Eph 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
The Law which Paul talked about is the Halakha, the Jewish Law, of 613 prohibitions so devised so that the Mosaic Law could be legalistically complied. The Jews believed that their own effort in religiously complying with this Halakha, which Paul called Works of the law, would earn them salvation.
Paul said that he was blameless in compliance as a Pharisee. Phil 3:6. Yet he was merciless in persecuting the church and even approved of the stoning of Stephen.
The Pharisees could be blameless in complying with the 613 prohibitions outwardly but you know from Scripture that they were mean, covetous, prideful and hypocritical in their hearts.
So we see that there can be no evidence of a new heart and new spirit even when one can comply with the Halakha. That is, we cannot earn salvation by these law-works.
By nature, we are spiritually blind and in order to see this fallacy, God must open our eyes and melt our hearts of stone into flesh – that is Grace. By grace, when we are born again in Christ Jesus, a new heart and new spirit will be given us and the Spirit of Jesus will also be given to move us to fulfill the law. Ezek 36:26-27, John 3:5-7,13-15.
Psalms 19 tells us the law of the Lord revives the soul, rejoices the heart and make wise the simple. Without understanding that the law is Good which is the blueprint of our image of God, do we really know God ?
Jesus our Lord often talked about the heart or character conforming to this blueprint rather than the silly outward compliance of rules so devised to conform to the law. As silly as those who legalistically follow rules without true circumcision of the heart so is the silly ignorant believer who rubbishes the law.
(The Law of Christ, which is to love God wholeheartedly and to love one another, will fulfill the Mosaic Law. Rom 13:10. So when we bear each other’s burden by loving one another, we have fulfilled the law of Christ. Gal 6:2.)
The righteousness of Christ is imputed unto us when we believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Savior and Lord. Phil 3:9. Though the righteousness is imputed, the training to be Christ-like in character only just begins.
Titus 2:11-13. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.