Church of Christ Articles

Faith, Grace, & Law (2)

In our last 3 lessons we examined the role of God’s grace, our faith, and God’s law for us.   God’s grace is His role in the redemption plan of mankind and includes everything He did to accomplish the salvation of man.  There must be a response from man in order for God’s grace to be of any value to mankind.  If everything God did to save man did not require any response then everybody who ever lived would be saved no matter how they lived or how they believed.  Jesus makes it clear that this is not the case in, Matthew 7:14, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

The Law of Moses has passed. Christ’s Law prevails today.

The required response to God’s gracious offer of salvation is summed up in God’s word as “Faith“, and as a comprehensive Biblical term represents everything man does in response to God’s grace.  Grace is God reaching down from Heaven to mankind with an offer and a means of salvation.  Faith is man reaching upwards to God in hope of salvation.   Grace is God reaching down to man.  Faith is man reaching up to God.

Any response whatsoever from mankind is a work.  A work is defined as a mental or physical action which produces a result.  God’s grace and man’s faith work together to produce a result.  Both grace and faith are works.  Grace is the work of God.  Faith is the work of man.   Both grace and faith are indispensable to the salvation process and both of them are works.   Thus we rightfully conclude that if works were not necessary, then salvation would be possible without any response from man whatsoever.  Matthew 7:21 teaches us that only those who do the will of God can enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Grace is God working.  Faith is man working.

We also saw that works cannot save us by circumventing God’s grace or our faith.  Works cannot save us by going around Jesus Christ to get us to heaven.  Works cannot save us by compelling God to offer His grace.  God’s grace is a gift freely offered completely exclusive of man’s works.  Works cannot save us by earning, paying for, or deserving salvation in any way.  If works could save us, we wouldn’t need God’s grace.  In these ways, works cannot save us, but faith is defined in the word of God as a work (1 Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Thessalonians 1:11), so even though there are some ways in which works cannot save us, they are our response to God’s grace and they are absolutely necessary if we want to be granted eternal life with God on heaven.  Works are a necessary component of faith.

God gave us law in the new covenant.  We saw from scripture that there were two major law systems spoken of in the new testament.  There is the old law, which was the law of Moses which has been done away with.   The law of Moses was the old covenant law.  Christians today live under the new covenant, or new testament.  The new testament contains law as well.  The new covenant law of God replaced the old covenant law.

Law, simply defined is a rule of behavior.  So from this we know that new covenant law is simply the way God wants us to live.  God’s law under the new testament is how he wants us to behave as His children.   If we did not have God’s law, we would not know what our response to God’s grace should be.   Without God’s law, we would not know how he wants us to live.

1. Why did God give us His law?

Both God’s law and God’s commandments are rules of behavior.   Both are how God wants us to behave.  So when we see a reference to a commandment of God in the new testament, unless it is a reference to old testament law, we are to regard it as God’s rule of behavior, or simply God’s law.   God’s new testament commandments are Law.  Any reference in the new testament to something God wants us to do or how he wants us to behave is law.

God’s law communicates His wishes to us.   As Christians, we are regarded as the children of God.  Regarding Christians, Galatians 3:26, reads, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”  God is our Spiritual Father, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, “Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Like any loving parent, God gives His children law because He loves them.

Without instructions, we as God’s children cannot know what He expects of us.   The word of God teaches us in John 5:28-29 that there is an “hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”  It would be a cruel Father indeed who would condemn His children without telling them what they needed to do in order to avoid the damnation and receive the resurrection of life.  We as earthly parents teach our earthly children how to behave because we love them and we don’t want to see them come to harm.  Our Spiritual Father in heaven gave us His law for the exact same reason.

1 John 5:2-3
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

God gave us His law because He loves us.

2 John 5-6
“And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.”

2. What does the law of God do for us?

So we know that God gave us law because of His love for us, so then what does God’s law do for us?  How does it benefit us?  What is the purpose of God’s law for mankind?

1)  God’s Law Restricts Bad Behavior.

Galatians 5:19-21
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
“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.”

