Works of God Against Our Works
Scripture References:
- Galatians chapters 5 and 6
- Isaiah 64:6
- Romans 8:1
- Genesis 1:1-3
There is much talk in our society about self-improvement, self-education, and elevation today. Throughout history people have always sought to improve themselves and their situations. Even in the Old Testament, God gave instructions to Moses and to the priests of how to make sure that they performed the tasks of making themselves ‘clean’ before Him. They were to perform rituals according to the instructions that God gave them not only as a sign of love, honor, and respect for God, but also to communicate their agreement with God.
God had also sent them messages through the prophets, and the people obeyed so that not only they would know their own ALLIANCE with God, but other nations would know about God and their agreement with God. One example of this agreement with God is when the men of Israel became circumcised themselves and they started the practice of circumcising their boys. To the people, this became a sign of how the works of God were at work in them. But to God, it was not so. God always looked at the hearts of men, both in Old Testament times and New.
In fact, by the time we get to the New Testament after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, God is still sending the people instruction on what genuine self-improvement is, and what it is not. This can be seen for example in chapters 5 and 6 of Galatians. If we look in these words from the Lord, we can clearly see that focusing on works of the flesh is completely futile and does not matter to God in any way. The works of our flesh are like filthy dirty rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). You can choose to sacrifice your body or not sacrifice your body, and God does not care. God is not moved by your position on sacrifice. He proves that when He talks to the men of Israel about them circumcising their foreskins.
The Gospel Given to Your Foreskin
Son, what you choose to do or not do with your penis is not the issue to God. In fact, in this verse God’s servant, the Apostle Paul says and I paraphrase, “if your penis is what you are so concerned about, you might as well be castrated and cut the thing off because it is consuming you.” What matters to God is who you are being all the way around. When you are tempted in your flesh, do you offer yourself to God or to someone else? Are you misbehaving in the love of Christ? Are you behaving in the love of your flesh? How are you being an example of the love and the life of Christ to yourself as well as to others?
Because if you can look further inside yourself and find your spirit man, the “I AM” inside of you, the image of God that He breathed into you before the foundations of the world were even formed, then you have to know that you were on God’s mind even before creation. You even admire the beauty of things on earth that God created: trees, oceans, the sun, planets, creepy crawly things – creatures of the earth, and yes, even while looking at the beauty of a woman, you can see God’s beauty and know that God desires a relationship with you. You’ve been on God’s mind from the very beginning.
If you are being honest, most of you will admit that if it’s one thing that a man hates, it is when he is rejected by a woman after showing love and affection. If you being a man know that rejection hurts, then how do you think God feels when a man created in the image of God refuses to believe that He is God’s man?
The Works of God at Work in You
Every moment of the day your spirit man is immersed – merged in the Holy Spirit of God that lives inside of you to lead you into all truth, just so that you can be WHO YOU ARE CREATED TO BE. The Holy Spirit does the magnanimous job of keeping you made and formed in God’s image. Therefore, the Bible says that for those who deny this Holy Spirit, there is no way out – there is no other flight out of here if you miss this flight called the Holy Ghost. Oh, God will come again, but you won’t like it because He is coming for His own. My paraphrase is: “This is much bigger than the question of what you do or don’t do with your penises,” says God. “It’s about what you do with your love.”
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Galatians 5:6
God waits to give you a chance to find out just who you are in Him – where your faith is. He hovers over you. Just like it is written in the book of Genesis, God moved upon the waters to create and give life. Know that your body is over 80% water. When your world, your earth, your body is without form and void, then that is when you need God the most. He is hovering over you. Jesus has already prayed for you. His Holy Spirit comes upon you to give you meaning and truth about who God is and who you are. The Holy Spirit impregnates you with truth so that there is no denying that God is real and He’s real inside of you. This is true all day every day.
The Spirit of God is at work with you and in you. He incarnates himself into your life, and grace, the unmerited favor of God, begins to produce fruit. Miracles, signs, and wonders of the mercies of God at work in your life are making you the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
OMG, isn’t He Good! He is so good to us!
This is why we can inhale and exhale; take a breath of fresh air to give our souls a rest. Spiritual rest is the rest that Jesus wants us to take: it is knowing in our heart of hearts that God is alive and well in us and we are in Him. Rest and trust in this truth, knowing WHO YOU ARE, so that you will walk in your spirit man and not fulfill the lust of your carnal (flesh) man. On the contrary, you can do great and mighty things in this earth with God’s super on your natural.
Romans 8:1
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
This is the kind of self-improvement that matters to God.
Dr Merle Ray,
The Brilliance Coach
NOTE:
There is a word from the Lord in the ELTU Master’s Degree Program which I believe is a game-changer in the lives of men. For example, ELTU Course Number: MCL-205 speaks directly with men who are exploring deeper their identity in God and how this plays out in the everyday life of a man as well as those with whom he is connected. You can explore this topic on your own for self-improvement before enrollment at ELTU. Here’s how it works.
COURSES ON DEMAND
The ELTU Core Course Curriculum is open to the public for FREE a limited time in year 2022. Explore ELTU’s approach to determine if we are a good fit. Prospective candidates are not enrolled as students while trying out the trial version of the curriculum. The trial version has no assignments or interactions from ELTU, nor grading, credits, transcripts, discussion forums, diplomas, degrees, certificates, or feedback. It is a great way for guests to explore the curriculum posted on our website for their own self-improvement. Textbooks and materials are acquired by guests on their own from Amazon or their favorite bookstore or provider. Church leaders may take advantage of the opportunity to explore the ELTU curriculum by setting up Free Alliances with ELTU for their church Sunday Schools and educational programming. Courses on Demand allows individual prospective candidates to experience an aspect of the ELTU curriculum before enrolling as a student. ELTU reserves the right to offer or withdraw curriculum from public view at any time. Courses on Demand does not include any live instructor-led courses nor ELTU live seminars. The Courses on Demand trial is subject to change at any time without prior notice.