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Saturday, 17 October 2015

Law and Grace

The Law, as found in the

Old Testament, refers to the Ten Commandments and the other
rituals and moral
regulations of the Jews. The Law is also referred to as the Mosaic Law –
which
alludes to its origin.

Grace, on the other hand, is popularly defined

as “unmerited favour.” In the context of the New
Testament, grace is God’s free
gift of salvation for the “man of faith.” This means that it is a gift to all
those who believe in the redemptive work of Christ.

The Apostle Paul wrote about the concepts and implications

of the Law and Grace for Christians in
Romans 4:13 – 25; 5: 8- 21.

Paul’s teaching on Law and Grace

In his letter to the Romans, Paul used the
cases of Abraham and Adam to illustrate the purpose and
the significance of Law
and Grace. According to him, man lives by faith and not by the dictates of the
Law. This was proved in Abraham’s relationship with God. Abraham was the father
of many nations
by faith. He believed the promises of God and faithfully obeyed
God’s commands. This act of faith
made all to be well with him. Thus, the
promise of God to Abraham and his descendants about their
inheritance did not
come through the Law but through righteousness of faith. Abraham obtained the
righteousness of God by faith in God’s promises. In other words, Abraham was justified
by his faith
and by so doing obtained the grace of God.

How exactly did he obtain the grace of God? Paul

noted that though Abraham was 100 years old and
Sarah, his wife, 90 years old,
he still faithfully believed God’s promise that they would have a child. He
also believed that he would become the father of many nations. Thus, Abraham’s
faith was reckoned
to him as righteousness. This made God’s grace available to
him.

Since Abraham was justified by faith, it means

therefore that those who adhere to the Law cannot be
partakers of the promises
God gave to Abraham. However, those who share the faith of Abraham are
heirs of
God’s inheritance (that is, by their faith partake of the blessings of
Abraham). This is because
the Law “brings wrath,” while grace ”depends on
faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace,
and be guaranteed to all
his descendents.”

Paul also used the case of Abraham to explain

the purpose of Law and Grace. He said that all
mankind was condemned because of
the sin of Adam, but through God’s grace and righteousness in
Jesus, mankind
has been saved. Thus, the grace of God makes eternal life available.  Paul further
states that the Law came in and
brought increase in sin but the grace of God through righteousness
(which man
gets when he believes in Jesus Christ) leads to eternal life.

Significance of Paul’s teaching on Law and Grace

1. It could be gleaned from Paul’s teaching that
mere observance of the Law cannot give man
salvation because the purpose of the
Law was to lead man to God. The Law is not an end in itself but
a means to an
end.

2. Through faith in Jesus Christ, the Christian

obtains salvation and the grace of God.

3. Through the grace of God, the Christian is

assured of eternal life.

4. Faith enables Christians to face life’s

challenges with courage.

5. Faith motivates Christians for good works in

all fields of human endeavour.

Unknown
at
20:46

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