LAW, GRACE & SALVATION

 There are two extremes, both misleading, wrong and injurious to our salvation, that we need to guard against when it comes to the relationship between God's Grace, Law and our Salvation.

1. The first is that because we are saved by GRACE, we no longer need to obey the law or that the 10 commandments have been nailed to the cross.


2. The second is that we are saved by LAW.

Note: By law, I mean the 10 commandments of God.
 THE MEANING OF GRACE

God's Grace means unmerited Favour. Noah found Grace in the eyes of the Lord.  Grace also means Mercy. We use this meaning, when we say, I'll see you tomorrow by God's grace.

 The third meaning of GRACE  is God's POWER. in our lives so that we can be saved. (For the grace of God that brings SALVATION hath appeared to all men –Titus 2:11)

Grace brings forgiveness, justification, and sanctification.(To make holy) Through the Holy Spirit and His Word, we are cleansed and empowered to live above or overcome sin. In other words, as children of God, we have the power to live obediently or righteously. Three times Paul in Romans debunked (rejected, cancelled) the idea that Grace nullifies or exempt us from obedience. (See Rom 3:31, 6:1 and 6:15)
[7/29, 20:16] Elder Sylvester 2: The second extreme but wrong view is that we are saved by the LAW. JESUS is our SAVIOUR and not the LAW. We are saved by grace through faith in Him.

The LAW like a mirror only reveals and points out our stains (sins) but cannot remove it. This is where Grace comes in. Through the Power of the Holy Spirit, it first forgives our sins, credit the righteousness of Jesus for us, then cleanse, sanctify and empower us to live above sin (making us more and more like Jesus) so that when we stand before the mirror (law) in judgment, we are stainless. All this is accomplished by grace through faith in Jesus through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit
[7/29, 20:18] Elder Sylvester 2: Assuming you're driving and a police man stops you and requested for your papers... To your dismay, you realise you've not only forgotten your drivers licence at home, but that some of your papers have expired!
[7/29, 20:22] Elder Sylvester 2: Straight away you know you're in trouble but begged the policeman for mercy. Let's assume, he graciously pardons you, but with the warning to get your papers right (Go and sin no more) 

Will you drive around town happily saying that because you've been set free from the penalty of breaking the law, by Grace, therefore you no longer need to get your drivers licence or renew your papers?  Most certainly not!
[7/29, 20:24] Elder Sylvester 2: Do we then make void the law, because we are under Grace! "God forbids!   - Romans 6:1-2
[7/29, 20:25] Elder Sylvester 2: The truth is that because we've been graciously forgiven by the policeman, we'll not want to make the same mistake again.... We'll strive to renew our papers...

Assume for example, we run into the policeman the next day, are we going to say... But you forgave me yesterday, so I no longer need to have the right papers.... Sounds foolish, I guess?  Yet a lot of us, say or belief that because Jesus paid the price of our sins by dying at the cross, therefore, we can go on sinning! How foolish and satanic. His name shall be called JESUS... Because He shall save us FROM OUR SINS, not in them

Matthew 1:21
And she shall bring  forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:  for he shall save his people from their sins.
You see SIN is the transgression (breaking of the law)  "Whosoever commits sin transgresses also  the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

But the wages of SIN...breaking the law, is death! 

If the law could have been amended or changed, JESUS would not have died...
And by believing in Him, his death is credited to US , our sins are washed away... We're forgiven, pardoned, cleansed, but most importantly empowered by the Holy Spirit, to gain the victory over Sin... To stop breaking the law, but start obeying it.

THE FOLLOWING SUMMARIZES THE BIBLE VIEW ON LAW, GRACE AND OUR SALVATION.

1. The just shall live by faith. (Hab 2:4, Rom 1:7)

2. We are saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8-9, Rom 3:24)

3. Our efforts to keep the law by our own strength or as a means of earning salvation is impossible and futile. (Rom 8:7-8, John 15:5)

4. JESUS and not the LAW is our SAVIOUR. (Matt 1:21, Titus 1:4)

5. GRACE does not nullify or exempt us from obedience to the LAW. It is not a license to break the law - i.e steal, commit adultery, take the name of the Lord in vain, etc.(Rom 6:1,14-15, Roman 3:31)

6. Faith also does not nullify the law nor exempt us from obedience.(Rom 3:31)

7. Faith without works (Actions, obedience or evidence) is dead. Genuine faith is reveal by action. (James 2:14-26)

8. A transformed, Spirit-filled, born again life bear fruits of obedience to God's law. In other words, obedience to the law is the 'fruitage' or result of a genuine, loving-faith based relationship with God. (Rom 8:4, John 15:10, I John 5:2-3, Rev 12:17, Rev 22:14, etc) it is a testament to the power of the Holy Spirit.

9. The Law of God also known as the law of liberty is the standard for judgment. (Eccl 12:13-14, James 2:12)

10. The Law of God, whose underlying principle is LOVE, is an expression of God's will and character. In other words, just as God is Just, Perfect, Unchangeable and Eternal, so also is His Law. (Ps 19:7, 111:7-8, Rom 7:12, Matt 5:17, etc)

11. The lives of those who will be saved will be characterise by obedience to God's law through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rev 12:17, 22:14)

To be under the law, means to look to the law as our Saviour instead of Jesus. It means to continue in sin and thus come under its condemnation, which is death. (The wages of sin is death.) . It means to walk in the flesh (and thus exhibits all the works of the flesh) To be under the law, means to try and achieve salvation by works. It is self righteousness.

To be under Grace, means to avail ourselves of God’s mercy by repenting and forsaking our sins. It means by faith, we believe in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. Above all, it means to avail ourselves of the POWER of the Holy Spirit to gain the victory of SIN. To be under grace means to live righteously or obediently and thus above sin.

May our lives testify of the POWER of GOD to SAVE us from SIN in Jesus name.