I *do not* believe that good works just naturally flow
from being born again and filled with God's Spirit. Jesus had to learn
obedience (Heb 5:8). How much more then do we?!?! There is still the need to
*actively* engage the will, and then to obey the Spirit, most often through
obeying what is written, i.e. commandments. And friend, the "good
works" associated with the New Covenant are the commandments of the
Torah/Law (Deu 30:1-10 [esp vs 6, Cf vs 10]; Jer 31:33 [Cf "My law" in
Jer 6:19; 9:13; 16:11; 26:4; 44:10]; Eze 11:17-20 and Eze 36:24-28 [Cf
"My
laws ... My decrees" in Eze 5:6,7; 11:12; 18:9,17; 20:11,13,16,19,21,24;
37:24; 44:24; etc). They are applied differently from Jew to Gentile, but they
are Torah/Law commandments nonetheless! I believe that God is working within us
both to want to do and to do what He wants us to do (Phi 2:13). But we still
have to make real choices. It is not natural; it is supernatural. However, it
is still *obedience* ... not just "channeling Christ via the Spirit" and
him doing it all. Please look up the references I gave, and try to imagine
Jesus Christ and Paul knowing and expounding upon those references to the New
Covenant and what it would produce. We must adjust our theologies to fit with
the whole counsel of God (Act 20:27).
-Michael Millier
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