Law Turned On Its Ear

“12 Wherefore the law [is] holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.” (Ro 7:12-13 AV)

The Children of Israel received the law from God through Moses at Mount Sinai.  Having been separated from the corruption of this world they experienced in Egypt, they were introduced to the righteousness of God.  The Law was to govern them and in so doing distinguish them from all the peoples of the earth.  But it was also much more than this.  The Law was to be their schoolmaster revealing the very character of their Creator.  The Law was to teach them of sin, righteousness, and judgment.  The Law was to prepare them for the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, in which righteousness reigns.

A Note: I pause here to remind us that often when we speak of law we are talking about those ordinances and statutes that are in place to protect us from violating law.  The actual law cannot be violate without severe consequences.  For example: We have signals to regulate traffic, because no more than one vehicle can occupy the same space at the same time.  The actual laws aren’t negotiable.  What is true in the physical is also true in the spiritual.  The Laws that govern all of creation have consequences if they are violated.  Those laws also reflect the character of the Creator.  Sin is the violation of God’s Law and the consequence is death.  The laws of God will never change.  But often when we speak of law we include the works of the law and some of the ritualistic practices we see in the Old Testament.  The purpose of these works are accomplished through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  The fulfillment of these works satisfy the requirements of the law, and as we will see in our study, continue to fulfill the purpose of the works of the Law.

In addition to the laws and ordinances, there are what we call the works of the Law.  They would include the details, order, and symbolism in the construction of the meeting place, first the tabernacle and then the temple in Jerusalem.  Also included are the details and symbolism relating to the priesthood.  Then there are the washings and the many sacrifices that were offered for sins and cleansing.

The purpose of the works of the Law was to show the need for redemption from our bondage to sin.  The blood sacrifices were made as an atonement or covering for sin.  Each one of these things was a daily reminder of our sinfulness and tendency to violate the law of God.

“3 But in those [sacrifices there is] a remembrance again [made] of sins every year. 4 For [it is] not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” (Heb 10:3-4 AV)

The Law and the works of the Law revealed sin, righteousness, and judgment.  As we are taught in the Book of Hebrews, these things were but a shadow of things to come.  There was before them the continual reminder of sin and the need for a Savior.

But in time this reminder of sin was covered with an attitude of pride and arrogance.  The humility and thanksgiving that accompanied the giving of the Law were replaced by their pride and arrogance.  Israel’s privilege in receiving the oracles of God came with the responsibility that they were to be a light to the World and a revelation of God’s grace.  Those who remained humble were indeed a reflection of that light and have come down to us as the hero’s of the faith.

But many became elevated in their own minds.  They elaborated on their fulfillment of the works of the law as if their efforts were justifying them before God.  In doing so they became blind to the righteousness of God that was revealed in the Law, or its reminder of their continuing sinfulness.  Faith and obedience were replaced by their confidence in their works and self-righteousness.

Two things resulted from their blindness.  They were unrepentant, presuming that they were righteous, resulting in a lack of gratitude and love for God.  They in turn did not love their neighbor.  By not acknowledging God’s mercy toward them, they extended no mercy toward their neighbor.  The essence of the Law and the Prophets was lost on them because of their pride.

When Jesus addressed the matter, he got right to the heart of it.  What is the greatest commandment?  To Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  And the second commandment is also like this, that you would love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commands hang all the Law and the Prophets.  In other words all that God has been trying to teach you through the Law and the Prophets is how to live these commandments.  The problem was that in spite of the knowledge of the Law, people still ended coming up short.

When Jesus broke the Law out, it revealed to the religious people of His day how much they themselves were in need of the grace of God.  The savior that they were looking for was a man who would save them from the sins of their neighbor.  They considered themselves righteous through the works of the law, but it was the Law that exposed their need for a savior who would save them from their sins.  Outwardly religious people learn to put on a good show.  Man looks on the outward expression, but God looks on the heart.  Jesus exposed that inner heart condition.  Jesus said, If you look on a woman to lust, then you have already committed adultery in your heart.

