years of age. For twelve years, this boy has never been
exposed to any laws(either in the bible or in the country's
constitution). Would you honestly tell me that this child won't
know good from bad? Better yet, would he or would he not by
nature be aware of certain bad things? In my own humble
opinion, I think there are certain things he would know, by
nature, to be wrong for instance hurting someone else.
Therefore, he has God-given instincts in him to tell whether
some things are wrong. The point is that God's Grace has
naturally given us the instinct of awareness. We don't need
laws to define our relationship with God. We don't need 'law +
Grace' as well; we need only Grace(God's love and mercy). It
is by God's Grace that we know what to do and what not to
do. Do you recall the story of how God created man in his
image? The bible says "God...breathed into his nostrils the
breadth of life..."(Gen 2:7). So by nature, we have God's
breadth in us. Therefore, his Grace that abides inside of us
tells us by instinct how to operate in life.
Before diving deeper into these, let me pause here to
explain that two covenants with God have existed in the
history of mankind. However, only one is in use or is
supposed to be in use today(the second one). These
covenants are:
1. The Old covenant(Ex 24:7): This covenant is about God's
law which has over 613 commandments i.e the big ten plus
603 more. These commandments are found in Ex:20 -
Ex:24.
2. The New covenant(Matt 26:27-28): This covenant is about
God's Grace(love and mercy) which has no law whatsoever.
the jews were ungrateful for his Grace(love and mercy)
towards them(Exodus 14). God gave these
commandments to them not to make them righteous and
holy; God gave these commandments to show man's
mistakes and numerous sins. Then many years later, God
gave Grace(Jesus) to save us from the law and to make us
righteous and holy. How then can we mix the strength of
sin(law) and the strength of holiness(Grace)? Remember, the
law in itself is perfect and holy(see Rom 7:12) but when the
law is associated with man, it causes sin(see 1Cor 15:56). In
other words, the law itself is holy but it does not make man
holy; it instead makes man to sin more and causes more
condemnation. On the other hand, Grace gives us a peace of
mind and a sense of love, joy and forgiveness.
Many at times, I hear people say that law and Grace go
together. Here is my question. Is there any new testament
scripture that says that? If you can back up that statement
with a scripture in the new testament, I will be willing to learn
that. However, I can back up my claim that "we are no longer
under the law but strictly under Grace" with so many
scriptures in the New testament bible among which include:
Rom 6:14, Rom 10:4, 1Cor 15:56, Jn 1:17; just to name a
few. The reason I am emphasizing on the New testament is
that the New testament is all about Grace(Jesus). The old
testament was all about the law because Jesus wasn't yet
existing in the flesh. So, Grace(Jesus) was not yet fully
revealed according to old testament scriptures even though
God has always been the God of Grace(mercy). In addition
to that, when you say that law and Grace(Jesus) go together,
my question is "how can you mix old wine skin and new wine
skin"?The old wine would burst the skins and the new wine
will be ruined(see Mk 2:22). You need to throw something
old(law) which is obsolete and embrace something
new(Grace); so that the new thing is not ruined. In other
words, the law is old fashioned but Grace is new fashioned i.e
Grace is in fashion. Grace is more or less like new technology
which will never run out of fashion. Cool huh?
When we say Grace and law go together, the question
we should ask ourselves is "how can we mix an old
relationship with God(old covenant) and a new relationship
with God(new covenant)"? Let us assume that John and Jack
were enemies from birth and could not see eye-to-eye.
Fortunately, one blessed day, something incredible happens
and after so many years, they decide to be best of friends.
The truth is that their relationship has now changed, right? Is
it possible to mix their new relationship(friends) with their old
relationship(enemies)? Definitely not! Therefore, we can not
add our new relationship with God(Grace) to the old
relationship with God(law). Please don't get me wrong here. I
am not saying that God saw us as enemies in the old
testament. God has always had the nature of Grace in him
but He couldn't express His fatherly love and mercy to man
because man rejected Him through disobedience(Adam and
Eve story in Gen 2:4-Gen 3:24).
