How Righteousness Works Out — Robert B. Thompson

I remember one time we were at the Feast of Tabernacles, this was many years ago, about the second or third time that we'd been there. And they have what we have, only it's all professional, it's on a much greater scale.

And I like pageantry, I like music, I like poetry and these things, I'm that type of person. And I was really thrilled to see the dancing and the light and the color. I'd never seen anything like that.

And then the Lord opened my spiritual eyes and what I saw I didn't want to see. I did not want to see it. Did you ever see anything in the spirit realm that you didn't want to see? Well, it's quite an experience.

Usually when your eyes are open you see something that is a blessing or that you're hoping for. But I didn't want to see this. And what I saw momentarily, when my eyes were open, I don't know if you ever saw the Walt Disney film Fantasia, but there was a part in that where there were little pigs and they had a kind of a little ballet, kind of a ruff that went out there, you know, and their little short legs and hoofs and all.

And that's what I saw. That's what I saw. All that the Lord was looking at, it just wasn't. It just wasn't anything that He wanted. And what I'm seeing here in this church is something altogether different.

Holiness and Obedience Behind Spiritually Anointed Worship

It's anointed. And I know why. It's because while I stand, the Lord got Stan in the music business. He didn't want to do it. He's serving the Lord. Then Lisa and Stan and Audrey and I prayed about who should be the air traffic controller.

How many know what the air traffic controller is? It's the person who goes around and makes sure that people are responding correctly with the flags at the right time and the right place. That's the air traffic controller.

So the four of us prayed and one name came up, and that was Kathy Ott. Well, I think Kathy Ott wanted to do that just about as bad as, you know, she wanted to walk on a bed of nails. But she did it out of a love for God.

And that's the difference. So when you're looking at the pageantry and the kids, realize the work that has gone into this to make it work, and Giovanni and the others who are active, God is blessing because there's holiness there.

Once you realize that, it isn't just because it's colorful. And this tonight, I keep saying this is a high point, this tonight with all the flags, how many felt the presence of the Lord? I mean, a stupendous!

Karen's on her face and I'm thinking, hey, we're poised for revival. I've never seen anything like that in my life. That's marvelous. Hallelujah! I hope you're appreciating all of this because it's wonderful.

The Whitney's, how does it strike you? Is it a blessing to you? It's really awesome. Presence of God. You're probably so used to it you don't realize it. But the presence and spirit of God are awesome.

And it's because God blesses righteousness and obedience. And we need to keep that in mind. God can accept an offering or reject it. You see this many times in the Bible. He doesn't just accept it because you offer it.

I mean, there's ground rules. And the King. I mean, we're doing this to celebrate the coming of the King. That's why we're doing it. This is a celebration. The coming of the Lord is near. We're celebrating the coming of Jesus.

And He's accepted. I felt His presence tonight in such a rarefied atmosphere. You could feel those angels. You could almost see them, these powerful, powerful angels that accompanied Jesus. They were here.

He was accepting. Isn't that wonderful? Hallelujah. You know, this is where I want to go to church. You know, when the pastor wants to go to his own church, you've got something going. This is where I want to go to church.

Praise the Lord. So I just do glorify God for what He's doing. I want to talk to you, you know, Sunday night of all things. But I'm going to talk to you about righteousness and its relation. I mean, how this works out.

Grace, Faith, and the Necessity of Righteous Living

Now, I mean, this may seem dull and uninteresting, but maybe it isn't. I'll try to make it as interesting as I can. But what I want you to realize is that right now, in the four-square theological course that Paul and Earl are going to, they are discussing this issue.

They're trying to resolve where does grace and righteousness come together. They can't get it. Earl says they cannot get it. Every time they get up to the idea that it's necessary, the professor backs down, and I'm not criticizing him.

Whatever. He backs down because the consequences are enormous. I mean, people will leave the church. They say this is worse. So the issue is, you've got on the one hand, you've got people who are afraid if you start talking about righteousness, you're talking about worse.

You'll lose half the Lutherans. Yeah, because my faith alone, brother, that's what they believe. Then you've got another point of view in our land that get off the holiness thing. If you will just let Jesus have his way in your life, it will happen.

Probably closer to the truth than the other, but there are some problems with that. We see people who do that, and it comes as such a relief after hearing the word of righteousness. They say, oh, wow, this is what I've been waiting to hear.

