2 Chronicles 17-18, Romans 9:25-10:13, Psalms 20:1-9, Proverbs 20:2-3
What God said to me – The Jews prided themselves on being the sons of Abraham and yet they continually tried to earn their righteousness before Me by following the Law even though they knew I declared Abraham righteous because he believed Me and not because he obeyed Me. They had it backwards – obedience doesn’t lead to belief – belief leads to obedience. So many people think that they can be saved by being “obedient” – by doing “good”. They may go to church regularly or even teach a Sunday School class – they are good neighbors and take care of their family and give to charity and don’t cuss or smoke and on and on, but it is all them – it is works, not faith. They are seeking to establish their own righteousness rather than subjecting themselves to Me. For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is My gift, not because of works so you can’t boast about it. It is all of Me – I gift you the faith necessary to believe and then declare you righteous because of that belief.