Why do you willfully refuse to accept the finished work of Christ upon the cross for all of your sin and instead vainly rely upon your own supposed "good works" and "righteousness" to save you from your sin when God Himself says you are not good or righteous in yourself?:
9What then? (O)Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both (P)Jews and (Q)Greeks are (R)all under sin;
"as it is written, 'THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE." (Romans 3:9 - 12)
It is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to get to heaven or to be delivered from Hell based upon "good works" by keeping the Law of God because no one can keep it:
"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in ONE POINT, he has become guilty of ALL." JAMES 2:10
Luke 1
5 THERE was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.
Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
Somebody is mistaken. Who to believe, hmmm
John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
1 John is telling us to keep and do the impossible???
Revelation 22:14
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Deuteronomy 11
18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;
(Obedience is the test of true love for God. Adam and Eve disobeyed, and were kicked out of the Garden. Abraham obeyed and it was counted unto him as righteousness)26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
(God gives you/us a choice)27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
Just so we realize how important the commandments are.
And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
Shows the connection between righteousness and the law.
Proverbs 12:28
In the way of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death.
Lexicon Greek 1343 [ from the root of 1342]
dikaiosune {dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay}
1) in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God
a) the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God
b) integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting
2) in a narrower sense, justice or the virtue which gives each his due
Lexicon Greek 1342 dikaios {dik'-ah-yos}
1) righteous, observing divine laws
a) in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God
1) of those who seem to themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their virtues, whether real or imagined
2) innocent, faultless, guiltless
3) used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God, and who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life
a) only Christ truly
4) approved of or acceptable of God
b) in a narrower sense, rendering to each his due and that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment on others, whether expressed in words or shown by the manner of dealing with them
Now, then, Jesus tells us that he is 'the way'. What does he mean by that?
Lexicon Greek 3598
1) properly
1a) a way
1a1) a traveled way, road
1b) a travelers way, journey, traveling
2) metaph.
2a) a course of conduct
2b) a way (i.e. manner) of thinking, feeling, deciding
Jesus was teaching and showing us HOW TO CONDUCT ourselves so that we would be found acceptable to YHWH.
Exodus 18
19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
(NIV)
Deuteronomy 30
11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
(NASB)
Deuteronomy 30
11 "For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.
(MSG)
Deuteronomy 30
11 This commandment that I'm commanding you today isn't too much for you, it's not out of your reach.
(AMP)
Deuteronomy 30
11 For this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off.
(NLT)
Deuteronomy 30
The Choice of Life or Death
11"This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand or perform.
(KJV)
Deuteronomy 30
11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
(NLV)
Deuteronomy 30
Life Or Death
11" For this Law I give you today is not too hard for you, or too far from you.
(ESV)
Deuteronomy 30
The Choice of Life and Death
11"For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.
(CEV)
Deuteronomy 30
Choose Life, Not Death
Moses said to Israel:
11 You know God's laws, and it isn't impossible to obey them.
(NKJV)
Deuteronomy 30
The Choice of Life or Death
11 "For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.
(KJ21)
Deuteronomy 30
11 "For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
(ASV)
Deuteronomy 30
11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. I have no argument with the observation that keeping the Law completely is difficult. The rewards are great; why should the effort required be small or non existent? And clearly, were it not for YHWH’s infinite grace and mercy, no human would live long enough to "fulfill" the Law. If YHWH really expected us to be perfect right off the bat, why does the Torah describe the procedures required for atonement? The repenting of sin? I’d think that if YHWH expected us to do everything perfectly the first time, and that if we were going to Hell for doing otherwise, then repentence, the sacrificial procedures and the Day of Atonement would not be part of the Jewish faith. YHWH knows we aren’t perfect. I think YHWH simply expects us to try our best, to work constantly at becoming more perfect than we are.
Proverbs 24
16 For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again, but the wicked stumble under adversity.
YHWH will forgive us as often as needed. It's the wicked that want to give up.
What, exactly, was the point of the “Good Samaritan” if not to promote good works, even to those who were not of the same faith or nationality?
How, exactly, can you read the Sermon on the Mount and still believe that works are not important?