UNDER LAW OR UNDER GRACE? Part 2

I would like to take just a moment to review last week’s blog.  I began by defining the term “Law” as it is used in this context.  When contrasting “Grace” and “Law”, the term “Law” is used when referring to the Ten Commandments.  This set of Biblical principles was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai and contain instructions for worshiping only God; for keeping the Sabbath; for honoring our parents; and prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, murder, theft, dishonesty, and adultery.  In order for mankind to be acceptable in God’s sight, obedience to these principles was expected.  History shows that when the Israelites were in line with God’s will, he blessed them.  But we also learned that in their disobedience, God either withheld his blessing or sometimes they experienced his wrath. 

In addition to revealing God’s standard for living, the “Law” also served two other functions.  First it was civil law for the Israelites so they could live in harmony as they wandered in the wilderness. And secondly it was used to reveal man’s sinful nature.  While God’s standard was clearly stated, it immediately became clear that adherence to those ten principles was contrary to our human nature.  Regardless of how hard we tried to live in obedience to these principles, mankind continued to sink deeper into the quagmire of sin.  Even Apostle Paul, much to his chagrin, struggled with his human short-comings and lamented in Romans 7: 21,24; “It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  Oh, what a miserable person I am!  Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?” 

Mankind had from Creation to 2014 years ago to wrestle with the same pathos Paul was lamenting.  Who hasn’t cried out, “Oh what a miserable person I am!” and then committed to try even harder to free themselves from a life dominated by sin…only to fail once again!

The good news is…the very essence of God is love, forgiveness, mercy and grace.  Ephesians 1:4 tell us that “even before the world was created” God had always planned to send a Jesus as the sacrificial lamb to deliver us from sin’s death-sentence.  The “law” was intended to show man’s need for a Savior.  Romans 5:6 reveals his plan: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  

The timing of this blog could not be better as we approach Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  Good Friday brings to end an era known as the Old Covenant, which was before Jesus Christ and an era dominated by the “Law”.  Easter Sunday begins a new era known as the New Covenant, which is after Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection; and an era dominated by “Grace”. Under the Old Covenant, man worked to make himself acceptable to God.  Under the New Covenant, it is not about what we do to make ourselves acceptable to God, but what Jesus did on our behalf so we would be acceptable to God.  The gift of Jesus Christ as the sacrificial lamb to die in our place for the forgiveness of our sins is God’s Gift of Grace.  It’s a Gift of Grace because we did nothing to deserve the gift, and we definitely were not worthy of it.  But that is how much God loves us and wants an eternal relationship with us…“While we were utterly helpless (pathetic; lost in sin), Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” (stained with sin; God’s enemy)

CLARIFYING TWO COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

Let me clarify two scriptural truths before we move on.  First: Jesus Christ came to die for the sins of all mankind, regardless of who you are or what you have done. (Romans 3:22).  So does this mean that every man and women will have eternal life?  No, and here is why.  God gave us free will at Creation.    Therefore, because He is true to his word and his will never trumps our will, we have to choose to accept his Gift of Grace (Jesus’ atonement for our sins).  Our decision to accept this gift is our ultimate show of trust in Him.  Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are in Christ – meaning we are grafted into God’s family as his children and are “heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm” (Ephesians 1:3), and all the promises in the Bible.

 And second: let’s talk briefly about the issue of sin.  We are in Christ because we made a decision to accept him as our Lord and Savior.  We believe that He is the Son of God and that He chose to die in our place to pay the penalty for the sins of the world – past, present and future!  Apostle Paul explains in Romans 8: 3-4, “The law of Moses (the Ten Commandments) could not save us because of our sinful nature.  But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son…as a sacrifice for our sins.  He did this so that the requirements of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.  In other words, when we are in Christ, the sin issue has come to an end.  Romans 8:1 emphatically states, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus”, and Jesus reiterates the same message in Matthew 5: 17-18, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come.  I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets.  No, I came to fulfill them.  I assure you, until heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God’s law will remain until its purpose is achieved.”

So you may be asking yourself, “is the Law no longer in effect?”  The answer is simply this…the Law is still in effect because God’s standard has never changed.  What has changed under the New Covenant is how the requirements of the Law are fulfilled.  Under the Old Covenant, and for anyone today who has not accepted God’s Gift of Grace, it continues to be a matter of our own effort to make ourselves acceptable in God’s sight.  Under the New Covenant, we are made acceptable to God not by our own effort but because of what Jesus Christ did for us.  

LIVING UNDER THE NEW COVENANT

At the time we make a decision to accept God’s Gift of Grace (at our rebirth), 2 Corinthians, 5:17-18 explains what happens. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone (Our sin nature), the new is here. (the Holy Spirit).  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ.”  We are a new creation in Christ.  We are no longer slaves to our sin-nature because we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to become the person God created us to be.  Ephesians 2:10 refers to our new creation as His “masterpiece”. 

Now that the sin issue has been put to rest, the challenge for the new Christ-follower is to learn how to live in a way that brings honor and Glory to God in this fallen world. That, my friends, is the ultimate challenge!  Unfortunately at our conversion we were given no mental delete button to erase our past;  life and “stuff” still happens; our circumstances are still the same; and people stretch us to the breaking point.  (Wow!  Now we’re getting a glimpse of Apostle Paul’s struggle…“Oh what a wretched man I am!”)

But bear in mind we are beginning a process of transformation, and our growth as a Christ-follower happens as we overcome challenges.  Will we fall short?  Of course we will.  But remember, we are a new creation in Christ; we are Saints (sin-free) in God’s eyes.  So now we ask the Holy Spirit to empower us to overcome the challenges we are facing:  “Holy Spirit, give me the wisdom; the courage; the strength; the patience; the perseverance…whatever it is we need, to be victorious in our endeavor  to serve you.  God’s promise to us is “whatever we ask for in Jesus name will be given to us.”  (John 16:23-24)  1 John 4:4 assures us, “He that is in me (Holy Spirit) is greater than he (Satan) that is in this world.”  So you see, we are already promised victory!  It is this, and every other scriptural truth, that allows us to step out in faith because we are confident we are heirs to all the promises in the Bible!

The New Covenant is all about life. Yes, the Law is still in effect, but we are successfully fulfilling it because now we have chosen to let Jesus Christ (the Holy Spirit) live his life through us.  As Christ followers we are called to “love God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind; and to love our neighbor as our self.” (Matthew 22:37).   If we live those two directives, we automatically fulfill the requirements of the law.  Our job now is to proclaim this truth to those who are still unbelievers, and to let Jesus’ light shine in us through our words and our deeds.   As we choose to honor God with our life, there is a peace and serenity that surpasses all understanding because his kingdom has already come for those who are in Christ.   Thank you, Jesus!

So my question to you is:  Can you step out in faith knowing you are heir to all the promises in the Bible?

May God Bless ya, and feel free to respond to this post.

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)