But if the wicked person turns from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall certainly live; he shall not die. All his offenses which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live. (v. 21-22)

When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness, commits injustice and dies because of it, for his injustice which he has committed he dies. But when a wicked person turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. Since he understood and turned away from all his offenses which he had committed, he shall certainly live; he shall not die. (v. 26-28)

It is easy to divide work from faith and the conditional covenant from the unconditional covenant. Apostle Paul used a simple analogy throughout his letters for the Jews who could not understand the mystery of God’s grace. And some misinterpreted his words and think that there are two completely different covenants just as we divide the Bible into two, the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is one way to look at the covenants of God.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins. (Mark 2:22)

Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

However, there is, in fact, only one covenant. That is the new covenant. The new covenant promises that the Holy Spirit stays with a chosen person forever. This has always been God’s plan.

God alone is righteous. Only God plans and fulfils. Without the Holy Spirit, we are not righteous no matter how many good deeds we do in the eyes of the world. Only through the unconditional covenant, the requirements of the conditional covenant are fulfilled. It is because only by the Holy Spirit, our heart of stone is removed. With the heart of flesh given by God, we understand God and His ways and turn away from evil ways. Therefore, true obedience is the work of the Holy Spirit within a person. Christ became a man so that His people would become like Him. And the result is the Kingdom. This is God’s good will.

Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves. (Revelation 22:12)

Only those who receive the Holy Spirit by grace will be saved because the Lord knows His chosen people. Despite human weaknesses, saints do not fall again because of God’s eternal grace. Their good works are known to God because the Holy Spirit has done them. Works reflect the condition of the heart. If it remains as the heart of stone, one will produce no fruit or bad fruit. If it has changed to the heart of flesh, one will inevitably produce good fruit. Therefore, true faith given by God produces good works. Faith comes first, not works.

Remain in Me (Christ), and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. (John 15:4)