Grace or Law - Is it possible to live under both grace and law?
Posted : 20 Apr, 2009 02:47 PM
Most of us would likely say that on some level God loves everyone, but do we really understand exactly what we�re saying? Are we truly able to grasp the full scope of God�s love? I believe that to really understand just how much God loves us, we need to begin to really understand and accept his grace, which is the single largest expression of his love for us. John 3:16 says that �For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.� (All references are NKJV unless otherwise stated) This expression of love, of giving His son to pay the penalty for all sin for all time is the avenue that makes God�s grace available to us. It is THE defining moment in the existence of life here on earth. Most of us have a basic knowledge of the grace of God, and at the very least I�m sure we have all sung or heard those famous words �Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see�. I guarantee you that once you have gained a fresh revelation of the grace of God, those words will NEVER be the same for you. Even more than that, I promise you that a genuine study of the grace of God, based solely on the Bible which is the definitive authority, will not only challenge you; it will transform your entire life. Belief systems and mindsets will be threatened, relationships will be transformed and the way you look at literally every aspect of your life will be turned upside down.
As I said, this is going to challenge you! It will fly in the face of things you believe, it may make you upset, angry and more. Before you start though, I want to urge you not to take what I say at face value. If you don�t believe what I have to say, if you aren�t sure you agree with even some small part of it then get in the Bible and study it for yourself! Don�t just dismiss this outright without giving it some serious thought, study and prayer. I know that when I first started hearing about this new way of looking at God�s grace, and began to realize (among many other things) the apparent inability for His grace and law to co-exist in our lives I was very challenged by it and severely offended! As with many of the things that I have now come to know to be true that concept literally flew right in the face of everything that I was brought up believing about Christianity. It was very hard for me to come to grips with all of this, and it was only through months of study, prayer, discussion and contemplation that I was able to accept and be at peace with much of what I now believe and am about to share with you.
Is it possible to live under both grace and law?
Before we can really begin to answer this question it is necessary to define the terms grace and law, and make sure they are clearly understood. These definitions are not from any dictionary, but are �practical� definitions � the meanings that I have come to understand for grace and law in the context of this topic.
The law refers not only to the 10 commandments or the Law of Moses, but the laws of sacrifice, atonement, offerings, tithing, repentance and much more that are laid out in great detail in the book of Leviticus. It refers to the ENTIRE thing � not just some parts of it. We cannot pick and choose what we think applies to us, or doesn�t apply to us. We cannot choose some parts that are still applicable or no longer applicable. In the same way that a true belief in the Bible requires an all or nothing approach, so does this. There is no half way, or partial option - it is all or nothing. The Israelites were required to abide by this law for many years, and that was how they gained favor and acceptance in the eyes of God � through keeping all of these laws. It was only by making the right sacrifices, offering so much grain or meat with each harvest, and sacrificing the proper animal for each sin that they could be right with God � and even then, it was only for a short time � until their next sin. What we need to realize is that the law was designed to help people understand that they could never achieve all that God required on their own strength. It was given to bring people to a knowledge that without something to make the way for us (sacrifices in the Old Covenant, Jesus in the New Covenant) we would NEVER be able to stand in righteousness before God.
�Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.� Romans 5:20-21
The grace that we are talking about here is the endless grace of God � the unmerited favor of the creator of the universe, given by Jesus Christ freely to all mankind � all we have to do it receive it! It is God�s gift to everyone, allowing us back into relationship with Him and out from bondage to the law and all of its constraints. Once the law has done its job and we have realized our need for a savior and that we cannot earn God�s favor on our own strength, all we have to do it accept the grace of God, and through Christ His righteousness becomes ours FOREVER! There is nothing we can do to earn it, keep it, lose it or deserve it. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that��by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.� It is solely by God�s grace that we receive salvation. No one of us is any more deserving of it that anyone else. We are all sinners and worthy of death and eternal damnation, however the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as our substitute forever fulfilled the requirements of God and has made his grace and righteousness available to everyone who believes.
