The cults today teach that Christ's perfect and full atonement wasn't good enough and that you are still under the law of Moses either partially or fully.
This is the most common counterfeit Gospel found in the world today: That you are not saved by grace but by your own works.
Tthe central theme of the gospel is that in Jesus, God has revealed a salvation that is received by faith. Romans is an epistle that some have viewed as a systematic theology. In an orderly fashion, it affirms the universality of man's lost condition and states that Jesus Christ has provided necessary redemption. With respect to the Law of Moses, the work of Christ has superseded it. The author shows that "righteousness" is of God and, furthermore, that those who come to righteousness must do so through faith in Jesus Christ. Justification before God is a matter of faith and not of works.
Paul cites Abraham as a prototype of justification by faith. God provides the means; man responds in faith. Although God does not predetermine man's actions, God's determined will makes salvation possible. He has acted in a way that brings assurance of salvation, provided the recipient lives in faith.
The consequent life is a living sacrifice, displayed in constant array to God for all to see. The "new" man bears testimony to his newly found righteousness. Through unwavering faith, godly behavior, and a servant attitude, one becomes a living demonstration of the character of his Lord.
Galatians addresses a particular problem. Following Paul's teaching, there came teachers who did not understand the relationship between law keeping and faith. Since many references are made to the Law of Moses, one detects that the audience was heavily Jewish in background. Persons who felt that a right relationship with God was based on how well one observed the Law of Moses created the specific problem. Without diminishing the importance of right actions, Paul set forth a different basis for justification. The important dimension of justification is faith expressing itself through love.
Understanding the meaning of “faith” as used by Paul in Romans and Galatians is critical to interpreting his thought. As one approaches the texts of Romans and Galatians, one should be aware of a variety of meanings associated with the word throughout the New Testament. In the context of Romans and Galatians, “faith” is generally equated with the channel, means, or location of righteousness.
Righteousness is not found in law, but in Christ. It is not attained by human effort, but by God’s initiative in Jesus. The basis or ground of "righteousness" is the atonement. Faith is the channel through which righteous comes to us, the means by which we receive it. In this context, Paul’s injunction to “serve one another in love” and “live by the Spirit” (Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:13-14, 16) implies that faith carries responsibility.
For Paul, “faith” embodies commitment and trust. It also assumes obedience, for in Christ one ceases being a slave to law and becomes a slave to God. James uses language similar to Paul when talking of the proper response of faith (see Jas. 5:16). But in the context of the Epistle of James, the claim to faith is empty if one neglects to perform the duties of a Christian. James asks, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?” (Jas. 2:14). When James says faith without works is dead, he is challenging those who claim to be Christians, but who act contrary to that claim. In favoring the rich, they despise the poor.
By their behavior, they deny the very faith they claim to hold. James is not denying the tenets of Paul’s teaching about where or how one is justified. He is showing the implication of that justification. For Luther to call James an epistle of straw hinders the complete picture of what faith is and what it calls us to be as justified people.
“Faith” has other nuances as well. The apostle John favors the verbal form of the word, and uses it mean assent to a truth. Following the report that Jesus had been seen in a post-resurrection appearance, Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” A week later, Jesus appeared to him, showing him the signs he had requested. Jesus added, “Stop doubting and believe.” In this instance, to believe is to accept the resurrection of Jesus as a fact. Jesus continued with the statement, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Then John adds his own note as to the purpose of his writing: “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:24-31).
Having life is contingent upon accepting the fact of the resurrection. But elsewhere, we also know that acceptance of the fact of the resurrection is not sufficient for justification. There were many in Jerusalem who could not deny that Jesus had been resurrected. They had seen him. But this did not translate into a relationship with him. When the people gathered to hear the apostles speak at the first Pentecost following Jesus’ resurrection, they became convinced of the resurrection, ascension, and placement of Jesus at the right hand of God. It was at this point that they cried out, “What shall we do?” The apostolic response was simple, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38).
These people were now convinced that Jesus had been raised, as were the Pharisees and Sadducees. But like the Pharisees, they remained captive to their sin, being condemned by the law they could not keep. Repentance would be a necessary step on the way to finding justification in Christ. As Paul explains in Romans, baptism would then be the act that portrayed their participation in the death of Christ, who alone can justify one before God.
Still further, faith is used to express unwavering dedication. This is especially apparent in the book of Hebrews. Faith is “defined” in the following way: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1). “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command” (Heb. 11:3). “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings” (Heb. 11:4). “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice” (Heb. 11:17).
Whether used by John, Paul, James, or the words of the author of Hebrews, the word “faith” is a powerful word. It expresses belief in a fact, the location of salvation, the performance of obligations, and long-term commitment. The context in which the term is used must be taken into account to sense the full and true meaning of the word. It would be a mistake to put Paul against James or to read into Paul something he was not advocating.
Surely, faith in Christ eliminates the possibility that human activity can merit the grace of God. But to eliminate appropriate deeds from the life of the Christian is to deny the very faith by which one may claim his salvation.
As in Romans, Galatians emphasizes that man can find righteousness only through faith in Jesus Christ. In both books, Paul insists, however, that acts of a sinful nature are to be set aside so spiritual fruit that reflects the Holy Spirit at work in one's life may be produced.
Together, Romans and Galatians establish the rationale for the gospel. Man cannot find this through meditation, self-denial, self-mutilation, observance of rules, or cult teachings. He cannot find it even through submission to regulations that are divinely derived. Only in and through Jesus Christ is righteousness attained and reconciliation realized.
If you have a serious interest in this topic, listen to 'The Law Accomplished' audio teaching for free from the Messages on the Law series found on this webpage:
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occurs twenty-five times (and oida, another verb meaning ‘to know’, fifteen times). The knowledge of God is not some mystic vision or intellectual insight; it is manifested when we obey Christ's commandments. 