You don't have to do it. But that doesn't work either. It isn't New Testament. I mean, I don't know how many ordinances there are in the New Testament. You're supposed to do. Do this. Do that. Do the next thing.

Paul says, Awake to righteousness and sin not. It doesn't say Jesus is going to do it for you, but yet Jesus does do it for you. So where does it come together? Does anybody have a little gray porcelain mouse bric-a-brac?

If you see any, let me know. I need one. I want to put it next to my books. I've got an elephant, and I want a little porcelain mouse. So I don't get confused as to who's doing what, okay? You know the story of the elephant and the mouse.

Okay, so we want to remember who's doing the work. All right, now, tonight I'm going to give you some scriptures, and I'm going to try to explain to you, as God helps, a thing that seems very clear to me, but it doesn't seem to be that clear to everybody, but I believe it will in the days to come.

This question of where righteousness comes together with grace is answered simply. It's no profound problem. And it isn't the case that we do works to get saved. That's not right. And it isn't the case that if we hang back, Jesus does it all.

That isn't right. So we want to look at the scripture and see what the scripture says. We know the end is righteous. That we know. Romans 8 .29, what does that say? I quoted it this morning. Come on, people.

I quote it this morning, Romans 8 .29. For whom He did foreknow. He also did predestinate. King James says predestinate, but the word is predestined. He also did predestine to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Now, people. Guess what? If the God of the universe has predestined you to be changed into the image of Jesus, you know what? It's going to happen. But what we don't know is how and when and where grace fits into this.

This is not known. So that's what we're talking about on Sunday night. And I hope you find it interesting. It interests me because I see such a need in the Christian church. They do not understand. They want to repent.

They feel a need for it. But if you take it down theoretically, how can you repent if Jesus is your righteousness? What are you going to repent of? So that doesn't make sense. That's the quandary. The theological quandary.

The Christian church is in today. They don't know. What do you do about the question of righteousness? Where does it fit in terms of grace? So that's what we're on tonight. Are there any questions about that, by the way?

I want to talk to Margaret. She went ballistic this morning because the Lord reveals something to her about how the righteousness of Christ works out in you. You don't have to drum it up out of your Adamic nature.

And it hit Margaret like a boat this morning. She's delirious with joy to think He's going to do it. Yes, He is. We know that. But how does it work? That's what I want to talk about. So I need someone to volunteer to read.

Just prepare it. And I'll probably get to it. Revelation 22 .16. Let me see a hand. Can someone handle that one? Revelation 22 .16. Not read it now. Danny's got that. Colossians 1 .27. Someone? Just have it ready.

Maurice's got that. Revelation 10 .7. Okay, David's going to handle that. Isaiah 66 .7 -8. Isaiah 12 .1 -5 I mean, I'm sorry. Revelation 12 .1 -5 Stan? Okay, Galatians 4 .19 I'm going to handle that. Brambeck.

Romans 6 .17. It's a very important one. Romans 6 .17 is very important. Mark Overton's got that one. And Hebrews 8 .7 Tony's got that one. So we'll start. And I'm going to have you read responsibly. 2 Peter 1 Verses 19 -21.

And really, this will tell the whole story. But I have to fill up an hour, so I got all these. But it's all in 2 Peter. If you can see it. And this is the answer. This is the answer. This is how the New Covenant works.

This is how it works. It's 2 Peter 1 .19 -21. And if you get this handle. You've got it. You've got it. Now the Lord gave me that verse. I guess, probably in the early 5th answer. To this question of righteousness.

And if you understand this passage. You will understand how the New Covenant operates. And remember, the purpose of the New Covenant. Is to produce righteousness. That is the purpose. I might jump over now.

The New Covenant Writes God’s Law on the Heart

And have someone read Hebrews 8 .7. Who had that? Tony, go ahead. What was the first covenant? Moses. He's comparing the Mosaic Covenant. And he said, if it had been faultless. He wouldn't have made a new covenant.

Okay, go ahead Tony. You're going to have to keep reading there. It doesn't say finding fault with it. With the covenant. But with what? Why do you suppose he was finding fault with them? Because they were not keeping the covenant.

In other words, the covenant is the Ten Commandments. Which is righteousness. You want a description of righteousness. It's the Ten Commandments. And they were not doing it. He was finding fault with them.