Now that we understand a little bit about what grace is and what law is, I�m sure the wheels are beginning to turn for some of you and you are starting to have some questions. One of the primary obstacles to the grace message is something that is unfortunately very prevalent in the North American church today. Many people have been brought up unconsciously believing that it is possible for Gods grace and law to co-exist in their lives! This is a HUGE area where the devil has deceived Christians and gained a major foothold in our lives. If he can convince us that we need to live according to ANY PART of the law still then that takes us out of the grace of God and places us back under that very same law and all of its rules, regulations, judgements and consequences. Galatians 5:4 says �You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.� This was something huge that took me a long time to really grab hold of and become convinced of. There has been a massive attempt by Satan to weaken the message of God's grace and dilute it by deceiving believers into attempting to hold on to the law � and it has worked! I firmly believe that this is a strategic tactic of the enemy, designed to blind Christians and render them effectively useless by keeping them concerned with the law, and what they can and can't or should and shouldn't do. The vast majority of people in the church have been deceived by the enemy and tricked into reverting back to living by the law without even realizing it. They think they are living in the grace of God, but in reality are just masking the law with a show of grace! Living �by grace� and yet striving to keep certain parts of the law, or hold on to certain religious practices that may seem innocent enough on their own but are in reality linked to a subconscious attempt to justify oneself through �being good�.
So with all of that in mind, let�s take a look at this first topic, which I know has sparked some serious debate among my circle of friends. In attempting to answer this question of whether or not it is possible to live under both grace and law, let�s start by going right to the scriptures. Romans 6:14 tells us �For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.� I believe that the Bible is a literal book, and although it does have symbolism in it, the vast majority of it is primarily to be taken literally. With that said, this verse seems pretty clear and straightforward to me. Paul is telling the Romans in no uncertain terms that they are not under law, but rather under grace. This would imply that it is impossible to be under both at the same time. If I were to say to you, �you are not in the dark, but in the light� or �you are not inside but outside�, each of those examples implies something. They each imply something we know from experience to be true: that it is impossible to be both in the dark and in the light/inside and outside at the same time. Let�s take a closer look at some other passages of scripture however for further clarification. In Galatians we can see Paul expanding on the subject of law and grace and what that means in the lives of believers.
�We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. �But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I, through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.�� Galatians 2:15-21
Paul states here in Galatians 2 his knowledge that man is not justified through law but instead by faith in Jesus Christ. He even goes so far as to say that NO FLESH shall be justified by the works of the law. He then raises a question � �if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin?� No doubt there were people in those days wondering why, if they were indeed saved by grace and justified through faith in Jesus they were still sinning. Did this mean that Jesus was a minister or advocate of sin? Paul says in no uncertain terms that that is not the case! While it is true that we are new creations, and have been made righteous through Christ and justified in Him, we still have our fleshly natures and are still living in this imperfect world � there will still be sin in our lives. That is the miracle of salvation � that despite the sin still in our lives, we are made righteous through the death of Jesus, and God no longer counts our sin against us! Obviously the early Christians all had many of the same questions, because we find Paul talking about this very thing in one of his letters to the Corinthians as well.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NIV)
This is something that is very important to understand correctly, because it would be so easy to get misled here. There are two classic deceptions that are often linked to this. The first one is a tendency to think that because we are now righteous through Christ, it is impossible for us to sin. Well as I have already pointed out, that is NOT the case. We are all sinners and will continue to sin until we are with Jesus in heaven. The second one is the more �popular� in my experience, and it is basically a tendency to think of God�s grace and the fact that we have been made righteous once and for all as a license to sin. It is a line of thought that says �I am righteous, Christ�s blood has covered all my sin for all time, so it doesn�t matter how much I sin and I can just go and sin whenever/however I want�. This also is certainly NOT the case, and Paul addresses this very issue clearly in Romans 6:1-2 by saying, �What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?� Now there may also be some of you wondering how it is still possible for us to sin if we have in fact died to sin and are made righteous through Christ? Let me try and clear that up for you. I believe that Hebrews 10:11-14 will shed some light.