Bad behavior causes harm to others.  All of the bad things listed in these 2 scriptures are things that can bring physical harm upon ourselves or on others.  God’s law does not permit us to engage in behavior that is harmful to others or ourselves.  Imagine if you will what a society would be like it obeyed just these two scriptures.  There would be no sexually transmitted diseases associated with the sexual sins listed above because there would be no sex outside the marriage bond.  There would be no witches, no body who was envious of the other, no murderers, no drunkards, no thieves, no haters, no extortionists, etc, etc.  The list goes on and on.  It would be a society of complete peace and harmony.

God’s law restricts these kinds of behavior and promotes peace and order within society.  He gave us this law because He loves us and His love is clearly seen through His Law.

2)  God’s Law Provides Equality

Galatians 3:28
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 2:6-11
“Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

11 For there is no respect of persons with God.”

In a society living faithfully under God’s law, there is no need for civil rights movements.  There would no bigots, there would no race baiters or racial crimes.  There would be no women’s rights violations.  There would be no classes in society at all.  Everyone would be equal and live in peace.

Also, under God’s law there is going to be equality in judgment.   Those who do bad things are going to be punished with no regard to race, color, creed, class, or however much money they have.  We cannot buy justice and equality from God.  Under His law, we have it.

God’s Law Provides Unity

Ephesians 4:1-6
1 “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Just drive through almost any town in the United States.  You will see any number of denominations on your way through.  Each one has its own set of beliefs which vary from one another.  Jesus only established one body and there is only one law.  If everybody on earth obeyed only one law then there would be only one church.  All Christians would be united under one head, Jesus Christ.  There would be no religious confusion.  There would be no need to hunt for a church that taught the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth because all Christians everywhere would be united.

God’s Law provides order.

In our assemblies God commanded order

1 Corinthians 14:33
33 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

1 Corinthians 14:40
40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

In Business God’s law requires order

Romans 12:11
“Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord”

In our Christian lives, God’s law requires order:

Hebrews 6:12
“That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

God’s law restricts disruptive and harmful behavior to one another:

2 Corinthians 12:20
For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

God’s Law provides for the protection of others.

Protection for Our enemies:
Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”

Protection for one another:
Galatians 5:15
“But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.”

Galatians 5:26, “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Ephesians 4:2-3, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Colossians 3:13, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

God’s Law will be used in judgment

James 2:12-13  “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”

John 12:48  “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

Romans 12:19-21, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

God’s Law includes what we must do in order to be saved

2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Looking back to what we read earlier in 1 John 5:2-3, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”  John makes it clear that God’s love for us in evident through His law.

God demonstrates His love for us by restricting bad behavior through His law.

God demonstrates His love for us by promoting unity in His law.

God demonstrates His love for us by promoting order in His law.

God demonstrates His love for us by protecting others through His law.

God demonstrates His love for us by punishing those who have harmed us.

God demonstrates His love for us by giving us the complete instructions for living an acceptable life and inheriting an eternal home in Heaven.

God’s laws are there entirely for our benefit.  Imagine what a society would be like if everyone in it lived in accordance with God’s law.  It would be a very different society than any we see today in the world.  If everyone lived according to God’s law all of the bad things we see in our society today would disappear instantly.  We’d be living in a harmonious, loving, unified society where nobody would have to fear thieves, rapists or murderers.  There would be no hate crimes, no abortions, no sexually transmitted diseases.  There would be no wars, no religious differences, no broken homes with children being raised by single parents.  There would be no moral corruption, no need for locks or alarms or police protection.   If everybody lived in accordance with God’s law then all of the self inflicted scourges of humanity would instantly disappear and this physical life would take on whole new look.

Yes there is law in the new covenant and every single element of it is for the wellbeing of mankind.  God loves us, so He gave us the rules to live by.  Those who do live by the rules are doing what they can to promote goodness and righteousness wherever they are.  They are the lights shining in the darkness.

Those who do not live in accordance with God’s laws are the darkness.  Through their actions, they contribute to the problems we see in society today.  Those who live outside the law of God are not part of the solution, they are part of the problem.

And in the end, when all this life has ended, and we stand before God in judgment, the life we lived in accordance to the rules God graciously gave us will determine where we spend our eternity.