So he made a new covenant. What do you suppose the purpose of the new covenant is? To produce righteousness. To do. To accomplish the job. That the first covenant could not do. The purpose of the Christian covenant.

Is to change our behavior. From lying to telling the truth. Sneakiness to honesty.

Harshness to kindness. See, that's what God is after. Alright, read on. 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. And 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 continue not in my covenant. And I regarded them not. Saith the Lord. With the house of Israel after those days.

You're going to hear right now when he reads. You're going to hear what the new covenant is. What Christianity is. What Christianity, what salvation is.

Okay. I will put my laws into their minds.

Now that word, curiously enough, is Torah. It's the same word as the word for law. The Mosaic law. See, the reason I say that is because we often hear, well, he's done away with the law. You know, it's all gone.

No. What has he done with the Torah? He's moving it from what to what? From stone, see? God has never changed his law. That's his character. But the New Testament is the lifting of the law from stone to the heart of man.

Read on. I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts.

Notice who wrote on the tables of stone. Who writes in our heart?

God. Be to them a God and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord. For all shall know me from the least to the greatest.

Now that's the end of the New Covenant.

That's what it says in Revelation 21. There's no more sea. Meaning, there's no more people without the knowledge of God. That's what it means. It's symbolic. Alright, now this next verse is very important.

Notice it.

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities. Will I remember no more.

Alright now, do you get the point? The New Covenant is not primarily forgiveness. The forgiveness, the forgiving of their iniquities is tacked on the end like a trailer. Now that's important because Christianity is viewed in our country primarily as forgiveness.

But Christianity is not primarily, it includes forgiveness. But what is its primary purpose? To write the law in your heart. Now if the law is written in your mind and heart, how is this expressed? What difference does that make?

Righteousness. You see, God says it was on tables of stone. It didn't work. So I'm going to write it in your heart and in your mind and then you are going to be what? Righteous. You see, that is what Christianity is.

That's what salvation is. The sins and iniquities are like I said this morning. That's the times of this ignorance God winked at. That's not the main. Otherwise it would have said this is the covenant I will make with them after those days.

I will forgive their sins and iniquities. It's not an afterthought, but it's showing that it is what makes possible the major work. And what is the major work? A righteousness that proceeds from what?

Yes. Alright now, the Torah or the Word. Now what do you suppose that Word is? That Word is Jesus. Jesus is the Word. He is the Torah of God. Jesus himself is the Word of God in fleshly form. And so when Christ is being formed in our heart, we say we have the mind of Christ, we have Christ in our heart.

What is being formed in us? God's Word. You see that? The new covenant is the forming of Christ in human beings. We're still holding in 2 Peter. Alright now, here's what we read until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your heart.

Christ Formed Within Believers

Well, what was that talking about? Alright, whoever had Revelation 22 -16, read that.

I pray to my angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.

Alright now, the word day star and morning star are identical. They refer, as I remember, to the planet Venus. It's a very bright, looks like a star, but it's a planet, and it comes up just before daybreak.

The appearing of the day star is telling you, it's the darkest hours. I was on the fantail of an LST one time, and I mistook it for a very signal, and I radioed it up to the officer on the bridge, and I said, this might point out where it was, and I said, it looks like a distress signal.

This was probably 5 o 'clock in the morning or something. This light went up like that. I thought it was somebody on a raft, you know, shooting off a flare. And the officer called back, and he looked at it with binoculars, and he said, it's the day star.

It's come up, and it heralds the dawn. Tomorrow morning you might want to get up at 4 .30 or so and check it out. But anyway, I'm not an astronomer, and I don't know how and when and where it comes up, but you see, when God uses something like that, He's telling us something.

He's telling us a lot of things, isn't He? Alright now, what is the day star? Jesus. Then the day star is the writing of the law of God in us. Now that's important to understand now. Where Peter is saying here, until the day dawn, what he's saying, until Christ is written in your heart and mind.

This is very important. We're taking it in logical steps now. Okay, so we want righteousness. We've been predestined to be changed. Okay? So, the change comes as what? As Christ is formed in us. Okay?

Keep that in mind now. What we're after is righteousness. God's covenant is to produce that by doing what? By forming Christ in us. Let's go over that again. God, from the day of one, of Genesis, has wanted one thing of a man.