�And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.�
What we can see in this passage here is a comparison between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. In the Old Covenant, a priest was required to offer daily sacrifices on behalf of the people. These sacrifices were never enough, as illustrated by the fact that they were continually being offered. Under the New Covenant however, we see Jesus offering ONE sacrifice for sins forever, and then taking His seat at the right hand of God � the fact that he sits down is VERY important, because it is symbolic of the fact that the work is done. Nothing remains to be accomplished. The passage goes on to say that by one offering (his death on the cross) He has PERFECTED forever those who are being SANCTIFIED. Now you may be thinking that it says right there that we have been perfected, and therefore we cannot/do not sin any longer! Let me ask you to take into consideration the entire verse which says �He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.� The last little bit of that verse is VERY important. While it is true that we have been perfected, once and for all through Christ and in the eyes of God are righteous and perfect, while we are on this earth, we are still being sanctified. What does that mean exactly? Two of the definitions of sanctification are a) to separate from profane things and dedicate to God and b) to purify. What is really interesting here and really drives the point home are the tenses in which the words perfected and sanctified are used. Perfected is used in the perfect tense in the original Greek, which corresponds to the perfect tense in English. It means that the action has been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated. It is done forever. Sanctified is in the present tense, which refers to a statement of fact of reality, occurring in actual time. What this means in simple English is that WE HAVE BEEN MADE PERFECT through the blood of Christ, BUT will not fully realize that perfection until the day our earthly bodies die and we are with him in glory.
Going back now to our original passage from Galatians 2, Paul continues by saying clearly that if he were to build again those things that he has destroyed (his adherence to the law) in an attempt to justify himself he would make himself a transgressor. He has already died to the law that he might live to God. He furthers that by saying that it is no longer he who lives, but Christ who lives in him and that the life he now lives is one of faith. In the very next verse he states that he does not set aside the grace of God (the source of his righteousness) and take up the law again, because if righteousness could come through the law, then that would mean that Christ had died in vain. Let me unpack that a little bit for you. What Paul is saying here is that even though he, and everyone else still commits sin, that does not mean that Jesus is condoning sin. We are made righteous and justified: indeed we HAVE BEEN PERFECTED through Jesus Christ, however our mortal bodies and our fleshly nature will never be completely dealt with until the day we are with Jesus. We are going to be undergoing continual sanctification until the day we die. Sin is going to be a part of our lives here on earth no matter what we do! That does NOT however mean that we should put off the grace of God and try to make ourselves righteous again through the law � not by any means! Righteousness can NEVER come through the law � if that were possible then there was no reason for Christ to die. I also want to reinforce the point again that that does NOT mean that we can just run around sinning without consequence or regard. Sin has consequences, there are laws that are in place and all actions have reactions. Just as if you drop an apple, gravity will carry it to the ground, all sins have certain inescapable consequences associated with them. Those consequences may not be felt immediately or even for quite some time, but they are there, they are very real and there is no escaping them!
So to recap a little bit and bring us back to our original question of living according to grace and law, what does this mean in practical terms? Just as Paul says that he had to die to the law in order to live to God, I believe that the same thing applies in our lives today. We MUST die to the law, in order to live to God. Paul makes no mention of a third option or a mixture of grace and law. There simply is no middle ground according to this passage � if we are going to live for God as Christians we HAVE to die to the ENTIRE law. Because we are unable to live up to the law, to keep it perfectly, our only source of righteousness is found in the grace of God, and is available to us solely through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Law plays no part in it whatsoever! In our life it is either 100% law or 100% grace. In fact Paul even goes so far as to say that if it were possible for the law to make someone righteous than we wouldn�t need grace and Christ�s death would be pointless.
