Work of Faith v Works of Law

A strong faith and love for Christ does not lead us to do the works of Moses' Law.

Otherwise it would be like a person who has been granted Australian citizenship continuing to repeat the application process over and over again, paying the application fee over and over again, regularly, for the rest of his life. 

Doing that even just as some kind of memorial would be pathetic. Instead the person simply enjoys the privileges of citizenship all day everyday with gratitude in his heart for the rest of his life.

Paul was adamant that Christ was enough without the works of the Law - and he constantly urged believers to aim to become fully settled in faith, fully assured by grace, clear in their conscience about this.

Someone who had grown strong in faith - strong in the Gospel of grace - someone whose experience of Christ was strong - someone who was well-taught and built-up in the message of the Gospel - knew that all meats were clean, all things were permissible, and all days were alike, Paul said.

Meanwhile another brother whose faith was weaker - someone less assured of the freedom in the Gospel - someone still a bit effected by varying winds of doctrine - felt he was still required to avoid certain meats, still required to observe certain days as special.

Since the actions of both believers were motivated by their level of faith and by their desire to honour the Lord, Paul advised that it was okay to give each other room to follow their own conscience in such matters while they're growing.

There is still value in reading the Law. But remember this: Christianity doesn't try to look like the Law. The Law was trying to look like Christ.

We're not trying to model ourself after the Law. The Law was trying to model itself after our experience in Christ.

The purpose why God sent Christianity was not to give the world a new way to keep the works of Moses' Law, as if Moses' Law itself was the objective. Rather, the purpose why God gave Moses' Law was to prepare the Jews to receive Christ, because the Christian life was God's real objective for all the world, while we await Christ's second coming.