Greeting to all the churches of Christ throughout the world. May your faith strengthen you this day.

As Paul said in Romans, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”

I cannot say to you all how important that faith has been to one such as I, who had turned away, blinded myself, and sought after the riches of the world, the lusts of the world and the ways of the world. For as a prodigal son, who not only squandered the gifts and riches of God, but also did embrace darkness as my fellow, did I corrupt myself from the heart through the duality of the reprobate mind. Even so, your song was heard always in secret inside me, and because of the Promise and Justice of our Lord Jesus, was I called again to amend my ways and cease harming the spirits of my brethren. For this reason am I to state the truth of the path of my life, as evidence of the incorruptible love of Christ Jesus for us all. For even they in the very pits of the darkest darkness, cannot blot out the light of a simple truth of our Father and God and Creator.

And also did Paul remind us that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the Faith of Jesus Christ. For it was the works of Jesus Christ that were faithful unto God in all things, and by those works, were we offered salvation, indeed the works of the Father and the Word (Jesus) did bring about all of creation itself, even to the all the unknown regions of the universe. Their works are pure and justified and incorruptible.

So what then are works for? Many have proclaimed the old covenant is obsolete, because of the new covenant, speaking not only of the 611 laws of Moses (613 counting the two laws of God that were spoken) as being not required, but also the ten Commandments of God written on the stone tablets.  Of the many laws in the old testament, 365 are considered “negative commandments” for the purpose of abstaining from this thing or that, coinciding with each day of the year, and also 248 which are considered “positive commandments” which are acts to perform that coincide with the number of bones in our bodies. There was much hubbub about this during early Christianity, and still is to this day, even to the point that back then Paul had to address the logic between what then was considered “those of the circumcision, and those of the uncircumcision.”

Christ then appears, taking on the WHOLE of the law, in every form, and Fulfills the law (even to His own Words). The law being fulfilled (meaning completed) sets the argument of both camps, they who cry for absolute adherence to the law, and they who cry the law is outdated and silly now.

The truth is always simpler than man. We are saved and healed by God’s GRACE, and our FAITH sustains us. Just look to all who were healed by Jesus, and how it is said that their FAITH healed them, their Faith sanctified them, Their FAITH restored them etc. Look to how even Paul, expounds deeply on what faith is, but spoke in terms sometimes weary to comprehend.

So then, if God was as my human Father, I would be as a 5 year old no matter how far I progress down the path righteousness. And if my Father tells me to rake the leaves, as a 5 year old, I will do an imperfect job of it, but my Dad would do a perfect job of it. This too is as our Father, and as Christ did, being perfect even in the law. But we shall never be perfect in the law, nor can be, because of our condition.

So how do we obtain FAITH? Quit simply, faith without works is dead, it is nothingness, it is the contemplations of the mind rather than the ACTS of Faith. We still have the LAW, indeed Christ Himself modified our understanding of the law, which still fits perfectly into all Ten of the Commandments given to Israel. The best we can do is to be practisers of the law, and to do those works, in order to bolster our FAITH in Jesus who showed us through HIS GOOD WORKS and His FAITH in Our Father, we are saved. And by the practise of our works to love, to do right, to do what is good in the Sight of God, to ACT in similar manner as Christ did, do we strengthen our Faith. FAITH, which is required for our ultimate salvation from the ways of the world even to our healing from all things. Without works, we have no faith, and without faith we have no redemption or healing from darkness. These matters are placed before us, to choose either Life or Death in how we wish to conduct ourselves. We can either love our neighbour, and love God, proving our Faith by how we TRY to rake the leaves, (for instance), being Christ Like in order to obtain everlasting life and the Kingdom of God, or we can choose death, and selfishness, and unkindness, and lies in order to GET what we will from the world which one day will pass away.

Frankly, there is no faith without the law, and without the law we cannot walk Faithfully before God. But the law, re-educated to us by Christ Jesus Himself, and afterwards by the Apostles, is the law of Peace, Understanding, Brotherly Love and Acceptance, Fearlessness, Goodness, Righteousness, and all things that promote such values of the Holy Spirit, which also is promised the more to us before, during and after, through the Holy Days. Of THESE matters of Law, are there none in all the world who can claim them as unrighteousness, except those whos god is Satan the Devil, wishing to destroy and murder in their hearts.

So then if I go to my Father, and I say, “I am sorry that I could not rake up all the leaves though I tried, please forgive me”. My Father would laugh and say “that I did a good job for a 5 year old”. But if I ignore the law, and Sin by ignoring the command of my Father, thinking I can just ask for forgiveness, and then come to him and say, “well I didn’t do anything, instead I went out and got drunk and pleased myself, please forgive me”, My Father would say, “you are forgiven, now go out and rake the leaves”, or perhaps he would say, “I will forgive you when you go and do as I asked.” For the Leaves must be raked. Christ Jesus then raked for us (us being imperfect), to show us absolute perfection and grace, and EVEN showed us HOW to Rake. For we have been commanded not to just speak as Christ, but also to do as Christ did. In the practise of the law, do we find our Faith perfected also by the Holy Spirit which guides us further into greater understanding of all things. Our faith WILL BE tested, and we can choose to have it tested through Pain, and Sorrow, and Isolation and terror, or we can have it tested through the simple raking of the leaves by Loving God, Loving our Neighbour, and Seeking First the Kingdom of God in all things by every action we do for all three of those commands. The Holy Spirit guides each and every one to their particular talents in the work of God, by God’s command of it to us, suited perfectly for each of our individual lives. For some, the letter of the law is their charge, and for others, the spirit of the law is theirs. But of the LAW as described by Christ Jesus, all are bound, and who but the evil and vile would not wish for goodness and works of goodness? When confused, we may always return and embrace the Ten Commandments as the foundation of the Law, and desire honestly to do those works, for they are the place from which Christ Jesus did express the matter perfectly.

Quit simply, we cannot do the works alone and shall always fail, but the Spirit of God within us gives us the power to accomplish all things.

Ryan