Let�s take a look at another very enlightening passage, from Galatians 5 this time:
�Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.� Galatians 5:1-6
In this passage Paul is again addressing the Galatian church on the subject of living according to law and/or grace. He talks about the act of circumcision, which was symbolic of the covenant God made with Abraham and was observed by all Jews. This was a pillar of Jewish religion and beliefs, and by addressing it Paul was leveling the playing field and taking away something that Jewish believers may have been holding against gentile believers. What Paul has to say is very interesting. He was very likely addressing some false teaching going around at that time that said that gentile believers needed to be circumcised in order for their salvation to be valid. What Paul was saying was in response to that, and basically he says that circumcision doesn�t change your standing with Christ at all. He also says that if someone gets circumcised in an attempt to keep the law, than you not only have to be circumcised but must keep the remainder of the law as well in order to be justified. Paul then goes on to say that those who attempt to be justified by law have fallen from grace. The last verse of the passage tells us in no uncertain terms that circumcision isn�t really the issue here. Although it was a very real issue in that day and age and in their society, Paul�s address has different levels. It does set the Jewish believers straight in their thinking and calls them to a new way of living with regards to circumcision, but it also is talking about more. As mentioned, the last verse says that it doesn�t matter at all whether you are circumcised or not. What does matter he says is faith working through love. In essence he is saying that the details aren�t the issue, it�s how we love one another and deal with each other that matters.
Beyond even that, what this passage says to me is simply a reinforcement of the point that grace and law cannot mix. Paul says very clearly that if you choose one part of the law to live by, circumcision in this case then you will be required by God to live by the entire law. He then follows that up by saying that people who do that have become estranged from Christ, and have fallen from grace! So choosing even one part of the law to live by REQUIRES the person who chose to live by the entire law, which causes a fall from grace. This confirms our conclusion from the previous passage that it is impossible to live according to both grace and law. God�s grace requires us to abandon the law completely in order to be effective. Holding on to any part of the law will remove us from the covering of God�s grace and place us back under the judgements and requirements of the law. Let�s look at one more passage of scripture, just to further confirm that it is not possible to live both under law and under grace.
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18
You are probably thinking to yourself right away that this passage says nothing about grace. If that�s the case then you are wrong. We know in this passage that Paul is referring to the Holy Spirit, because of the capitalization of the word Spirit. Paul also refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of grace in Romans 10:29 �Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?�. Since we can see then that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of grace, this passage has everything to do with grace! Since that is the case, it then follows logically, according to verse 18 of Galatians 5 that those who are led by the Spirit, and thus live according to grace ARE NOT under the law. I don�t know about you, but in my opinion it doesn�t get any clearer than that. We have seen several times over scriptures that tell us word for word that it is IMPOSSIBLE to live under both grace and law. Despite being told time and again and shown in scripture that grace and law cannot co-exist in our lives, I still had my doubts. It was a real challenge for me to throw out so much of what I had been brought up believing, even though much of it was subconscious. I wanted more evidence! Based on my own experience, I imagine that many of you are still looking for more as well.
It is with that in mind that I am now going to take a bit of a different approach to looking at this whole thing. As Christians, Jesus is our perfect example in every area of life, so let�s take a few minutes and look at how he dealt with people. Was it with law, or with grace? Did he ever combine the two in any way? The answer might surprise you. Let�s start with the story of the rich young ruler found in Mark 10.
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, �Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?�
So Jesus said to him, �Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: �Do not commit adultery,� �Do not murder,� �Do not steal,� �Do not bear false witness,� �Do not defraud,� �Honor your father and your mother.��
And he answered and said to Him, �Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.�
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, �One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.� But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Mark 10:17-22
In this passage Jesus is approached by a young man who asks him what it is that he must do to inherit eternal life. The key to understanding how Jesus deals with him is found in that one word - DO. The fact that the man asked Jesus in such a manner indicates and he thought he was able to perform the necessary requirements on his own strength - he thought that he was able to inherit eternal life by fulfilling the law and keeping all the commandments, which of course we know is not the case. Jesus also knowing that, answered him by reminding him of the commandments. The young man replied that he had done all of that. Now here is where we see the interesting part. The young man was living his life according to the law, he was a good man, had done everything he could to ensure his salvation. The problem was that that wasn�t good enough! The next verse says that Jesus loved him and said to him �Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross and follow Me.� It then says that this made that young man sad and he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions. Jesus knew that this young man had done all that he was able, but it wasn�t enough. Jesus looked at his life, and saw that he had one area where he was unable to keep the law. He had idols in his life � so Jesus challenged him, and made him realize that on his own strength he was unable to inherit eternal life. The young man came to Jesus acting under law, and looking for fulfillment under the law, and so Jesus answered him in kind, by showing him more of the law, and revealing to him that he was unable to keep it fully. In the same way, if we come to Jesus today under the law, attempting to be justified through the law, he will deal with us accordingly. Living under the law will subject us to the judgements of God according to the law NOT according to grace.
