Most excellent response. Thank you!
Yes only Jesus can complete the fathers will, he showed that during the 3 1/2 years he was on the earth. And where does Jesus now dwell?
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me,
he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we
will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
It is Christ in us, working through us that we can obey. This Israel did not do because they had not faith. Consider, John 15, the parable of the vine and the branches, Jesus says,
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
When we abide with Jesus, there is something we do, whether is abstaining from sin (works of the flesh) or manifesting the fruits of the spirit (works of God).
Rom 8 articulates this point but for brevity let's look at verse 7:
Rom 8: 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
With out the Holy Spirit, our mind is carnal. The Carnal mind is against God, and can never obey the law of God. But Paul says in verse 1 "
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
You see the point? The implication of vs 6 and 1 is if the carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, then the inverse must also be true, the mind lead by the Spirit of God, that walks after the spirit, obeys the law of God. If sin manifest itself in us, that is because we were carnally minded.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he
cannot sin, because he is born of God. 1 John 3:9
We do indeed rest in Jesus. We first receive this invitation in Matt 11:28.
Jesus says,
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Then our Lord says,
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Notice, it says his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. It does NOT say that there is no burden, and that there is no yoke to bear. That is evident because Jesus says,
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matt 16:24
Therefore, the rest Jesus gives is from our own wicked works, which put on us the burden of sin, which Jesus took upon Himself. Now we walk with Jesus, whereas before we were walking on our own. We are not idle, we must still walk..
Indeed, any action as a Christian that we do are called works. is it not?
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
This verse lets us know that anyone who does not continue int the law is cursed. He is letting us know we cannot earn our way to heaven. There is no amount of work that can get us there. We NEED Jesus. Incidentally, Paul brings up Abraham is the prior verses, which show us that Abraham was counted righteous because of his Faith. Now Abraham was given the ordinance of circumcision. Circumcision is not required today, but Abraham, who was saved by grace and is father of the faithful, dared not disobey. Why?
Blessings,
MoG