Self-Effort vs. Redeemed Effort Pt. 3 - CD/DVD/MP3 Download

Under the law, the people constantly toiled to become righteous through their own efforts. Any blessings they received were conditional and based on their performance; they had to work for God’s approval. Under grace, everything has flipped: because of the finished works of Jesus and our faith in them, we are no longer working for righteousness but from righteousness. We can cease Old-Testament self-effort; however, we still must make an effort to study the Scriptures, spend time in God’s presence, and declare His Word. Everything the people worked for in the Old Testament has now been made available to us, but it is our decision whether or not to participate in Jesus’ finished works. When the world pressures us to fall in with its principles, we must make the effort to agree with the salvation God has given us. Believers have been taken from grinding through hard work and drudgery to get closer to God to simply responding to the nearness we already have with Him.