The Law Or Grace?

Here is a paper I wrote for school, that talks about the issue of law and grace.

The Law versus Grace What is the difference between the law and grace? Can we have both? Does one enslave and the other liberate? These are some of the questions that arise when one thinks about this great controversy. This topic is widely debated and disagreed on, nevertheless, let us carefully observe this topic, and seek to come to accurate, biblical conclusions. The definition of law according to the 1828 Noah Webster’s dictionary is as follows. “A rule, particularly an established or permanent rule, prescribed by the supreme power of a state to its subjects, for regulating their actions, particularly their social actions.” Webster goes on to explain, “Laws are imperative or mandatory, commanding what shall be done; prohibitory, restraining from what is to be forborne; or permissive, declaring what may be done without incurring a penalty. The laws which enjoin the duties of piety and morality are prescribed by God and found in the Scriptures.” In contrast the definition for grace is, “Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him.” Also, “The application of Christ’s righteousness to the sinner.” In the Old Testament, God had a covenant with His chosen people. After the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments through Moses. In addition to that, He also gave them specific laws on how to govern every area of their lives. These are covered in the last half of Exodus, as well as all through Leviticus and Numbers. Israel continuously failed in keeping all of God’s commands; nevertheless the numerous laws and regulations, such as circumcision, became part of their culture and lifestyle, and it was passed down from generation to generation. These laws served as symbols as well as reminders of their relationship with Almighty God. In Genesis 3:15, God first speaks of the new covenant, and reveals His grand plan for mankind. In many different parts of the Old Testament, particularly in Isaiah, prophecy is spoken of the coming Messiah. Jeremiah 31:31 says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” The Israelites were not given any specifics, but it would suffice to say, they were taught to believe that a Messiah was coming to save them; from what it was not clear. As time went by with no sign of the Messiah, the Israelites became more and more entrenched in and attached to their traditions. By the time of the New Testament and the birth of John the Baptist, the Jews were hardened to change. A group of synagogue leaders rose up and over time created new rules on top of the long established commandments of God. These were created out of selfish motives and a desire to boast. These were, in turn, forced on the Jews. As a result, the Jews were taught to make their own conclusions about Scripture, instead of taking God at His word. Many of the new generations grew up believing that Messiah was coming as a king to deliver them from the oppression of the Roman rule. They also were persuaded that, by keeping all the laws created by the religious leaders, they would have access to Christ’s kingdom. In Matthew 5:17, Christ stated that He hadn’t come to abolish the law, but fulfill it. The new covenant was about God making a way for Jews, and later Gentiles, to come to Him, apart from the sacrifice of animals and such. By the shed blood of The Spotless Lamb, God’s wrath would be satisfied, atonement would be made, and we could be made right with God. Jesus came to fulfill every aspect of the law and prophecies, by His ministry, death, and resurrection. Nevertheless, the Jews were blind to this truth, and were set in their own ways. As we see in the gospels, the Jews persecuted Christ, and ultimately sentenced Him to death, for not being and doing what they expected. This stubborn mindset continued into the early church. The Jews had a hard time excepting that the gospel was intended for the Gentiles as well as themselves. They tried to come to a compromise, saying that the Gentiles could only be believers if they were circumcised. As a result, Paul and others had to address this issue head on. In order to be justified by God, you must have faith and be born again. Justification is brought about by faith; the faith that is given us by Christ. Christ awakens us and gives us the faith to trust in Him; in addition He gives us grace every day to do what He commands. Now, once we are saved, God’s grace does not give us a license to disobey continuously. We are still punished and judged for the sins we commit against God and against our brother. Now that Christ has come, we are no longer under the law but under grace. The law was given through Moses, but grace and the gospel was given through Christ Jesus. Jesus came to show a new way. In Matthew 5:17-48, Jesus tells the Jews about what they have previously been doing, explaining that their works are not enough and will never be enough to get them to heaven. Our righteousness doesn’t measure up to Christ. As Romans 3:23 states: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” No one does good, according to God, even though it may look that way. You must have a right action, paired with a right motive and a right goal, for that action to be considered “good”, by God. In our state of unbelief, no one can do good. The gospel is set up, so that no man can boast. There is nothing we contribute to our regeneration. Christ gives us the grace, the faith, and the ability to choose Him. If the gospel, were about works righteousness, then we would have reason to boast. We would then be able to say, because I have done all these good things, and you haven’t, I get to go to heaven and you don’t. Both the law and gospel have a purpose in a person’s life. The law is like a mirror, where we can get a glimpse of just how depraved we are. Even if we tried our hardest, there is no possible way that we could keep all of the law. The ceremonial law doesn’t apply to the Gentile, and although it is wise to implement aspects of the civil law, that is not required by non-Jews, either. The Ten Commandments and the moral laws, however, are for everyone. Once we see the state of our human nature, the gospel then drives us to Christ. We need both, to see Christ. Without the gospel we would have no knowledge or way to come to God, without the law we would never see our need for God. We must be careful, as we understand this. As with many principles, there is a ditch on both sides of the road. We must teach both the law and grace. We must not believe the lie, that there is nothing relevant to us in the Old Testament, and we shouldn’t solely teach about God’s grace and love. God is love, but He is also wrath; God gives grace, but He also gives judgment. It is necessary for the sinner to come to the end of himself and see is need for a Savior. On the other hand, we must not become like the Pharisees and be legalistic. We must not elevate the law to a place that Christ did not give it. We must not force our man-made laws on others, or give a false hope. We are justified because God declared us so, not because we managed to keep the whole law; we can do nothing to justify ourselves. Galatians 2:21 says: “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” Once we are justified, that does not mean we can go on sinning. We act out of who we are. Previously, we were sinful creatures, incapable of anything else, therefore sinning continuously. When we are regenerated, Christ gives a new nature; we are new creatures in Him. He also gives us the grace, to choose right, instead of sin; to choose to love by the Spirit instead of in our flesh. The act of Christ making us holy, and like His son, Jesus, is called sanctification. Sanctification is the fruit of justification. We are being sanctified, only because we have first been justified. In closing, we can see that the law and gospel both serve a purpose, and have a part in bringing a person to Christ. We must guard ourselves, so that we don’t fall into either ditch. So it’s not necessarily the law versus grace, but the law and grace.

Soli Deo Gloria, Ahlaischa