Most Christians are more than a little vague on how the Law and Grace interact together. So I thought I’d pitch a few questions and try to answer them in an effort to clarify things a bit.
Now I have heard many Christians say that “We are no longer under the Law but are set free from the law in Grace.” So my first question is “Are we set free from the Law under grace and what exactly does that mean?”
To clarify this issue I am going to bring forward two scriptures about this subject.
Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers.... 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” NASB
Now the writer of Hebrews reproduces Jeremiah 31:31through 34 while he was discussing the New Covenant which was enacted by Jesus Christ when he shed his blood on the cross and through his death, burial and resurrection. Just as the first covenant was enacted by the priest taking blood from the animal sacrifice and sprinkling it on the alter. So the new covenant is enacted through through the death of Jesus when he gave himself as the sacrifice.
Hebrews 8:33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” NASB
I have made bold the statement “...I will put my law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people...” If God puts the Law within me and writes it on my heart. How then am I no longer bound by the law. I would say rather that when I believe on Jesus Christ that he bore my sins on the cross and ask him to come into my heart that the Holy Spirit comes into me and puts the law in me and writes it on my heart.
The writer of Hebrews (Paul?), uses Jeremiah 31 to show the priestly intercession for the sins of the people. The sins being interceded for are incurred breaking the Mosaic Law. The sins being interceded for by Jesus, as our High Priest, are our sins incurred breaking the Mosaic Law. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus said in verse 17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” KJV Isn’t Jesus saying that the Law of Moses stands as it is?
So rather than being no longer under the Law actually I can now do nothing but the Law in Jesus Christ who lives in me. When Jesus said “Go and sin no more.” as he did often. He was saying “Go and don’t break the Law.” Sin equals breaking the Law of Moses. If we are set free from the Law in Christ Jesus. It is because He now indwells us in the person of the Holy Spirit and the Law is as he said “Fulfilled.” In Christ sin can be overcome as it could never be under the Old Covenant.
Remember that the Law is put into us and written on our hearts. No longer will we have to teach each other about God because everyone will know Him. He will be our God and we will be His people. I Peter 2: 9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light...” NASB
So “Are we set free from the Law under grace and what exactly does that mean?” It means we obey the law in the power of the Holy Spirit. We do it even if we don’t know what the Laws are because God has put the Law in us. But we also obey and implement the Law in a Graceful way, in love and through the fruit of the Spirit. As Paul said in Galatians chapter 5: 2 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Another question I hear often and usually at the same time as the first question is: “What is the Law anyway?. So Christians know they are set free from Law of Moses but don’t know what they are set free from?
The Ten Commandments written in a concise way says.
- You shall have no other Gods before me
- You shall not make for yourselves an idol
- You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
- Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
- Honor your father and your mother
- You shall not murder
- You shall not commit adultery
- You shall not steal
- You shall not give false testimony
- You shall not covet
Beneath the Ten Commandments set out in Exodus chapter 20 is the greater Law for the nation of Israel. This is set out in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. These were law that covered the covenant commitments of Priest and the people and the Laws for daily life and consequences thereof.
When Jesus was asked in Matthew 22: 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” NASB
I mention this because if you read the word and discover that the penalty for adultery is stoning and you feel tempted to stone and adulterer. I hope you will respond as Jesus did and say “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” and then tell the adulterer to “Go their way and sin no more.” Remember Law in Grace and love in the power of the Holy Spirit and through the Fruit of the Spirit.
Now you know what the Law is. Is there one of the Ten Commandments that you would not keep? There may be one.
Another question then. Do we have to keep the Seventh Day Sabbath?
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that if the law is written on your heart and put into you. Then the fourth commandment is in you too. So the simple answer is yes you have to keep Sabbath on the last day of the week.
Now I know there are those that are beginning to get upset already because Jesus laid the foundations for a change of Sabbath to the day on which he was resurrected. The first day of the week. Now the Catholics are going to say we changed it to show that our church traditions are of greater import than the bible and so fourth.
