Grace And The Law – Part 3

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourself to someone to obey them as slaves, you are slaves to the one to whom you obey- whether you are slaves to sin which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Romans 6: 15-18, NIV.

Blessed LORD, it is with gratitude that we come before You, asking that You receive us into Your presence, and lead us in the study of Your Word. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

In our study today, we are going to look at another text on the subject of Grace and Law, and see what insights it will contribute to our study. Many people reject law, because it is usually related to condemnation and punishment. But the  Moral Law, as every other gift from God, has been given to us as a blessing. Laws keep us safe; they protect our possessions; they make our environment safe. People with good intentions, have no problems with the law; they appreciate, and respect laws. People who love others; and who love order, enjoy living in a society protected by law. The basis for an appreciation of law is oftentimes our outlook on life. With this thought in mind, let us look at what the following text has to say on the subject.

2) “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13: 8-10, emphasis provided). Today we add to our study, the most powerful motive for living the Christian life – Love; in our search for an answer to the question: “Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace?” Yesterday we looked at some of the disadvantages of not having laws. We also considered the purpose of the law. Laws are created for our protection. The Law of God was given to the human race, in order that we might be aware of our sins; forsake them, and seek the Savior and live. The apostle said,  that he would not have known sin had it not been for the law. So the law serves a very practical, and helpful purpose. It reveals our needs.

So far, none of the texts that we have looked at, have justified the breaking of the law (or sin) because of grace. To the contrary; they have shown how well grace and law can, and should, co-exist. The apostle concludes that, loving one another, is the fulfilling of the law. Then he goes on to explain the reason, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor! As we said a couple of paragraphs ago, a person who has good intentions, and who loves others, have no problem with the law; because the law, when obeyed, keeps us from hurting one another.

Now, which would we rather have, a world where there is no law to protect us ? Or, a world where we all love each other? God has shown us which is the better way.

We will continue tomorrow.