It is not uncommon for people to call themselves Christians simply because they subscribe to theoretical beliefs. If a person merely professes faith in truth; however, there is no change in their lives, it is likely they are not a Christian. A sinful person can only become righteous as they have faith in God and maintain a relationship.  

The worst times in this world's history resulted from the crimes of self-proclaimed Christians who committed heinous acts in the name of the Lord. Similarly, the rabbis of Jesus' time claimed to be holy simply because they kept the law; but their actions clearly demonstrated that righteousness did not play a part in their religion. Ultimately, they murdered Jesus.  

God desires for us to be happy. He gave us the law knowing that by keeping its requirements, we would have a better life. The law was also given to us to convict us of our sins so that we would recognize our need for a savior. As you can see, the law is a tool that will ultimately draw us to Christ so that we can be justified by faith and saved.     

The law of God is perfect and every variation of the law is evil. Those who disobey the law and teach others to disobey it, too; will be condemned by God. Jesus came into to the world to fulfill the requirements of the law. Jesus proved that the law could be kept by humanity, which disproved Satan's claim. Romans 7:12 says, “So the law is holy, and the command is holy and right and good”. As a result, everyone who obeys the law is claiming that the law is “holy”, good, and just. In contrast, those who disobey God's law are claiming that Satan's claim is true – the law is unjust and it cannot be kept.  

Jesus did not come to this world to change or remove the law. In contrast, he came to fulfill the requirements of the law. If the law could have been changed, Jesus would not have had to die for our sins. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”  

Satan is ecstatic when he hears people say, “I can't keep the law because I have a sinful nature”. This is no excuse for sinning. Through Christ all things are possible – including the ability to keep His law. The Bible says, “As the Son of man was perfect in His life, so His followers are to be perfect in their life”.  

Alright, I've made some fairly controversial statements today. I truly believe that with God's help we can keep from sinning. Unfortunately, I have been unable to achieve or even get close to a sinless state. Fortunately, Jesus still loves me and happily pardons my sins. I will continue to ask God to live in me, which will help me to be more like him; however, ultimately I will be saved by Jesus substituting his perfect character in place of mine at the time of judgment. Thank you Jesus.