Law, Grace and God's Word

By Ray Gano

Been having a really nice email session with a new reader and the topic of the law came up.

I responded to him explaining how I stand regarding the law vs grace and I thought that I would share it with you.

See, there is no "one" law we must observe or 10 commandments. All of God's Word is just that, ALL of God's Word.

But here is something we often forget, Jesus is the Word, God's Word because He is God, the Creator of all.

Scripture says..

John 1:1-4  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  The same was in the beginning with God. 3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Therefore, if we truly love the Lord, we will obey all His Word. Why? Because He is The Word.

See, without grace, all one is who observes the law is a Pharisee. The law and grace go hand in hand. Can we obey all the law 100% of the time? No we can't, but it is thru grace that God changes us from the inside out. This is called sanctification. But no matter what, we should try to follow the laws that God put before us to follow? Why? Because He put them there for our protection and benefit.

Just like speeding and "J" walking laws are there to protect us, God's law is there to benefit us as well. Our problem is that we have that rebellious sin nature within us and we do not want to submit. So we fight, make excuse, skirt the edges, etc, and rebel against God.

Do we love Him? If we do, then we need to die to ourselves and submit to Him, pick up our cross and follow Him.

So we need to stop looking at this law and that law, we need to know His Word, because the more we know His Word, the more He lives within us, changing us more into the likeness of Him, discarding the old man and thus being built in His image.

If we love Him, we will obey, and when we do not, He chastises us for our own good.

Now do I force the law on others? That depends on what is taking place. If one is committing murder, adultery, theft, etc, yes this needs to be stopped and one has an obligation to voice the error. When one is breaking laws that also effect others, then that needs to be corrected.

But overall the road to sanctification is an individual road. God works in each of our lives according to what He deems that we need.  

Example, at a time in my life I used to smoke. Because God had worked in my heart and my life, I no longer do it nor have the desire. What happened is that the day finally came where I submitted to God with this issue, I really repented and turned away from the sin. Do I go forcing others to stop smoking? No, because I do not know how God is working in that person's life with that issue. Now I do share what scripture has to say, and my experiences with the sin, but I do not tell folks they MUST OBEY or burn in hell because they are smoking.

That is where grace comes in.

Scripture says..

1Co 6:9-11  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

All of us were filthy worms, but it is God's grace and His blood that have covered us before God. Because of that shed blood we are made anew before Him. We have chosen to repent from our wicked ways and now serve Him.

But there are many in the church who still live this life, making grace a license to sin and continue to live a carnal life.

Mathew 7:20 says…

Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

If these people look like the world, act like the world, loving the world, they do not love God.

Their fruit shows to whom they serve.

1 John 2:15-17  love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

James 4:4  ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

The problem is that we have forgotten that we serve a holy God and scripture says "Be Ye Holy for I am Holy."

We do not separate ourselves from the world, but revel in it all the sin and revelry all in the name of grace.

God's Word tells us to be separate from the world.

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

1Co 5:11  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no not to eat.

But do we?

Here is how we are we to live…

Rom 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We are called to live a holy and acceptable life unto Him.

Why?

Because He gave His all for us so that we might have life with the Father. It is our reasonable service that we dedicate all our lives to Him.

In dedicating our lives to Him means that we do the best we can to know His Word and then  obey all of it. Not pick and choose like we all do.

We must submit to His word even if we do not like it and even when we want to "buck" against it. Because God knows what is best for us and that is why He put the law there so that through His grace we can love and obey Him.

The main key in living a holy life is by the renewing of our minds. How we do that is by knowing, learning, and allowing God's Word to live within us.

We do this by spending time in God's Word, thus having fellowship with Him, the Creator of the world.

For in the beginning was The Word and The Word was God. The Word and God are both one in the same. When we know God's Word, we know God, and when we know Him, His Word lives within us. Thus transforming us into a light unto the world so that we might share the gospel of the risen Son of God with the world.

It is all cyclical, or circular. But it begins with something very simple.

John 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

In other words, it comes down to admitting that you are a sinner in need of a savior and then submitting to Him asking Him into your life.

One has to be lost before they can be saved.

Do you love Him?... Really?

His commandments are all of His Word, for the Word is God that was made flesh.

If we are Christians we choose ALL of God, therefore we must accept and submit to ALL of His Word.

The two are one in the same because God's Word declares it.

Christ said " If ye love me, keep my commandments."

So, who do you serve?