Works of the Law

Law involves "works", or doing something definite; but the grace of Christ involves an existence, "a way of being", being "in Christ", being "in the love of God", being "in the Holy Spirit" or being "filled with the Holy Spirit", which issues in the doing of God's will. The effect of "law" is to make God's will impersonal, and this corresponds to the process of breaking up "the law" into several laws, into many "works of the law". Being "under the Law"—in contrast to being "in Christ"—means that man stands upon his own feet; it appeals to that which man can do for himself. All this is what Paul means when he contrasts the "righteousness of law" with "the righteousness of faith".—Emil Brunner, The Christian Doctrine of Creation and Redemption, 222