“I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has granted us,” vs6

The right response to the gospel is to praise God. We must embrace it, rather than reject, though it seems too good to be true - that we’d be given righteousness, everlasting salvation, and the Holy Spirit as a free gift seems impossible to man, so Satan tells us to work for it, believe in ourselves, and strive with fear and doubt, but that is not the gospel, and it is not true.

God is GRACIOUS, full of kindness and pity, to the most evil people who hear Him. We are nothing, like Paul - Christian killers and haters of the truth. We are ignorant, blind, fooled in false religion, and we deceive others. We are self-righteous hypocrites and oppressors. We think ourselves better than others, and judge ourselves by human competition. 2 Cor 10:12, “When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they show their ignorance.” They do not see the law is spiritual, getting to the heart, and discerning the intents and motives. We don’t see God’s holiness - that one sin disqualifies us. We can’t see His grace, because we’re selfish by nature.

When the gospel comes in the Spirit, however, then our eyes are open, and we see the Mighty God our Savior able and gracious to save. Then, we take hold by faith and praise Him. Hear this from Luther:

The first step to being a Christian is to hear the Gospel. When a person has accepted the Gospel, let him first give thanks unto God with a glad heart, and then let him get busy on the good works to strive for, works that really please God, and not man-made and self-chosen works.

We are free from bondage to give thanks to God with a holy life, and to praise Him in godliness. This is the sweet liberty of Christ.

Secondly, He knows what we shall do. Isa 63:8

For he said, “Surely they are my people,

children who will not deal falsely.”

And he became their Savior.

He knows that we will be holy by the gospel: He’ll put holiness in us and cause us to bear fruit. The Spirit received by faith is the Holy Spirit, and He will cause us to keep His commands.

Heb 8:10, “For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. 'I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people. "

He knows the HOLY NATURE inside of us cannot sin, because we are born of God and made into His image [1 John 3:9]. He knows He must supply grace and faith, so that we can be strengthened, so just like with Paul, grace comes and does everything, even working in us to do His good pleasure [1 Tim 1:13-16].

He knows that we’ll persevere, because He keeps us and will never stumble.

Ps 12:4, "Behold, the Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."

He knows that salvation is of the Lord, so He will save. He knows the gift of God will be powerful unto good works, that He’s ordained for us to walk in [Eph 2:1]. He knows the devil has been defeated, and grace will be given over and over: we’ll come to Him needy and helpless, and He’ll give mercy in our time of need [Heb 4:16]. He knows the gospel is all of God and not of man, so He’ll forgive our sins and cause us to know Him.

Heb 8:11-12, “No longer will each one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”

He knows our weaknesses, our trials, and our errors, so He’ll supply the Holy Spirit, because we’re not condemned [Rom 8:2]. He knows He PREDESTINED us to eternal bliss, and nothing shall stop it, for our God fights successfully, and He will not lose any. We shall all believe and persevere in love. We’ll do good works as our destiny, and the tree - righteously planted by the Lord - will bear good fruit. Isa 61:3, “that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.”

This is an absolute fact and a guarantee: nothing shall be done to stop it. He shall put His laws - faith and love - into our hearts and minds, and these are the people of the Lord [1 John 3:23].

Without fruit - faith first, and then the love that follows - we are bastards and not sons, living for the lower things of the world. By faith, we receive the inheritance, and God cannot fail. He will produce obedient children.

Thirdly, God will be an enemy to us, if we don’t walk as children. Isa 63:10

But they rebelled

and grieved his Holy Spirit;

therefore he turned to be their enemy,

and himself fought against them.

He says in Eph 4:30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

The Spirit will not be utterly taken away, but being grieved by our bad character and unbelief, He will hide Christ from us and remove our comforts. He won’t meet us at Sinai, except in fury, and He won’t meet us in our ungodliness, except in repentant faith.

We cannot walk how we want and commune with God. Thus, the MOST IMPORTANT thing in life is obedience. We walk by faith, when we have no sight, and we walk by faith to see Him more clearly. He says, “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.” Therefore, we learn to yield ourselves to the word. We become like children who are weaned, who admit our error, and offend no more.

Job learned this, when he put his mouth in the dust. Peter, when he said, “Lord, save me.” Each took their eye off the goodness of God in Christ and began to sink, but He heard their cry and rescued them. It is the same with us: We fall and are chastened, but we mature in grace, and learn to trust always.