Length: 10 minutes

If you’ve been to Reform Church for any length of time you’ve probably heard us say things like, “God doesn’t require any work from us” or “Good deeds are not our job but the Holy Spirit’s in us” or “It’s not us that need to live for God anymore, but Christ lives in us for His purposes.” Those are all true statements, but let’s show you how this works.

First off, let’s make this clear: We wholeheartedly agree with good works and right living. Without godliness, there’s disorder and people are not profited.

Colossians 3:12-13 (NKJV) …put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 

Paul says for us to “put on” these godly qualities (which means it’s in you and just needs to manifest upon you). These are godly things that should be done and we 100% advocate this kind of godly living. 

We, and most other Christians agree that these godly things should be done. That’s good. But we disagree with many on how these things should be done. It’s less that we disagree with what qualities should be seen in our lives. In fact, our political and moral opinion is more reserved than a lot of churches. But we find disagreement more times than not with the process by which good qualities are performed in our lives.

The church today says that “Love is a choice. It isn’t always easy,” and “We need to work on having more self-control,” and “We need to commit everyday to living pure.” In other words, most of the church believes that good works are a decision that we can simply make to live righteously for God, if we make that our goal. 

But if human beings were able to love people by simply choosing to, or if we were able to do good works by simply setting a goal, then why couldn’t we be justified by the law of Moses? The whole point of the law was to show that we couldn’t live up to it. It was to show our absolute failure at being good. 

The law required good things that we agree with! Among the most important “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). If we could simply make a choice to do the good things the law required, why did we need a new covenant? Of course, we needed a new covenant with different requirements because no one has ever lived up to “love your neighbor as yourself” or any good work by choosing to. Otherwise, the law would have been a successful covenant! 

And no, the law’s point was not to show us that we mess up from time to time. The point of the law was to show us that there is not one person that does good. No, not one. Apart from Jesus we can do nothing (that is, according to the goodness of God). Truly good works cannot be accomplished by will power or by our choosing to live better for God. The law (given thousands of years ago) was supposed to prove this to us. 

Romans 3:12, 19 “There is none who does good, no, not one” …it says to those who are under the law…

Good works are necessary, but the law was given to prove to us that good works are out of our reach — completely out of our reach. And if the law wasn’t proof that people are inadequate to live for God, I don’t know what is.

Hebrews 7:18-19 (NKJV) For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect…

So, at Reform Church, we agree with good works, as should everyone. And yet God has proven to humanity through the law that righteous living is completely out of our reach. What now?

In the new covenant, God is not requiring good works to be done by us (the way the law of Moses did). But in the new covenant, good works are done through us by the Holy Spirit, as we get to know Jesus. 

Romans 7:6 (NKJV) But now we have been delivered from the law… that we should serve [God] in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter [the law]. 

Good works in the new covenant are now fruits from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), not requirements for us to perform ourselves. We allow the Holy Spirit to produce good works through us by renewing our mind to Jesus. As we get to know Jesus and what He has done for us more and more, good works are produced more and more through us. Our actions are transformed by the Holy Spirit, not as we try to live up to a standard, but as we simply renew our minds.

Romans 12:2 (NKJV) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove [give evidence of] what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Let me ask you, if transformation in our lives comes from our choice or our determination, what point would there be in renewing our minds? Why would God advise us to be transformed by the renewal of our mind if we could skip straight to the transformation ourselves? The renewal of the mind (to what Jesus has done) is necessary because we cannot transform ourselves.

When God says, “The renewal of your mind”, He’s actually talking about renewing your mind to see Jesus more clearly. That’s why in 2 Corinthians 3:18, instead of saying we’re transformed by renewing our mind, He says we’re transformed by seeing Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) But we all… beholding… the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We’re transformed by merely seeing Jesus. And who does the transformation? The Spirit!

So, if a Christian is caught in some sin, do they need to try to change it themselves? Under the law that would be the case, where good works were a requirement. But no, under the new covenant, that is evidence that they simply need to renew their minds. There is something Jesus provided that they don’t know.

If you want to see sin diminish more and see God’s qualities shine through you, it’s just about getting to know Jesus more. Getting to know Jesus is the only thing one needs to do in this new covenant. Why? Because getting to know Jesus and what He did at the cross is how every good thing is produced from us. 

Look at the verses below. Read them carefully (and please note that paraphrase translations paraphrase these verses incorrectly. You need to read this in a word-for-word translation).

“Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org”

2 Peter 1:5-8 (NASB) Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you see what that first verse said? It says, “…in your faith, supply moral excellence…” Many translations say “add TO your faith, moral excellence…” The correct translation is “add IN your faith.” That makes a huge difference. 

In these verses Peter is not disagreeing with good works. He’s disagreeing with most believers on the process of how good works are produced in our lives. He says that good works are added to our lives in faith toward Jesus. And in the last verse he says, “If these qualities are yours… they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That means that moral fruit comes from faith and the knowledge of Jesus. Unfruitfulness comes from lack of it. It’s as simple as that.

That’s why, in just the next verse he says that if you see a Christian that lacks these virtuous qualities, you know it’s just a lack of knowledge.

Verse 9) For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

You are transformed by knowing Jesus, not by trying to live better. In the new covenant, good works are not something to live out yourself. The only thing you need to do is listen and get to know Jesus more. How could we not say this? Knowing Jesus is the means that God has laid out in the new covenant for good works to be produced.

If good works were required of us in the new covenant, we would be no better off than we were under the law. The law is good works. But now we can rest from our work in this covenant and just get to know Jesus. That’s the new covenant. 

See below how one puts off bad conduct and puts on godly conduct in the new covenant:

Ephesians 4:22-24 (NKJV) …put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Just be renewed in your mind and the right living comes about automatically. But who does the right living? The Spirit of God does the living, while you are correctly believing.

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

1 Corinthians 15:10 (NKJV) …I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 

Behold who Jesus is. Get to know Him. Renew your mind to what He has done. That’s how right living comes about. You already knew that good works were necessary, but now you know the process.