Some are going to say that the apostle Paul said in Colossians 2: 16 “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day...” NASB And I would say I completely agree with Paul also. You see, I don’t know if you’ve noticed or even when it first happened. But someone came up with an elegant solution to this interesting dilemma. It is called the Weekend and covers both the last day of the week and the first day of the week. Surely not by chance I think. So provision is made for us to keep the Sabbath and I believe we should. Provision is also made to commemorate the first day as it is a time for Christians to meet and to celebrate Christ’s rising on the first day.
Further, Paul said in Romans 14: 5 “One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind...” NASB So be convinced about this matter in your own mind. Keep every day for the Lord Jesus Christ, if you will, but, I think, always remember the Sabbath for it is written in your heart.
Last question: I don’t have to read the Old Testament do I?
The Old Testament contains the five books of the Pentateuch. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It also includes all of the books from Judges through Malachi. There are thirty nine in total. The books of the Old Testament are about God and the people of Israel. They could be classified as the Torah, History of Israel, The Prophets and Wisdom Books.
So do you need to read the Old Testament? Well the Lord Jesus said these things about the Old Testament. John 10: 35 “...If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken)...” Matthew 15:3 “...And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” Mark 7: 13 “...thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.” My point here is that too Jesus the Old Testament is not a term he would have been familiar with but the Holy Scriptures he would have known by heart. Your Savior read the Old Testament.
There are numerous mentions of the Old Testament Scriptures in the Gospels and the Books of Instruction from the apostles Paul, John and Peter. It is entirely feasible that a New Testament reader would have a great deal of trouble understanding the Book of Romans or the Book of Hebrews and for that matter the Revelation of John without having a working knowledge of the books of the Old Testament.
Creation, The Dispensation of the Law, The Mosaic Covenant in Exodus and the New Covenant in the book Jeremiah. The history of Israel and the Life of King David. The genealogy Jesus of Nazareth, The numerous profiles of Old Testament Saints like Ruth, Ester and King David to mention but a few. These give an insight into elements of our own walk and God’s great an dependable love for his children.
You could live a successful Christian life without the Old Testament. You could live a successful Christian life without the New Testament. As our Lord said when the people were calling him the Messiah and the Pharisees told Him to tell them to be quiet. Luke 19: 40 “But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”If these were silent the very stones would cry out the truth.” NASB
What I’m saying is this. You could be a successful Christian without a Bible but if you talk to a believer from a country where they don’t have bibles. They will tell you how precious the Word of God is to them. So you could survive with a New Testament but how much more blessed you would be with a complete Bible. Those who truly understand the Bible can testify that it not two testaments it is only one Bible. The Word of God.
So to conclude. As Christians we can do nothing to fulfill the Law out of our own works. We are saved through Grace and Faith alone that Jesus of Nazareth the only begotten Son of God bore our sin upon the cross. That He died for our sins and was raised from the dead on the third day
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When we believe on Jesus Christ and ask him to come into our hearts the Law is put into us and written on our hearts. But the fulfillment of the Law has been achieved by Jesus Christ and this victory over sin is revealed in us through the Holy Spirit who indwells us. It can only happen if we surrender control of ourselves to the Holy Spirit.
We are not legalists. We are filled with love through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus has achieved the fulfillment of the Law for us on the cross so the Holy Spirit generates the Fruit of Spirit within us. These being love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In His fulfillment of the Law we become over-comers, such that, the battle against sin is won for us in Jesus Christ the Everlasting Prince of Peace.
And so: Smooth sailing on the Ocean of Grace, my friends. Where the Law has been fulfilled for us in Jesus Christ. Remember, Love your brother as you love yourself.
Reference List
All scriptures from Bible Gateway https://www.biblegateway.com/ 20.10.18
Old Testament https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Testament 20.10.18
How did Jesus view the Old Testament? Josh McDowell Ministry https://www.bethinking.org/bible/q-how-did-jesus-view-the-old-testament 20.10.18
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