Thanks for that Brad. The message is that God isn't intending to have a war with us. We keep attacking Him and He just waits for us to run out of ammunition so that we can be together again.
As you say our justification is complete, and we can rest from our own works. But then, what happens after that? We remain alive in the world, and the Bible says a great deal about how we are supposed to live in the world after our justification - not rules to earn salvation, but out of obedience and love to Christ and as fruits of the Spirit that has been given to us. Since this is contrary to our old man, to the flesh, we have to die to self to live lives of righteousness, not our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ, which is supposed to now have something to do with the way we think, act and live.
Luther wrote a great deal about this also. Not how to be justified, but about how, with God's help, we are supposed to live after justification. Here is a passage from Luther's PREFACE TO ROMANS:
"Faith is a work of God in us, which changes us and brings us to birth anew from God (cf. John 1). It kills the old Adam, makes us completely different people in heart, mind, senses, and all our powers, and brings the Holy Spirit with it. What a living, creative, active powerful thing is faith! It is impossible that faith ever stop doing good. Faith doesn't ask whether good works are to be done, but, before it is asked, it has done them. It is always active. WHOEVER DOESN'T DO SUCH WORKS IS WITHOUT FAITH; he gropes and searches about him for faith and good works but doesn't know what faith or good works are. Even so, he chatters on with a great many words about faith and good works."
Thanks for that Brad. The message is that God isn't intending to have a war with us. We keep attacking Him and He just waits for us to run out of ammunition so that we can be together again.
As you say our justification is complete, and we can rest from our own works. But then, what happens after that? We remain alive in the world, and the Bible says a great deal about how we are supposed to live in the world after our justification - not rules to earn salvation, but out of obedience and love to Christ and as fruits of the Spirit that has been given to us. Since this is contrary to our old man, to the flesh, we have to die to self to live lives of righteousness, not our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ, which is supposed to now have something to do with the way we think, act and live.
Luther wrote a great deal about this also. Not how to be justified, but about how, with God's help, we are supposed to live after justification. Here is a passage from Luther's PREFACE TO ROMANS:
"Faith is a work of God in us, which changes us and brings us to birth anew from God (cf. John 1). It kills the old Adam, makes us completely different people in heart, mind, senses, and all our powers, and brings the Holy Spirit with it. What a living, creative, active powerful thing is faith! It is impossible that faith ever stop doing good. Faith doesn't ask whether good works are to be done, but, before it is asked, it has done them. It is always active. WHOEVER DOESN'T DO SUCH WORKS IS WITHOUT FAITH; he gropes and searches about him for faith and good works but doesn't know what faith or good works are. Even so, he chatters on with a great many words about faith and good works."