That he will do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Now that never changes. Some of the rabbis recommend, if you lost the whole Old Testament and had that one verse, you'd have God's purpose.

A man practice justice, righteousness, love to be merciful. Some people practice justice, but then they get Pharisaical in their attitude. And love mercy. And walk humbly with God. And that's all that God ever required of any man.

But that is righteousness. And that's all God had wanted out of Adam. It's all he wanted out of Israel. It's all he wants out of us. He never changes. But the new covenant accomplishes this by forming Christ in us.

It's not that hard. I'm not asking you a tricky question. This is important. This, I don't doubt. I don't wonder at why the response is so coming. There's not one Christian, it seems, in 10 ,000 that understands that simplest of ideas.

God is after righteousness, but not Adamic righteousness. He's after Christ in us who is righteous by nature. That incorruptible seed that Peter talks about. Now, if I ask you again, what is God's goal for man?

That he will be righteous in his thinking, in his speaking, in his action. He will be a righteous person in the image of whom? Okay, we got the goal. Numero uno. Okay. Numero dos. How is he accomplishing this?

By forming Christ in us. This is not a figure of speech, meaning we ought to do better. It's a divine, supernatural event that occurs within the human personality. Okay? Now, before we go further to explain how this works, you could stop there and say, I got it, I got it.

We don't do anything because Jesus is going to live the life in us. And that's commonly taught. That's not uncommon. That's called the Jesus-did-it-all doctrine. Okay? Now, the goal is righteousness.

The means is. God says, I'm not going to try to work up the Adamic nature. I'm going to take my son, in whom I am well pleased, and I'm going to take his body and blood, which we're going to take tonight, and I'm going to put it in you.

And that new life within you will cause you to quit lying and tell the truth. I mean, because that nature does not sin. Remember 1 John 3? See? He that is born of God does not commit sin. Because his seed remains within him and he cannot sin.

Because he's born of God. People say, well, I don't understand that. What do you mean he cannot sin? It means that that new nature that is born in you cannot sin. It is Christ. Okay? Now, what I'm talking about is the absolute of salvation.

You can forget all this flying around and all the rest of it. This is the heart of it. He wants righteousness. He's going to do it. Alright, now remember the day star is what or whom? Alright, now listen.

We're going to move now to the third step. Step number one. The goal is changed people. And Adam cannot cut the mustard. He cannot do it. Two, God's going to do this by forming Christ in us. But there's another step.

And this is in here that the issue gets hung up. People cannot understand. Now watch it. It's all there. It's all right there in 2 Peter. Now look what he says. In verse 18. We heard this utterance. You know, God said it's my beloved son.

Made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mount. That's on the mount of transfiguration. A cloud overshadowed them. And a voice came out of the cloud and said this is my beloved son. Hear him.

Do you remember that story? Alright, and Peter was there. Peter, James, and John. He said we heard this. But we have the prophetic word made more sure. Now what in the world would be more sure than the voice of God.

The father speaking out of a cloud. What do you think is more sure than that? Well, that's certainly more sure than anything else. You got any ideas? You're getting there. When Peter's referring to the scriptures.

There were no New Testament scriptures. He's talking about the Old Testament scriptures. And this is what he's saying. To which you do well to pay attention. There's where the problem comes. Well, I hope I don't lose you now.

This is where the problem comes. That means that you and I are to read the Bible. Old Testament and now we have the New. And in our Adamic nature, in prayer, do what it says. Now it's right here the baby gets thrown out with the bath water.

Because if we start saying to people what the Bible says. For example, stop your gossiping. Stop your, well let's say foolish talking. Stop it somewhere, where is it, Ephesians, Colossians or something.

Let no filthy communication out of your mouth. Let's use that one, filthy communication. Don't let filthy communication out of your mouth. Well, if you get up and insist on that. And say if you do such things you're courting death.

You're courting the loss of the kingdom. Which Paul says, those who do these things will not inherit the kingdom. What does everybody say? We're saved by grace, not by works. Because they say it's supposed to be the righteousness of Christ.

And you're saying to people, you've got to stop it. That's where the clinker is. See, our goal is not to reform Adam. But you have to have Adam do the job until what? Until Christ is formed in you. And it's as simple as that.

