LAW AND GRACE

By: Maggie Escoto

We do not keep the Ten Commandments, which is the old covenant, for the same purpose that Israel was commanded to keep them. In keeping covenant with God, Israel displayed faith by living “under” the law. The law (Ten Commandments) was external and written on two stone tablets. And so, Israel's devotion to God was seen in external works of the law.  The law was in the driver’s seat. It was in control for the purpose of leading Israel and all mankind to the Messiah (Jesus Christ). When Jesus Christ, came the law changed position, and grace took over the wheel. The law was exchanged with grace. We can view as the process in which a caterpillar evolves into a beautiful butterfly.

Law did not and does not have the power of grace. The law was and is defeated by sin, while grace defeated and will forever defeat sin. Those who lived under the law were in bondage to the power/control of sin. Jesus defeated sin and offered us grace.  If keeping the law was enough to make us acceptable to God, there would have never been need for Jesus to come. The law proved our need for Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

The Apostle Paul wrote, in Romans 7:7, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. No, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, You shall not covet.”

In fact, it is possible to be an obedient follower of Jesus Christ without knowing the literal words of the Ten Commandments from the old covenant law. This is said only to emphasize that with grace in control it is the Holy Spirit that empowers the believer to “walk in the Spirit” so as not to fulfill the “lust of the flesh”.

Paul states in Rom. 6:14... “for you are not under law but under grace.” He also makes it clear in Gal. 5:18 “if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”  The previous verses state “so that you do not do the things that you wish.” The Law is not given to the Christian as the standard to live by, but to show the everyone how below the standard we do live, as Paul states in 1 Tim.1:9 The Law is for the unrighteous.

This time was Israel's, as a whole nation under the law. But when God moved from law to grace (caterpillar to butterfly), Israel resisted that move, preferring the old program of rules and regulations from Moses, illustrating the danger of law. We look good from the outside, but in the inside, we are an awful mess. Not only are we an awful mess, the mess destroys us in the inside, hence, DIS-EASE. Grace, on the other hand, removes the mess and frees us from DIS-EASE.

For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law ... but the righteousness of faith speaks in this way... with the heart one believes to righteousness. Rom. 10:5-6, 10.

Law and grace work together as a team in bringing salvation in Jesus Christ. Law brings conviction of sin and shows our need for a Savior Grace.