Some believe that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone. Others say that we are saved by grace, but there are elements of the law we should keep in place ( i.e., the Ten Commandments). Are Christians under law and grace? The answer to this question is essential because it will shape how you view the rest of the gospel written in the Epistles.
What is Grace?
Grace has multiple ways to explain the same definition: Christ working in us. The Bible uses phrases such as “Walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16) or “Be led by the Spirit” (Rom. 8:14). The Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, which is a manifestation of grace. Paul spoke of God’s response in 2 Cor. 12:9 saying, “My grace is sufficient …my power is made perfect in weakness.” He goes on to say that he will rejoice in his weakness so that the power of Christ may rest on him. Grace is Christ working in us what He has accomplished for us. When we ask God for grace, we are asking for God’s power to work through us —not from us. See more about the grace of God here: The Grace of God Pt. One
What is Law?
The Law of God is a reflection of God’s character. It also represents God’s covenant with the children of Israel under Moses’ leadership. The ruling principle behind the law was “Do this and live.” (Lev. 18:5) Jesus reiterated this principle when speaking to the lawyer about eternal life (Luke 10:25-28). Notice that when Jesus was asked again about inheriting eternal life, he pointed to the law (Luke 18:18-20). Jesus understood the purpose of the law though it was being used grievously out of context. The Jews were looking to the law for righteousness; the law’s purpose is to show sin only. The Ten Commandments summarize the 613 laws stated in the following book of Leviticus. Every law has to be observed because to fail any one law is to go against God’s command and sin. See more about the Law here: The Law of God
The Structure of the Law
Some believe that the law comprises three parts: ceremonial, judicial, and moral and that we are still obligated to complete the law’s moral aspect. I will ask this, where can that be found in the Scripture? The Scripture never calls the moral laws anything other than “law.” When speaking to the lawyer, Jesus asked what is written in the law (Luke 10:24). In Matthew 5, Jesus says he has come to fulfill the law and then breaks down the Ten Commandments. Paul preaches to the Jews in Romans 2, asking the teachers of the law why do they break the law? The only commands he mentions come from the Ten Commandments, not feast days and sacrifices. We must conclude scripturally that the law is one unit, also a reflection of the oneness of God, and not a trinitarian law of three parts.
The Old Covenant and the New Covenant
The Old Covenant was a two-sided agreement. If the Israelites kept their part, then God would fulfill His. Let’s look at another covenant God made before Moses’ and the law’s time. In Genesis 15:7-18, Abraham prepares a sacrifice for a covenant agreement with God according to the customs of that time (similarly in Jer. 34:18). This ritual was a seal of a sacred covenant between two parties, where both would walk between the sacrifice. However, God put Abraham to sleep and walked through by Himself. This is highly significant because God placed the responsibility of the covenant entirely upon Himself without Abraham’s works. The Apostle Paul lets us know that the law could not cancel God’s covenant 430 years before its existence (Gal. 3:17). And what has our Father Abraham found about being right with God? His faith was counted for righteousness (Rom. 4:1,3).
Romans 4:23-24 NLT
And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
The New Covenant
Though the children of Israel had the law for 400+ years, not one kept the law perfectly. God brought the law to show people their sin, not because they could keep it (Rom. 5:20). At the appointed time, He made a New Covenant that rested exclusively in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection played equally essential parts in our total deliverance from sin. Now we are redeemed from the curse of breaking the law since Jesus was made a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). Now we are forgiven, washed, and filled with the Spirit of God. We have received power in the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:8)! Where do we stand now concerning the law?
The Law and the Gospel
The Bible tells us that the law is holy, just, good, and spiritual (Rom. 7:12,14). However, we, in our flesh, are carnal sold under sin (Rom. 7:14). The law commands, but it does not supply the power to fulfill and we certainly cannot fulfill it in our strength. A serious mistake is often made at this intersection. It’s the belief that God has given us the Holy Spirit and His power to fulfill the law ourselves. We should know that God crucified our flesh on the cross and that’s where He wants it to stay every day (take up your cross daily! Luke 9:23). This principle found in Romans 7 shows that the Old Covenant was not brought into the New Covenant.
The Principle of “I”
In Romans 7, Paul has received the Holy Ghost as stated in Rom. 7:6 and Rom. 7:9. He delights in the law of God (Rom. 7:22) and tries to live a righteous life with the same mindset, “I have received the Spirit, now I can live right.” Here’s what he found:
Romans 7:18-19,21 NLT
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. [Paul] I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. I have discovered this principle of life — that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
Paul had forgotten one thing: everything he tried to do came from him (his flesh). The flesh is not subject to God’s law, so those who remain in their flesh cannot please God. It did not matter what he tried to perform; he was living from the wrong source. There, we find the purpose of the Holy Spirit —to give us a new source of life.
Grace is the Gospel
There is nothing in salvation we can claim as our own works. God granted us repentance, identified us with Christ in baptism, and filled us with His Spirit — all gifts of grace. The entire salvation is grace. Every aspect of the gospel is based on what Jesus did. Salvation is based on the faith of Christ. The righteousness of Christ becomes ours (we are justified by faith). We don’t have anything acceptable to God; only what’s done in Christ will save us. This is why Paul states in Acts 20:24 and Gal. 1:7 that the gospel is no less than the gospel of the grace of God. It is the Good News of grace! We are no longer under the impossible yoke of the law (Acts 15:5,10), as Peter said, but under the blessed power of Christ fulfilling in us what is pleasing in His sight.
Conclusion
God’s grace is sufficient for all time. The gospel does not need supplements of the law to make it safe from liberalism. Grace is Christ personified, and Paul warns that if you add justification by law to the gospel, Christ will be useless to you (Gal. 5:4). If our justification was possible through the law, Christ died for no purpose (Gal. 2:21).
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