Law and Grace
Law and grace. Ever since Martin Luther’s “Tower Experience” Protestants have seen a sharp dichotomy between the two. In Luther’s day the Roman Church had become so overbearing in people’s lives that all that existed in religious life was law. Indeed, one can see how Luther experienced that in his own life with tales of his days in the monastery. The freedom found in realizing that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works was astounding.
Protestants today have inherited this contrast between law and grace, but I think we have come far enough in our understanding that it is time we start deemphasizing the distinctions. To be sure, the debate of how the law relates to the Christian life will not be solved by me – especially in such a short blog post – but I think there is a need to slightly change our perspective.
When Christians look at the Gospels we see people like the Pharisees who live under the law and at best feel sorry for them. We are raised with the tendency to think that before Jesus, people earned their salvation.We look at the Old Testament and feel sorry for the people who had to live under that oppressive law. Nothing could be further from the truth.
First of all, salvation has always been by faith. Way back in Genesis 4 with Cain and Abel, faith was the difference between their relationships with God. We are told of how Enoch “walked with God,” and how it was “by faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death.” Old Testament saints were saved by faith – salvation has always been by faith.
My main concern, however, is with how we view the law. We view the law as something overbearing and harsh, but that is hardly the biblical view of the law. Psalm 1:2 says that a blessed man delights in the law. Psalm 119 says something along the lines of “I love your law” 4 times (1, 2, 3, 4), and expresses the same sentiment over and over again. Did the psalmists have a strange love for pain, or do we have a wrong view of the law? The answer should be obvious.
To some degree there is a right dichotomy between law and grace – especially when it comes to one’s understanding of salvation. However, I would contend that the law itself is a gift of God’s grace. For the Old Testament saint, the giving of the law was nothing short of an act of grace. Most pagans of their day had no idea what their gods demanded of them. Therefore, they constantly lived under a cloud of fear because they may cross their gods and not realize it. For those who worshipped Yahweh, they knew what Yahweh expected. How loving of Yahweh to lay out his rules for his people! What an act of grace!
As I read Scripture I often need to remind myself of this because I have been so steeped in our separation of law and grace. We need to take a step back and realize that the law itself is an act of grace. Off the top of my head the only verb I can think of that is attributed to God that is not of grace is probably judgment. God’s act of creating was an act of grace. God’s sending of his Son was an act of grace. God’s giving of the law was an act of grace.
The picture at the top of this post implies that the law was indeed overbearing for the Israelites. It drove them to fear. It’s almost implied that God gave the law so he could justifiably judge people. The God of the Old Testament is not a God of judgment and wrath. God has always been a God of love and of grace.
How do you see it? Law and grace, or law as grace?
bry
4 comments:
Good stuff. I would agree on playing down the distinction and strong dichotomy.
I would say that all is grace because it is a revelation of God himself. God reveals his character to us who could not know it any other way. We only know him because he revealed himself to us, in law, in Jesus, and I would argue, even in judgment.
I think judgment is an act of grace for two reasons (there may be more): Because God reveals his character to us (i.e., he is just), and because he is trying to shake us free from sin in order that we might respond to him. I see this in Jeremiah and Ezekiel where God is saying, "I'm willing to bring judgment on you to break your hearts, if that means your hearts will be tender enough to hear my voice and turn back from your wickedness and be saved."
All flows from God's grace.
Very good point Adam! Even in the final judgment we will have a fuller revelation of God's character. I hadn't thought of it that way before.
I think it is a grace, but how graceful it is depends on how one lives his life in relation to the Law. Paul, for instance, makes the point in Galatians that a Christian is not perfected by living the Law... sanctification is not the direct result of Law-keeping.
I find Michael Horton's description of what occurs in Joel Osteen-esque churches helpful: Law-light preaching. While there is no stern condemnations, which some would call "grace teaching," the message is still "obey God to experience His best." Where is Christ in that?
Consider the neonomian message: you are not under Moses as a Christian, but you still better not "smoke or chew or hang with those who do" if you want to be godly. Though salvation is by grace, again, sanctification is by works.
The only difference between all of this and the Pharisaical living you mention is the *amount* of law that is present. None of it is Gospel-living.
Now, I would agree with you that it is a grace in that it answers the question, "If God wants me to be holy, what does holiness look like?" I think you bring that point out well, especially in regards to one's salvation both BC and AD.
Yet, the Law is a mirror, not a life-changing force. Thus, I disagree that we must then utilize it as the means to make ourselves conform into Christ's image.
The formula for sanctification is the same as the one for salvation: "the just shall live by faith." The object of our faith is Christ, not the Law. Only by keeping a Christocentric focus will we have the ability to find the ever-improving image in that mirror.
Hi Bryan,
Your post brings to mind the end of Romans Chapter 7. Despite the law making Paul aware of his sinfullness, he writes that his heart or inner being still "loves" or "delights" in the Law. Here is Romans 7:22,25b:
For I delight in the law of God in my inner being, ... So then, with my mind I myself serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.(ISV)
I like Paul's use of the Law to describe his battle of his inner being with his flesh. It makes him appreciate his need of a Savior, for only by Jesus can he hope to "serve" the Law of God. But I still found Paul's saying that he delights or loves the Law interesting where his teachings were so strongly against people believing that salvation came through obeying the Law.
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