shook my head with a smile and replied, “No.”
“Of course not! Christ died with great purpose! He died so he could bring the new law and covenant into effect for all who believe in him.”
Joshua reached for a cookie and sat back in his chair. Passion filled his face as he explained, “Do you remember Abraham? He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham was not righteous because he followed every element of God’s law at that time. He was deemed righteous because he believed in the promises of God with all of his heart. Your job is to believe! You can now gain righteousness for your soul simply through faith, just like Abraham.
“Consider this, will you become righteous and allowed into Heaven by your own human effort while trying to follow the Mosaic Law? Or will you get there through belief in Christ?”
“I believe I will go to Heaven because of my faith in Jesus.” This was my obvious answer as a Christian.
He smiled in confirmation and read from his ever-present Bible.
“Galatians 3:8-11—The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
“All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”
“You do not live under the curse of the Law. The Law held a potential curse as a consequence to man’s inability to comply with all of the rules that had been established. But because of your belief in Jesus, you have become righteous through Christ. Jesus saved the nation of Israel from the curse of the law and your faith allows you to join in this blessing.
“Galatians 3:13-14—Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
He took a sip of lemonade allowing me time to process the truth of his words. I drank from my glass then asked for clarification.
“So, as Gentiles, we receive the blessings God promised to Abraham’s children because of our faith in Jesus? And we also have received the Holy Spirit and all of God’s Divine Nature for our souls, if we will only believe this to be true?”
He smiled with recognition of my struggle at accepting the simplicity to obtaining God’s incredible gift.
“John, it is simple…but not easy. I know how hard this is to believe, but God says your job is to believe. This is the Good News! Faith brings righteousness to your soul!
“Galatians 3:21-22—Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
“Because of your faith in Christ, you live under the new law of the Spirit of life and are considered to be a son of God. You need to realize that sons receive inheritance blessings from their fathers.
“Galatians 3:26—You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
He turned the page as he continued to express God’s plan for our souls.
“You do not have the ability to achieve righteousness on your own, because you cannot keep all the requirements of God’s law. It is only through belief in Jesus that you can gain righteousness for your soul.
“Philippians 3:8-9—What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
He closed the book and gazed beyond the moon lit horizon dancing on ripples of water. We both sat quietly as I tried to absorb the outpouring of God’s revealed love. The sound of ice rattling in my glass broke the tranquility before I questioned him.
“Okay, if we have received righteousness for our souls through faith in Christ, why are Christians so stuck on sin?”
A look of overwhelming love accompanied his answer.
“Most Christians believe that because their flesh continues to break God’s law, their soul cannot attain perfection in Christ. Many Christians feel they are sinners, because they are thinking, believing, and living in the flesh and not in the Spirit on the issue of sin. Interestingly though, these same Christians will ignore their flesh when questioned about possessing eternal life.”
I nodded in agreement.
“But God loves you so much that he forgave you and forgot your sins. Sin hurts your relationship with him and he does not want to be separated from his children in any way.”
He took a sip of his drink and quoted the final statement of the New Covenant, “I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more!”
I stood up to stretch my legs and turned to ask, “Why can’t I forget those very same sins that God will remember no more?”
He stood to join me, before he asked, “Do you recall the three parts of you?”
“Yes, the Spirit, Soul, and Body or Flesh.”
“And what did God’s Spirit bring to your soul?”
“Because of my faith, my soul gained the Holy Spirit’s eternal life.”
“And what did the flesh bring to your soul?”
“The flesh brought the sin nature and death.”
“Correct! But, what did God tell us in Romans about these things?”
“You said a lot of stuff, Joshua, you will have to remind me.”
He spoke from memory, “Romans 8:1-2—Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
“Remind me, John, what law leads to your condemnation?”
I knew this one, “The law of sin and death. My sins lead to my condemnation.”
“And what did we just hear from Romans?” He was leading the witness.
“It said God no longer condemns us, if we believe in Christ Jesus. The debt of the law of sin and death has been fulfilled by Christ’s blood on the cross. That law does not apply to us as we receive his Spirit of life.” My words fell deep into my heart bringing freedom’s peace to my soul.
Joshua smiled at my enlightenment stating, “The Bible says the truth will set you free!