Obedience as the Means by Which Christ Is Formed

There must be five hundred, I think Cowboy Brent found a thousand directives in the New Testament that you are to do. The Gospels are full of them. Forgive your enemies, for example. Turn the other cheek when Jesus talked about this kind of stuff.

Said what to do, do this, don't do that. And then when you start with Paul, wow. Every epistle just about. And 1 John, it says if you don't keep His commandments, you don't know Him. You're talking through your straw hat.

You do. Alright, then I've heard this when I was first saved. You know, I had the four steps pounding in my skull. And the idea was, no one has ever done righteous at any time. It was only within the last ten years that I began to notice in the Old Testament the number of people that God called righteous.

So, to make a nice, to get the formula down to four steps, they had to take one verse and lift it out of the Bible. But you see, the Bible doesn't support that. It says it in a place where it's making an argument for that.

But then you go into other places, you'll find this person was walking before the Lord blameless. That person was righteous. It's all through the Old Testament. It names righteous people. And so this is what I was told.

We cannot possibly, cannot possibly keep God's commandments. Has anyone ever heard that in here? And that's the reason you accept the grace of Jesus Christ, because no man can do Him. Hey, do you know something?

We have been sold a bill of goods. We have been sold a bill of goods. And Audrey likes to hold forth on the idea, she'll say this many times, God is our Father. And obeying God is just like a child obeying his parents.

God told us to do things. He expects for them to be done. But you see, the preaching of the churches, but we cannot possibly do them. But when you look at them, maybe something the Bible commands to do.

Now Maurice, for example, he would have no problem with James, where James says pure religion and undefiled is this, to visit the father orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself undefiled, something like this.

Maurice would have no trouble with that. Many of us might have a great deal of trouble with that. But then, there may be something that Maurice or some of us have a bad problem with. There may be a violent temper, maybe lying, maybe stealing.

So some things we can do readily. God says do them. Don't swear, so we quit. I mean, what's the deal? I can't possibly... You mean to tell me with all the power of Christ and you pray that you can't stop swearing?

Give me a break. What, is it so into your mouth that it's moving your mouth in spite of you? But it's this kind of nonsense, and we bought into this package. And if you read the commandments of the Lord, they're basically about immorality, and most of them are about all forms of strife, hatred, revenge, spite.

Well now, we might have a problem with this. And when we have a problem with this, what do we do? What does it say in Hebrews? What is it, 4 .12? No, that's the Word of God. What is it that says, enter boldly into the throne of grace, that's why the veil was rent, that we may do what?

Have mercy in our need. Well, what's our need? I'm living in a moral life. That's my need. So what do you do? Oh, I can't do it. Oh, I can't. But I must fornicate. If I cannot fornicate, I mean, it's impossible I have to do that.

I've got to fornicate. I've got to read pornographic literature. No matter what, I don't care. The world comes with stuff. Stand still. I must have my pornography. Now, there's not many people that bound.

Most of us, if we're doing something sinful, and we want to please God, we can quit. And it isn't Christ, it's Adam. It's Adam. I'll tell you a simple way to express it. It's what to do until the preacher comes.

Now, if you're Adamic nature, I'm talking about that which was born of your parents, does not have integrity, does not have hang in there, is not an honest and good heart, you'll never make it as a Christian.

Do you know why? Because God has commanded you and me to present our body a living sacrifice. Hey, who does the presenting? He does that. Christ doesn't go down and do that for you. Adam does that. That's probably the basic commandment of the New Testament.

Reckon yourself dead. Present your body a living sacrifice. Okay? Now, what if Adam is a sleaze? What's going to happen? What if he's a bum? What if he's not dependable? What if he come into church and was carried away with the music or with the girls or whatever?

What's going to happen when tribulation comes? When it's not popular? When the girls go somewhere else to church? What is he going to do? That's why I think the Lord told me a church built on the family urge of young people will not stand the shaking.

Because see, a church has to be built on the Lord Jesus Christ and His Spirit. And when it's not, it will not stand. Because when the fire of God, if it's been built on the boy-girl thing, I can see the wisdom of that, but I didn't make it up.

That came from the Lord. But if you are basically an insincere person and you say, yeah, I want to be a Christian. I want to be with them. I love the banners. They're great. They're happy. Okay, great.

