In Psalm 119, and [verse] 172, David said, “My tongue shall speak of Thy law: for all Thy commandments are righteousness.” Righteousness is a state or condition whereby one is acceptable to God.

And this we see throughout the Bible, [that] God places great emphasis upon obedience to His law—even back in the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel, the 15^th chapter, beginning with verse 22, when Samuel was talking to Saul, he asked, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and in sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For a rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king” [verses 22-23].

And then, when we come to the New Testament, in Matthew 7:21, [where Jesus said,] “Not everyone that sayeth unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the Will of the Father Who is in Heaven.”

In Luke, [chapter] 6, and [verse] 46, He [Jesus] said, “Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?”

And then, in Hebrews [chapter] 5, and [verse] 8, “Though He [Jesus] were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. And being made perfect, He has become the Author of all them that obey Him.”

So, if obedience is legalism—and that’s what some of our brethren are teaching—if obedience is legalism, then Jesus Christ was a legalist, because we are told that He obeyed the Will of His Father and has become the Author of all them that obey HIM!

In Revelation, [chapter] 22, and verse 14, just before John laid down the pen of inspiration, he said, “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and enter in by the gates into the city.”

So, there’s no amount of religious contortion that man can do to evade the fact that man…must…render obedience to God, and all of those who fear God and work righteousness are acceptable to God.

Well, somebody says, “Brother Black, you’ve put emphasis upon works. If works are essential to salvation, then there’s a difference and a contradiction between Paul and James, because Paul says in Romans, [chapter] 4, and [verse] 4, ‘To him that worketh, reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt.’ And in Romans 3:20, he said, ‘By the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.’”

That does not contradict what James teaches. Well, somebody says, “What does James teach?” James is talking about included works and Paul is talking about excluded works. The Law of Moses is works that are EXCLUDED in the plan of salvation today.

In James, the 2^nd chapter, and verse 17, James says that one is saved by faith, and not by faith only [“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”]. In James 2:24, “You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” What kind of works is James talking about? He’s talking about INCLUDED works. And James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

Those are INCLUDED works. Paul was talking about EXCLUDED works. Now, until an individual can make a distinction between EXCLUDED works and INCLUDED works, he will always have trouble in trying to understand the plan of salvation. There is…no…contradiction between Paul and James! Paul was talking about EXCLUDED works; James was talking about INCLUDED works, and that’s the definition of “works” as it is used in the Bible.

Now, our next word is the word “grace.” “For by grace are ye saved.” What do we mean by “grace”? Well, the word “grace” means “loving kindness, or pleasure, or good will.” It’s usually defined after this order: “God’s unmerited favor toward man.” The truth about it is [that] everything that God does for man is a manifestation of the grace of God. God doesn’t owe man anything—the sunshine, the rain, the seasons of the year. All of these are manifestations of the grace of God. When Jesus Christ came to this earth, that was a manifestation of the grace of God. When Jesus Christ died on Calvary’s cross, that was a manifestation of the grace of God.