Self-Effort vs. Redeemed Effort
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When we first get saved, one of the biggest changes we undergo is a shift in mindset. Until we learn to begin renewing our minds, we tend to think we must continue striving through our own efforts to follow a list of rules. This was okay under the old covenant, but we are now living under the new covenant. Religion has trained most people according to the law, which requires people to work hard to try to be righteous before God.
Released on 12 Dec 2025
Coming up next
Self-Effort vs. Redeemed Effort: The Best Part (Part 2)
Under the covenant of grace, we no longer need to depend on our own efforts to earn God’s approval like the people had to do under the law. Because of our belief in Jesus and in His finished works, God has already approved of us and declared us righteous. All that remains for us to do now is to respond to what has already been done. The new covenant calls for the effort to stay rooted in grace when everything around us tries to pull us back into performance.
Self-Effort vs. Redeemed Effort: The Best Part (Part 2)
Under the covenant of grace, we no longer need to depend on our own efforts to earn God’s approval like the people had to do under the law. Because of our belief in Jesus and in His finished works, God has already approved of us and declared us righteous. All that remains for us to do now is to respond to what has already been done. The new covenant calls for the effort to stay rooted in grace when everything around us tries to pull us back into performance.
Self-Effort vs. Redeemed Effort: The Best Part (Part 3)
Under the law, the people constantly toiled to become righteous through their own efforts. Any blessings they received were conditional and based on their performance; they had to work for God’s approval. Under grace, everything has flipped: because of the finished works of Jesus and our faith in them, we’re no longer working for righteousness but from righteousness. When the world pressures us to fall in with its principles, we must make the effort to agree with the salvation God has given us.
