"But in every nation, he that feareth him [God the Father], and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Acts 10:35, God's personal Word thru Peter.
The context here is Gentile Cornelius being accepted by God unto Salvation thru Christ because he had a history of
"Fearing God," "giving alms," and "praying." These are works.
Start making the distinction between works of the death-dealing Law of Moses, designed to create and accentuate sin, and Free Will works pursued to honor God out of fear.
The rebellious Jews were doing their First Covenant Works not out of a fear of God, but out of a cause-effect legalism. These are the works which Paul cited as being of no effect, and the works Christ called hypocrisy.
Put on the Mind of Christ to understand this here, otherwise there will be ongoing strife. It could even be called a "key."
The context here is Gentile Cornelius being accepted by God unto Salvation thru Christ because he had a history of
"Fearing God," "giving alms," and "praying." These are works.
Start making the distinction between works of the death-dealing Law of Moses, designed to create and accentuate sin, and Free Will works pursued to honor God out of fear.
The rebellious Jews were doing their First Covenant Works not out of a fear of God, but out of a cause-effect legalism. These are the works which Paul cited as being of no effect, and the works Christ called hypocrisy.
Put on the Mind of Christ to understand this here, otherwise there will be ongoing strife. It could even be called a "key."