5 Reasons Why Morality Won't Save You

Why is it that so many sermons, teachings, and even blog posts are about a moralistic Jesus that always did good deeds but wasn't concerned too much about doctrine. Why has doctrine become such a dirty word in our day? I even saw a blog post this morning called 5 Ways You Can Spot a Jesus Follower. According to this blogger Gandhi could have been a "Jesus follower". They forget that our Lord talked much about doctrine. He was concerned about truth. And the whole reason He came was to work for us, not have us work for Him. They focus specifically on the moral acts of Jesus not understanding that these acts were for us. These moral acts of Christ would one day be applied to all of God's elect by faith. So here are 5 reasons why morality won't save us.

1. All are born in Adam

1Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die.....
We all have two major problems. First, Adam’s sin is counted as our sin. As our Representative Adam was acting on our behalf. When he sinned we sinned. God counted his disobedience in the garden as our disobedience. This means that even if we never committed any sin of our own, we would not be innocent. Our Representative failed therefore we failed (Romans 5:12-14). Second, we inherited Adams nature. Because of this we are all born dead in our trespasses and sins. We are slave to sin and children of the devil. So to try to do good before a Holy God is futile. Our works are tainted with sin.

2. God demands perfect obedience to His Law

Matthew 5:48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
God does not grade on a curve. There are no second chances. His standard is perfection. James makes it clear that if we keep the whole Law and yet fail in just one point, we are guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10).
So if it were possible for you to go throughout your entire life loving God with all of your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself and then right at the end of your life have a covetous thought, everything good you have done up to that point will count as nothing. Failure to obey the Law at one point is failure to obey it at all points.

3. The Law was not given for the purpose of salvation

Romans 5:20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
The Law has no power to make us obey. As a matter of fact the more we try to obey it the harder it becomes to obey. This is because the purpose of the Law is to show us our sin and not to save us (Romans 3:20). Paul speaks about his struggle with obeying the Law even as a Christian. He says in verses 14 and 15 "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." At the end of the chapter he cries out "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Then he gives the answer, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" The Gospel is what fuels our obedience, not the Law.


4. Christ obeyed the Law for us

Just as Adam was the Representative of the entire human race, so Christ represented those He came to save. Adam was placed in the garden by God and given this one command: Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Adam broke God's Law and as a result plunged the entire human race into sin. Christ came as the New Adam (1Corinthians:15:45) and kept all of God's commands. He represented us by doing what none of us could ever do, keep the entire Law perfectly. This is freeing news! God has done for us what He demands from us, perfect obedience to his Law, and punishment for every time we broke His Law. Christ did both as our Substitute.

5. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone

God has provided for us in Christ something we could have never achieved for ourselves- perfect righteousness. This righteousness is outside of us. It is not something that comes from us. It is a gift given to us for free.
Romans 5:17 For if, because of one man 's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Any non Christian can do "good works." Morality will never save. Only the work of Christ on your behalf received by faith will save!

Posted with Blogsy