“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
Q3: What do the Scriptures principally teach?
A: The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man.
In the Covenant of Grace, we trust that Christ’s works alone are enough for us to be righteous before God. We repent of our sins and we repent of our “good” works. We trust wholly on Christ and receive everything from Him. The entire Christian life flows out of our union with Christ.
In Galatians 3:3, 5-6 says, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?...Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Commenting on this, J.V. Fesko says, "Paul’s broader point is that both justification and sanctification are by grace through faith alone in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are neither justified nor sanctified by our good works." The entirety of our Christian life (our “duty”) is empowered by grace through faith in Christ alone by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When sinners are saved by Christ, it is not that they no longer have duty. Rather, it is that their duty is now empowered by the Christ that saves them. How will you properly fear the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, love Him, serve Him with all your heart and soul, and keep His commandments? It’s a tall task! God not only lovingly calls us to obedience but also lovingly empowers us to obey. We seek to fulfill out duty wrongly when we neglect depending on Christ and the grace that is in Him.
You must never depend on your Christian life as the basis of your status before God. Christ’s work for you determines your status. You must live empowered by Christ’s work and responding to Christ’s work in the new life that God calls you to. Notice what Scripture emphasizes: The all-consuming focus of the Christian life must be on Christ! Christ is not merely the end but He is also the means. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” It is as you behold Christ by faith that you are transformed to live like Him. Don’t separate the Law from the Law Giver. Don’t separate duty from the “duty-empowerer”.