"The majority of people think of themselves as being completely moral, and have no sense of need for the gospel. It is God who creates this sense of need in a human being, but that person remains totally unaware of his need until God makes Himself evident. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you . . .” (Matthew 7:7)."
God does not create this need. He did not intend man to ever have to feel this need.
God provided a limitless garden of Eden for man. However, man insisted on taking for himself rather than depending on the Lord to provide all things for him.
God provided the Law in order to demonstrate to man his need for God, that man could not achieve righteousness on His own, in his own power:
"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before." (Romans 3:19)
The whole world is guilty before God, for having broken His law. Unbelievers are unrighteous, dead in their trespasses, and only through Jesus Christ do we have propitiation of our sins, and thus restored righteous standing before God in Christ!
"But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
"Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient" (1 Timothy 1:8-9)
Those who have been made "the righteousness of God" do not need the law, for they have the indwelling Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth, and produce in their lives all fruit, against which there is no law (Galatians 5: 22-23)
What then is the point, after the law has convicted everyone of us of sin that we cannot erase or undo?
Paul explains:
"But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
"But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:23-26)
The law was provided as instruction, but never intended to make us righteous. Only Christ's Finished Work on the Cross has accomplished that, for all who have received this grace by faith (cf Ephesians 2:8-9)
We cannot keep the law in our own power, but the Holy Spirit bearing fruit within us, which we receive by faith, is helpful not only to keep us holy, but do greater things in us than the law every dictates for us to do!
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (John 14:12)
and
"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5: 16-18)
"Walk in the Spirit" and that is the easiest thing to do, in fact. It is not as though we have to search for the right path, or find the right wavelength or direction.
Jesus Himself declared, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6)
Later, Jesus said:
"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." (John 15:3-4)
"Abide in Me -- we do this be receiving from Him all things by faith (cf Romans 8:32)
If that is still not enough of a comfort, look again at verse 18:
"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law."
The Holy Spirit leads us, all the time! Jesus promised this about the Holy Spirit in His final hours:
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." (John 16:13)
Remember, Jesus is "The Way, the Truth, and the Life". We are guided back to Him all the time through the Holy Spirit, and by His power we are led to do the things He has called us to do -- we do not think about being good, or try not to be bad. We rest in the righteousness that we are in Him, and He produces fruit in us!
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