We are warned to keep the faith and commandments of God
Rev 14:12 KJV  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
It is also the faith of Jesus to do more in the commandments of God:
Jas 2:17-24 KJV  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.. .. (19) Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  (20)  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?  (21)  Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? .. (23) And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.  (24)  Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
I found out that the dragon, the beast, and the false prophets may not kill us physically; but they can do it spiritually. The false prophets could make us (the churches) wise in our own eyes; but foolish in casting away all the doctrine and commandments of God. In another words, the false prophets could make us (the churches) so foolish that we teach and behave like the foolish virgins who are left behind to face the beast and become his easy prey. However, many (churches) may still think that they are the wise who are not harmed or killed by the beast, when they are foolish. When the beast is around, it is better for us (the churches) to be 'killed', 'decapitated', 'discapacitated', 'disintegrated', 'minimized', or 'disfavoured' by him than to be marked by him as his favourites ..
Rev 13:15 KJV  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Rev 14:9-12 KJV  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,  (10)  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:  (11)  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.  (12)  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Hence, the beast has the power to deceive many and give his mark of 'favour' to those who believe him. But his mark of 'favour' is the mark of spiritual death or second death. It could be the mark of rebellion, lawlessness, or deception which will ultimately corrupt the human thinking (in the minds) and control the human doing (hands) too.
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