For another example, let�s take a look at the story of Zacchaeus, which is found in Luke 19.
Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, �Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.� So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, �He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.� Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, �Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.�
And Jesus said to him, �Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.� Luke 19:1-10
Let�s look a little bit closer at this passage. It�s interesting here that it says that Zacchaeus was also rich, just like the young man who approached Jesus in our last example. That is where all similarity ends however, for it says that Zacchaeus wanted to find out WHO Jesus was, so he ran ahead and climbed a tree so that he would be able to see. I find it very interesting that in the previous story our rich young ruler assumed that he knew who Jesus was, and as mentioned his focus was on works, and what he could do to assure himself salvation. We see something entirely different here in the story of Zacccheus. Zacchaeus wanted to find out WHO Jesus was. In other words he wanted to get to know Jesus � he was not concerned with finding out what he had to do to assure salvation or anything else like that. He was not even concerned with the fact that he was a tax collector and known cheat and thief � his sole purpose was finding out who Jesus was, and he wasn�t going to let anything get in his way. Despite the large crowd and his short stature he made sure that he would have opportunity to at least see Jesus by climbing a tree. As much as I believe that this is a literal passage, and that Zacchaeus was actually short and unable to see Jesus over the crowd, I also believe that there is symbolism here that can be applied to our lives. We all have obstacles in our lives. Just as Zacchaeus was short, had the crowd in his way, and also was more than likely very aware of his shortcomings, we too have our areas that might seem like very good reasons for not pressing through. We all have our failings, our �lack of height� and our crowds. It is up to us whether or not we are going to press through and find a tree to climb to ensure that we have opportunity to see Jesus. We do not need to DO anything to gain his approval and acceptance, we simply need to push our way through the sometimes overwhelming crush of things and obstacles in our lives and position ourselves so that we can be available. It is not that God needs us to make ourselves visible to him because he is so much bigger than that. I know that he could have, and believe that he likely would have picked Zacchaeus out of the crowd regardless. It is rather that we need to, for our own sakes position ourselves where we are ready to see and hear what Jesus has to say to us.
Getting back to the passage now, it then says that when Jesus came to that place He looked up and saw Zacchaeus; and proceeded to tell him that He was going to come stay with him. This of course got everyone all worked up, because as far as they were concerned Jesus was going to eat with a sinner � someone who was not living up to their standards of keeping the law! This is critical in the understanding of how Jesus deals with Zacchaeus. The people of the day were upset because Jesus was going to eat with someone they deemed a sinner, someone who clearly wasn�t living by the law. How did Jesus respond to this man who was not living under the law? He responded IN GRACE! Jesus didn�t mention a word about the sins of Zacchaeus, I think because He knew that Zacchaeus knew that he was far from being worthy. Zacchaeus KNEW that he didn�t deserve to have Jesus come and eat with him, he KNEW that he was a sinner and far from perfect, he KNEW that there was NOTHING he could do to change that! And I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that that is why Jesus responded to Zacchaeus as he did. Jesus simply loved him, and showed him grace. This display of love and grace caused Zacchaeus to �step up to the plate� so to speak, and by his response we know that our previous assumptions about Zacchaeus�s knowledge of his own shortcomings were right on. Take a look at what Zacchaeus has to say in reply to Jesus. �Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.� This response and repentant attitude of Zacchaeus confirms to us that it is indeed the goodness of God that leads to repentance as Romans 2:4 tells us. Jesus� response in the next verse is even more revealing. �And Jesus said to him, �Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.�� Zacchaeus received salvation from Jesus, UNDER GRACE, without even a reference to the law! There was not a single mention of sins that had been committed, things that Zacchaeus would need to do, requirements that needed to be met or ANYTHING else. Jesus simply bestowed salvation through grace, completely apart from the law.
Let�s look at another story � this time found in John 8.
Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, �Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?� This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, �He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.� And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, �Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?� She said, �No one, Lord.�
And Jesus said to her, �Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.� John 8:2-11
So this is the story of a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery, which was of course breaking the law, and the religious people were bringing her to Jesus to see how he would respond. The people bringing her to Jesus were those who felt that they could keep the law, and that they were made righteous through their works. According to them, because she had broken the law she deserved to be punished accordingly but they wanted Jesus� take on it. His response however was radically different from what I think they were expecting. Again here in this story we see a sinner, someone who is despised by the religious people of the day and those who are making every attempt to be justified by the law. We see Jesus respond to her in a way that doesn�t make any sense unless you have an understanding of the grace of God! Jesus challenges those who have gathered by saying that anyone of them who has no sin should cast the first stone. He didn�t challenge the fact that she was found breaking the law, he didn�t dispute it or say that she was in the right to be doing that, rather he very effectively showed everyone gathered there that they were also worthy of the exact same death penalty! They too deserved the very same thing they were so hell-bent on imposing on her. Basically what he does here, is show them that despite all of their efforts and all of their �good works� and obedience they are actually no different from her! They too have sinned; every single one of them had broken God�s law, and not one of them has the right to accuse her because of that fact. It says that one by one they realized what Jesus was saying. As it dawned on them that they were in the same position as she was in his eyes, they left and Jesus found himself alone with her. Notice now what he says to her � he doesn�t speak a word to her about the sin she was committing! He doesn�t ask her why she was doing it, or what else she had done, or anything like that! None of it mattered! She was well aware of her shortcomings, just as Zacchaeus had been. She KNEW that she was not worthy, that she deserved death according to the law and that it was his every right to condemn her. He does not however! Jesus takes the opportunity to show her the grace of God, and releasing her from condemnation he empowered her to go and sin no more. What a powerful example of the heart and compassion of God! When we come to the feet of Jesus as sinners who are humbled and aware that we cannot be made righteous by our own efforts, he will NEVER condemn us, speak badly of us or treat us harshly. His grace and goodness will overwhelm us, leading and guiding us into the path of righteousness. Once we have had a true revelation of the goodness of God and his righteousness and all-encompassing love for each one of us, everything within us will want nothing more than to begin to live righteously because of the example set before us. As a result, we will begin to see our everyday lives take on a new vitality and passion for the things of God. Our habits will change, our relationships will change, even our personalities may change and all because of the grace, goodness and love of God demonstrated through Jesus.
So we can see from these examples and others such as the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, the story of Jesus healing the paralytic, the story of the sinful woman forgiven in Luke 7 and more that Jesus NEVER dealt with a mixture of law and grace. Judging by his example, we also then HAVE NO NEED to even make mention of law, when dealing in grace! It is always to be one or the other, NEVER both and. I am also going to mention a couple other points that I am not going to expand on here, but that are very interesting food for thought when it comes to this whole subject. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, there are two trees that were mentioned specifically in Scripture - the tree of Life representing grace, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil representing the law. It is very interesting to note that at no point were they allowed to eat of both trees. It was either one or the other. From the very beginning man was living in grace, blessed by God without even giving a thought to what was right or wrong. They were righteous in the eyes of God! It was when they took from the other tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil or the law, that they were cast out of God�s presence and separated from the grace of God. Secondly, if we look at the Old Testament there are several examples of people who were declared righteous by God BEFORE the law was ever given! Abraham is the most well known of these, and it says many places throughout scripture that he was accounted righteous before God through FAITH. There was no law in place at this point, so there was absolutely no way that the law could have played any part in Abraham learning about God, or how he should live or anything like that. It was solely through GRACE that he was saved � why do we so often think it needs to be different for us? And finally, I am going to point you to Revelation 22 where John is talking about the New Jerusalem and describing what it will be like there. He describes a river and the tree of Life is situated on both sides of the river. Very interesting to note that there is no mention of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil � indicating again that the law is done away with.
Believe it or not I actually had to cut this short because I didnt want to make it too long...I appreciate that it is very long already, so thanks to those who did read it all and I look forward to hearing any thoughts you may have...please take some time to look at the following post as well if you feel so inclined.
