This is spot on brother!

There is a big difference between works (which as the first people who would have heard this preached would have understood as Torah) for sanctification - the setting apart for a specific use, and justification - salvation based on faith.

Paul's epistles are directly aimed at getting people to understand that the law does not save you, but you are also not excused from it.  The law is not just the 10 commandments (even though every church I know of  breaks the first commandment about keeping the Sabbath by worshiping on the Sun day) it is about doing the will of God. If you love me keep my commandments, (all of them that apply to you).

People get so riled up about the "law" that they don't even bother to go look at what it says!  It is all about how to live in harmony and peace with your brother.  I am not talking about the stuff the rabbis made up later to make sure they were really doing everything that the law required, I am talking about going back through the first five books of Moses and see what God said. (where do you think the 613 commandments came from any way?)

In talking about works, the Torah is the "works" - rather than running around making up stuff - which every congregation I have even been to does, why not just go with what God said?

~Jill