The Law which exposed their sinfulness and was intended to be a schoolmaster pointing them to the truth was turned on its ear.  It was instead used to mask their true heart condition and elevate themselves in the eyes of their neighbor.  In their self-righteousness they were so blinded that they could not recognize grace and truth when it stood right in front of them.

Understanding Grace For Salvation

“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:7 AV)

Salvation is just the beginning, for God’s plan for man is that we might live forever with Him.  The favor of God that He has extended toward us seems to have no bounds.  But for us to really understand what this grace is we must first understand where we are without it.  To understand this we have to go back all the way to the beginning when sin first entered.  We are the offspring of sinners and all of us have inherited a sin nature.  History has shown time and again, that left to ourselves we will self-destruct.  But God has throughout history sought to find men who would respond to the grace of God and preserve a remnant of people that would seek righteousness.  He has not left us alone.

 “14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 ¶ John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (Joh 1:14-17 AV)

We cannot understand the exceeding riches of His grace without an understanding of the Law.  Jesus said that He did not come to condemn the World, for the World was already condemned.  Jesus said that all of the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments, that we love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.  Paul in addressing this issue in Romans, says that all have sinned and come short.  The purpose of the Law was not to save us, but to reveal the exceeding sinfulness of sin and reveal our transgression against Heaven.

The purpose of the Law was to be our schoolmaster.  To teach us righteousness and reveal our sinfulness in the eyes of Heaven.  The Law taught a continual need for atonement for a people in bondage to sin and sinful desires.  The Law illuminated that which men would prefer to keep hidden.  The Law revealed righteousness and the consequences of unrighteousness.  It revealed the judgment and justice of a holy God.  The purpose of the Law was not to condemn, but to reveal the condemnation under which mankind lived.  The purpose of the Law was to bring man to a place of repentance.

The Law did not come to Israel unaccompanied.  It was accompanied with promise, hope for the future, and security for those who would put their trust in the God of Heaven.  That hope for the grace that was to come was illustrated in a very real and physical way through the sacrifice and shedding of blood of innocent animals.  The Law was also accompanied by the gracious Word of the Lord that came through his faithful servants, the prophets.  That Word set the focus on the grace that was to come through the Messiah.  Salvation was and always will be a matter of faith.  It is the plan of God to accomplish that which we cannot.  It is a plan to take an unrighteous people and make them righteous and acceptable in the sight of a holy and righteous God.

“But we know that the law [is] good, if a man use it lawfully;” (1Ti 1:8 AV)

 “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, … ” (1Ti 1:9 AV)

We know the Law is good, if it is used correctly.  Some people love the Law, but others despise it.  What makes the difference between these two opposite attitudes?  God would have the Law bring us to the foot of the cross.  The cross is where mercy and grace intersect with law and justice.  But if the Law is used incorrectly, or unlawfully, contrary to God’s intended purpose, then it often has the opposite effect and becomes despised and rejected.

History has shown how men can manipulate the law and use it as a tool.  Sometimes it is used as a tool to control other people.  Sometimes it is used as a tool to elevate themselves, making themselves to look good and others bad.  But an understanding of the Law can take that tool out of the hands of others and lay the responsibility squarely on each of our individual shoulders.  When the Law is used correctly it clearly reveals our choice.  We will either seek righteousness or we will rebel against righteousness.

Without the Law we cannot fully understand Grace.  The Law exposed our desperate need for grace.  The Law revealed the holiness of God.  Grace made it possible to embrace the Law, to love it, to fully appreciate the righteousness it represents.

“1 ¶ Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Ps 1:1-3 AV)

Grace Through Faith

“8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph 2:8-9 AV)

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  But faith for that grace goes all the way back to Genesis.  We receive that grace through faith.  Hebrews chapter 11 gives us the legacy of that faith and hope, that was keep alive by the Word of God. This chapter is the record of men that through faith lived with hope in the promise of God for a savior.  They were able to endure all things because of their confidence in the promises of God and the hope that was set before them.  That Grace and truth that came through Jesus was extended to them also as it is to us.