But basically you're an undependable person. Well, okay, I'll present my body a living sacrifice. But what's going to happen when that brings on you a lot of pain? What are you going to do? What are you going to do with your body?

Or when you're really tempted with lust? What are you going to do with your body? You're going to take it off the altar. Why are you going to take it off the altar? Because that's the way you handle things in life.

They're fun and they're a novelty. Hey, you know, and the grand parade's going on. Yeah, I want to be a part of it. This is fun. You're fast, but you don't last. Why? Because you don't have that basic integrity.

The word integrity is taken from integer. One. Integrity means you've got it together in yourself. You're not a person that flaps this way, flaps that way. You're one. Integer. Integrity. You're a one person.

What you see is what you get. You're a WYSIWYG. What people see, that's what they get. You're not a bum playing the moves. Because a person like that can't make it as a Christian. If they ever do, it'll be because they kick that and determined to be a person for once in their life.

Because until Adam is pushed to the place where he says, I want God, and I'm going to put my body up there if it kills me, and I'm going to keep it there, and until that happens, there may be lesser groups.

I don't want to talk about lesser groups. The Bible talks about the winners. The Bible talks about the winners. It doesn't tell us about the promises to the losers, except that, you know, outer darkness and a few other handy little things.

The promises are to the winners. And anybody can win, but in order to win, you've got to be a person. You've got to be a person of integrity, that when you say you're going to do something, you do it and you hang there, because sooner or later it's going to be tested.

You ever notice that every decision you make, sooner or later it's tested. You make it when it's fun, but down the track, it's going to get tested. Did you mean that or not? Because it isn't fun anymore.

How many have ever met that in your life? It isn't fun anymore. It was fun when I made it and I thought, oh, I'll keep it forever, I'll love you forever, you know, this kind of thing. But when it's tested, where integrity comes forth.

If you're a person of integrity, you say, this is what I said with my mouth, this is what I'm going to do. See, our nation does not honor that. It seems to be honoring treachery. Because I noticed there was a prominent person who was involved in promise keepers, and I mean the Navy came down on him because of that.

And this officer said, well, what in the world is wrong with being with men who are vowing to keep their word? But you see, our nation doesn't honor that. Oh, that's religion. We don't want to mix church and state.

So, treacherous nation. If your commitment isn't making you happy, break it for heaven's sake. Change the law. Do something, but we must be happy. Am I right? You'll never make it as a Christian. Because a Christian says to your Adamic nature, you've got to do.

And Peter is saying, read the Old Testament. And do what it says. Take heed to it. What does it tell us? It tells us to serve the Lord our God. It tells us not to commit adultery. It tells us not to steal.

It tells us not to covet. It tells us not to put God first, doesn't it? Peter is saying, you take heed to that. He said, it's more certain than a voice of God from heaven. Remember what Jesus said? One jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from this.

Integrity, Temptation, and Perseverance in Christian Discipleship

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but this will never change. Okay. Now what he's saying here, and this is the clinker, because this is when you say to people, you have to keep God's commandments. And they say, well, that isn't the righteousness of Christ.

The purpose of grace is so you don't have to do it. You see the misunderstanding there. Alright, now I'm going to ask you a question and see if you've been tracking. Why do you keep these commandments?

What role do they play? Huh? And what is their goal? As you obey the apostles, what is the goal of doing that? Well, there's a step in there now. What? You can go deeper than that. It is the way in which Christ is formed.

That's the way in which Christ is formed. That's why if you wait for Jesus to do it all, it will work. Now, you're never going to get Adam to the state of righteousness that will make you a priest of God or a part of His temple or a member of the body of the Lamb or a member of the Bride of Messiah.

It isn't going to happen. Adam doesn't have that in him. So you're not keeping these commandments to save yourself, except in kind of an indirect sense. You are not putting works. They say the work of Christ, this is what is taught.

The sovereign, unconditional grace of God is so perfect that if you try to do one thing, you're defiling this pure work of God. See how Satan has got in it. Yeah, that's what's taught. Hey, that's not uncommon.

Don't add any of your filthy works to the perfect righteousness of Christ. If that isn't calculated to keep a person from growing, I don't know what is, but that is common. That's not an unusual doctrine at all.

It's an unconditional, sovereign grace. Something like virtual reality in a computer. It seems like reality. But if you have a power failure, all of a sudden you're in the cold gray light of a hard, cold world.