Mankind is sinful and lost.  By grace we are saved through faith.  Grace is God’s role and represents everything He did in providing mankind with a hope for salvation.  Faith is man’s role and represents everything done in response to God’s grace.  Both grace and faith are works, neither of which can save us by going around the blood of Christ.  And God’s law is where we find the instructions for how we are to respond to God’s grace in faith.

No grace? Lost with no hope!
No faith? Lost with no chance!
No works? Lost with no faith!
No law? Lost with no guidance!

Romans 2:5-13
“But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.“

Faith, Grace, & God’s Law (1)

In our last 2 lessons we examined the role of God’s grace, our faith, and works.   God’s grace is His role in the redemption plan of mankind and includes everything He did to accomplish the salvation of man.  Obviously there must be a response from man in order for God’s grace to work.  If everything God did to save man required no response then everybody who ever lived would be saved irregardless of how they lived.  Jesus makes it clear that this is not the case in, Matthew 22:14, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Can response to God’s law be put aside in the name of grace?

The required response to God’s gracious offer of salvation is summed up in God’s word as “Faith“, and as a comprehensive Biblical term includes everything man does in response to God’s grace.  Grace is God reaching down from Heaven to mankind with an offer and a means of salvation.  Faith is man reaching upwards to God in realization of His doomed state in hope of God’s grace.   Grace is God reaching down to man.  Faith is man reaching up to God.

Any response whatsoever from mankind is a work.  A work is defined as a mental or physical action which produces a result.  God’s grace and man’s faith work together to produce a result.  Both grace and faith are works.  Grace is the work of God.  Faith is the work of man.  Human works, though necessary, do not negate the need for God’s grace or our faith.  Both grace and faith are indispensable to the salvation process and both of them are works.   Thus we rightfully conclude that if works were not necessary, then salvation would be possible without any response from man whatsoever.  Jesus makes it crystal clear in Matthew 7:21 that this is not the case.

We also saw that works cannot save us by circumventing God’s grace or our faith.  Works cannot save us by repaying God what His grace cost Him.  Works cannot save us by compelling God to offer His grace.  God’s grace is a gift freely offered completely exclusive of man’s works.  Works cannot save us by earning, paying for, or deserving salvation in any way.  If works could save us, we wouldn’t need God’s grace.  In these ways, works cannot save us, but faith is a work (I Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Thessalonians 1:11), so even though there are some ways in which works cannot save, they are necessary nonetheless.

So where does God’s law fit in to all of this?  This is an important question because there are those who claim Christ as savior and make the claim that there is no law under the new covenant.  I have heard it said among some that the old covenant is ‘law and no grace’ and the new covenant is ‘grace and no law’.  The purpose of this lesson is to make an examination of God’s law and how it fits in with God’s Grace and our Faith.

1. What is law?

Law is a rule or a set of rules, enforceable, regulating the behavior of those under which it has authority.  The short definition is a rule of conduct.

2. Is there law under the new covenant?

There are two laws spoken of in the new testament.  The most common one directly mentioned as law is in reference back to the law of Moses.  In Acts 13:39, Paul made a reference to the law of Moses that is of particular relevance to this lesson.  Paul said, “And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”  Paul made a reference here to the law of Moses and in doing so he made a very important observation.  The law of Moses cannot justify anyone.  The word justify means to ‘make just’ or to declare one to be innocent.   The Hebrew writer further explains this in Hebrews 10:4, where he wrote, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”  The animal sacrifices under the law of Moses were incapable of taking away the sins of the people.  All they did was to accomplish what is referred to as atonement.  Atonement is another word for appeasement.   The animal sacrifices were only capable of appeasing God’s wrath for a period of time.  The Hebrew writer tells us when this time was in Hebrews 9:15, where we read, “And for this cause he [Jesus Christ] is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”  Under the law of Moses, the sins of the people were only atoned for until the death of Christ on the cross at which time His blood then provided the total and complete forgiveness of their sins.

In the first century times, there was a lot of confusion and resistance from several Jews who just wouldn’t let go of the law of Moses.  A large portion of the new testament is devoted to explaining the difference between the old and new covenant and it is vital to our understanding of God’s law that we rightly understand the difference.  Much religious error today comes from the inability of some to distinguish between the law of Moses and the law of God under the new covenant.

