When a new moral creation has not been brought forth it is because we have not been abiding in Christ. Rather we have been trusting in a legalistic kind of grace, a perversion of the true Divine grace. In fact, we have changed Divine grace into a license for immorality, as Jude states.

But let us return to this enigmatic statement: "We have been created to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do."

The purpose for our being created is that we might do good works.

The good works are those that Jesus always does, that is, behavior that proceeds from the iron righteousness and fiery holiness of God Himself. In addition to iron righteousness and fiery holiness we must add stern obedience to the Father.

The fruit of iron righteousness, fiery holiness, and stern obedience to the Father is morally upright, compassionate behavior coming from those who are walking humbly with God.

We have been created that we might walk uprightly, show mercy to people, and listen constantly for the will of our Father in Heaven.

So far so good. I do not think any Christian would find fault with the above statements.

But one puzzling aspect remains: "which God prepared in advance for us to do."

To answer this question we will have to return to the creation of the universe, and even before then.

Before God created the firmament of heaven (the sky and outer space) God and Christ were living in the spirit realm surrounded by a vast number of angelic beings. It is my viewpoint that none of these angelic beings possessed a conscience or was capable of moral judgment, as God and people are.

I do not think God at that time had ever defined righteousness as specific behaviors. I think righteousness existed but it was not codified. Righteousness at that time was that which God always is.

When it came into Satan's mind to disobey God there arose automatically a need for judgment. Judgment must proceed in terms of "you may do this but you may not do that." It seems to me you cannot make a moral judgment unless there exists a clear standard, a distinction between right and wrong. I do not believe the angels had any concept of "you may do this but not that," they merely existed in the bliss of God's Presence.

In fact, it is my point of view that the Ten Commandments actually are a judgment against Satan and his angels, and that they understand this. They now are learning what righteousness is, a concept not known to them before the Law was given to Moses.

I believe God created man to demonstrate righteous behavior in the sight of the angels. I think man was created to be God's judges and rulers, with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Judge and Ruler.

On this basis God brought into existence the new race of humans, who have a conscience and who are capable of moral judgment. Through them what is good and what is evil can be revealed to the inhabitants of the heavens as well as the peoples of the earth.

To be continued.