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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Grace vs. Law

Christianity is the only religion that operates under the belief that you cannot earn your way to heaven. The "bad news" of Christianity is that we're all sinners beyond the capacity to be good enough to make it. Our "good news", then, is that salvation is by God's unmerited favor (grace) through our trusting in Him (faith) and unequivocally not of works (Eph 2:8-9). Paul says without any lack of clarity, "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Rom 3:28). Does it get any clearer than that?

As a result of this glorious Gospel, we sing our delight in the fact that Christians are "not under the law". Indeed, Paul writes, "Sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace" (Rom 6:14). "Not under the law, but under grace" -- what a wonderful phrase. We're free from rules!

And that's when it gets unclear. Or, rather, that's when we realize we've failed to understand. Is it true that Christianity is opposed to the law, that we are now without rules? Well, Paul leaves no doubt. In the very next verse he asks and answers that very question: "What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!" (Rom 6:15). And following his revelation that we are "justified by faith apart from works of the law" he says, "Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law" (Rom 3:31).

Well, now, it would appear we have a dilemma. If we are no longer under the law but under grace, in what sense do we uphold the law? What does grace have to do with the law? What do rules have to do with Christianity? We are not saved by them. What then?

James offers part of the answer when he warns, "Faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone" (James 2:17). Paul warns that "neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
1Co 6:10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor 6:9-10). He goes on to say, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor 6:11). John writes, "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9).

What does grace have to do with the rules? Well, actually, not much. Grace refers to the favor God shows us who do not deserve it. Mercy refers to the punishment we do not receive that we so richly deserve. And the law -- the commands of Scripture -- do not tell us how to receive salvation. In fact, they never have. They tell us what God wants, what God expects. They tell us what brings glory to God (Matt 5:16) and what is good for the creature. They do not confer righteousness, the sadly lacking component of Natural Man.

Biblically and logically it is a false dichotomy to pit grace against the law. They are not connected. When Scripture tells us we are not "under the law", it is not saying we are without any rules. God is telling us that the law is not our means of salvation nor is it any longer that by which we might obtain approval. Neither of these suggest that the law no longer serves the purpose of informing us of what glorifies God and is beneficial to us as creatures of God. Be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater here. We're not under the law, but we "uphold the law". Don't get trapped beneath it ... but don't leave home without it.

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