In the old testament(i.e before Christ came), we had a
separation with God because of the Adam and Eve sin. In
other words, there was a barrier separating man from God. At
the time, not any one could just communicate with God or
offer sacrifices to him. If you needed to request something in
particular from God, you needed to do so with the help of a
high priest or God's chosen prophet(e.g high priest
Melchizedek, prophet Moses, prophet Daniel). So, there was
a barrier between God and man; and the law strengthened
that barrier.
On the other hand, in the new testament(after Christ
came), that barrier between God and man was broken. That
explains why the curtain in the temple tore in two pieces(Matt
27:50-51); the curtain signified the barrier between God and
human beings and now that it was torn, that barrier was torn
as well. This broken barrier was made possible by God's
Grace(Jesus). So anyone in Christ(under Grace) can
communicate with God freely at any unlike before. Because
Grace(Jesus) has made us holy, we can now boldly come in
the kingdom of the most high unlike before(where the law
condemned). So my question still stands, how can we mix
this new incredible covenant of Grace with the old
condemning covenant of law? It can't work. Recall that the
power of the Holy Spirit would tell you what to do and what
not to do.
The bible says "...God sent forth his son...made
under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons. And because we are sons,...the
spirit of God in our hearts would cry out Abba Father"(Gal
4:4-6). If you meditate(think about over and over) on this
scripture, you would notice that before God the son(Christ)
came to the world, human beings were really not considered
as his children(sons) of God, by God the father himself.
There was basically a non father-son-relationship and the law
made it worse. God wasn't pleased with that and so He
decided to send his son(Jesus) who was so full of Grace(love
and mercy) to change that relationship. When Jesus(God the
son) died on the cross, human beings were now considered
as children of God, by God himself. So, as you can see, it is
very important that we understand and value this new
relationship with God(love and mercy) and let go of the old
relationship(condemnation by the law).
Please, always bear in mind that Grace and law can
never go together because they are very incompatible. Let me
make this crystal clear with the following simple equation:
Grace + law = nothing or Grace + law = 0.
It really breaks my heart when people say "we are no
longer under the law but we still need to follow some law". If
we say this, then we haven't yet understood the gospel of
Grace. According to the gospel of Grace, we are no longer
under the law, period! How can we say "we are no longer
under the law but we still have to follow some law"? Isn't that
longer under the law but we still need to follow some law". If
we say this, then we haven't yet understood the gospel of
Grace. According to the gospel of Grace, we are no longer
under the law, period! How can we say "we are no longer
under the law but we still have to follow some law"? Isn't that
contradictory? As someone under Grace, your conscience(i.e
the holy spirit in you) would tell you what is right; not the law.
The mistake we keep making is that we think that God
is kind and merciful only to those who obey his law. No! That
is false and misleading. My dear friends, I am here to tell you
that God is kind and merciful to everyone who accepts his
Grace(Jesus). In other words, God is kind and merciful to
everyone who accepts him sincerely(i.e born again or saved).
When you become born again, Hod would be so kind to you
that when you leave this world, you would go straight to his
kingdom(Heaven). Let me prove it to you. Jesus clearly said
to Nicodemus "unless a man is born again, he will not see the
kingdom of Heaven"(Jn 3:3). And no; to be born again doesn't
mean you should follow God's law. If that be the case, then
no one would ever see the kingdom of Heaven; because no
one can follow all 613 commandments found in the law. To be
born again means to be under the Grace(love and mercy) of
God. The person under God's Grace is guided by the Holy
Spirit, not the law.
the holy spirit in you) would tell you what is right; not the law.
The mistake we keep making is that we think that God
is kind and merciful only to those who obey his law. No! That
is false and misleading. My dear friends, I am here to tell you
that God is kind and merciful to everyone who accepts his
Grace(Jesus). In other words, God is kind and merciful to
everyone who accepts him sincerely(i.e born again or saved).
When you become born again, Hod would be so kind to you
that when you leave this world, you would go straight to his
kingdom(Heaven). Let me prove it to you. Jesus clearly said
to Nicodemus "unless a man is born again, he will not see the
kingdom of Heaven"(Jn 3:3). And no; to be born again doesn't
mean you should follow God's law. If that be the case, then
no one would ever see the kingdom of Heaven; because no
one can follow all 613 commandments found in the law. To be
born again means to be under the Grace(love and mercy) of
God. The person under God's Grace is guided by the Holy
Spirit, not the law.
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