The exhortation to us then is that we look to Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith.  Those mentioned in Hebrews 11 trusted in the hope of the promise to come.  We then are to do likewise and put our faith in the promise that has come.  We can then have confidence that the grace of God through Jesus Christ is able to save us.  Grace for salvation can only be acquired through faith.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.

“Therefore [it is] of faith, that [it might be] by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,” (Ro 4:16 AV)

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Ro 5:2 AV)

God in His mercy has by grace provided salvation from sin and the eternal consequences of that sin.  But it is only by faith that we can be recipients of this grace.  Faith is our trust and confidence in God and His provision of grace that comes through Jesus.  Faith is more than just belief.  Saving faith (trust) requires belief, obedience, and faithfulness.  Faith for salvation is a commitment, placing ourselves fully under the Lordship of Jesus Christ our Savior.  There is no other way into this grace, it is accessed by faith.

There is no greater example of faith than that which we see in Abraham.  It is said that he believed God, or put his trust in God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.  He is to this day considered to be the father of the faithful.  Abraham’s faith was seen in his obedience to God, as is ours.  Through faith he was recipient of the grace of God.  I want to emphasize that Abraham’s belief and faith in God was not just mental accent, but was verified by his obedience to the Word of the Lord.

It was the test of Abraham’s faith that reveled that he did indeed have faith in God.  It was in the hills of Moriah, in the place that God had chosen, that we see the depth of Abraham’s faith in God.  God told Abraham to sacrifice his son that he loved as a burnt offering to the Lord.  Abraham’s obedience reveled his faith, but it also reveled God’s provision of grace.  Not only did God provide for Abraham’s sacrifice, but also we are given an example of the provision of grace that would be to all men.  Jesus became that provision for our sacrifice.  He became God’s grace toward us for salvation.

Jesus declared to us that, “Whosoever believe on me will not perish, but have everlasting life.  Belief in Jesus will be accounted to us for righteousness unto life.  This sounds simple, and it is.  But we need to remember that belief in God and his provision for eternal life through Jesus Christ is not just an expression in words or mental accent to its truthfulness.  The truthfulness of Abraham’s faith was reveled through the test.  God, who looks on the heart, knows the truthfulness of our confession of faith.  We will know the truthfulness of our confession of faith as life tests us.  God through His grace not only provided a sacrifice for sin, but also through grace makes provision for us to pass the test.  That provision is realized as we simple step out in faith and follow Him.

Salvation By Grace

“8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph 2:8-9 AV)

Recently a man posted a picture of Noah’s ark on the internet with the caption: Noah wasn’t saved by grace. He was saved by obedience. He went on to explain that in spite of God’s grace Noah would have drowned just like everyone else if he hadn’t been obedient and entered the ark when God told him to.

There was a firestorm of comments that followed, which showed how a simple foundational doctrine of Christianity could become so confusing to so many people. A lot of the confusion comes about because of our Christian rhetoric that is much more common than Christian teaching. Although I imagine even among Christian theologians and pastors we could create a lively debate on this subject. So why is there so much confusion and differences of opinion amongst Christians about how and why we are saved? There probably are several reason and I won’t focus on them here, but I will try to simply show how we are saved by grace.

Obviously this verse in Ephesians is part of a letter written to the saints, the faithful in Jesus Christ. So this is not instruction of how to get saved, but insight as to how it was accomplished. Simply put; you are saved by grace through faith and this is something that God has accomplished, a gift of salvation for you.

The grace of God is not something that we can take lightly. For without God’s grace we cannot be saved and will perish in our sin. Grace in itself is not a thing, but it is the favor of God. Grace for salvation is the actions of God on our behalf to rescue us from the consequences of our sin (which is death). None of us comes to God with a full understanding of the fullness of the riches of God’s Grace. But even with our limited understanding we come overwhelmed with the goodness and mercy of the love of God’s marvelous grace.

“6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight” (Eph 1:6-8 NAS95)

So, grace for salvation is the revealed plan of God to redeem us from the death that comes from sin. That plan and the revelation of it culminates in Jesus, His death on the cross, His declaration that it is finished, and His resurrection to life. This is the grace by which we are saved.