For example, let’s look at a particular verse which is contrasting the two laws we find in scripture and from there, we will make some observations and then build on this study of whether or not there is new testament law.

Galatians 2:16
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”  In the book of Galatians, Paul dealt with Judaizers who had crept into the gentile churches and were convincing them that they should follow after the law of Moses.  Paul’s singular purpose for writing the letter to the Galatians was to correct this false teaching brought in by those who refused to let go of the law of Moses and were bringing Christians back under the old law of Moses.

So let’s take the text of Galatians 2:16 and for a moment, let’s look at it from the perspective that Paul is speaking from all the law of God in general and not just the law of Moses.   When Paul’s statement in Galatians 2:16 is taken from its proper context, it can, and is, used to set forth the belief that there is no law under the new covenant.     Those who want to go to heaven but don’t want to commit their lives to serving God acceptably convince themselves that they are safe from God’s condemnation based on the misguided belief that the inabilities and inadequacies of the law of Moses apply to all of the law of God in general.  This belief allows them to live any old way they want because they believe that the new covenant release from the law of Moses releases us today from our obligations to new covenant law.

So let’s deal with this issue first. Is there law under the new covenant?

To answer this question, let’s look at two very key verses.  The first is Romans 3:23 where Paul wrote, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”  There is no one today who is accountable before God who has not sinned.  All have sinned and fallen short.  Now in 1 John 3:4, we learn that “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”  So if there is no law at all under the new covenant and sin is a transgression of law, then how is it that all have sinned?  What law was transgressed?  For there to be a transgression of law, there must be a law to transgress.  We cannot break a law where there is not one.  If there’s no law against speeding then we can’t break the speed limit.  It is not possible to transgress a law that does not exist.  Indeed, in Romans 4:15, Paul wrote, “for where no law is, there is no transgression.”

Yes there is law under the new covenant.  So what is it called?  How do we know which law is being discussed when we see it referenced in scripture?

In referencing the new covenant law, Paul mentions this in Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”  Paul is contrasting two laws found in each covenant here.  We have the law of the Spirit of life contrasted with the law of sin and death.  We already know from this lesson that the law of Moses was incapable of the justification of anyone.  The law of Moses was not a law that, when kept, could permanently free anyone from sin and condemnation.  It is obvious that the law of sin and death is a reference to old covenant law.   The law of the Spirit of life is a reference to a law.  The word of God states that there is a law that, when kept, frees us from the old covenant law of sin and death.   If there is no law under the new covenant, then it is not possible to be made free from the old covenant law.  Yes there is law and in Romans 8:2  Paul called it the “the law of the Spirit of life“.

While writing his inspired letter to the Galatian Christians, Paul wrote in chapter 6 and verse 2, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”  This reference to a law cannot be about the law of Moses.  God gave the law of Moses to Moses on Mount Sinai centuries before Jesus Christ walked the earth.   This was near the end of a letter that Paul wrote that was dedicated solely to the abolishment of the law of Moses and how it does no good to keep it.  Now he makes mention of a law he says we are supposed to keep and he called it the law of Christ.  We are not required to keep the law of Moses, but we are required to fulfill the law of Christ.  If there were no law under the new covenant, then there would be no law of Christ to fulfill.

So far have 2 references to new covenant law.  Paul has called it the “law of the spirit of life” and the “law of Christ“.

In James chapter 2 and verse 8 we see another reference to new covenant law, “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.”  James called this a royal law.  That cannot be a reference to the law of Moses because Moses was never a king.  So then who is the king that James is talking about here?  Paul answers that question in 1 Timothy 6:14-15, “That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.”  Jesus is our king under the new covenant so the royal law can be nothing other than the law of Christ.   One must ask, if there is no new covenant law, then what are the standards by which Jesus rules us?  A king who reigns over a people must do so with rules of behavior.  We simply call them law.

Paul called it the “law of the spirit of life” and the “law of Christ” and James called it the “royal law“.

James isn’t finished yet.  He also made a reference to new covenant law a few verses later in James 1:25, “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” What is this liberty that James is speaking of here?  Those who believe and teach that there is not any law under the new covenant will tell you that this law of liberty is really freedom to live our lives free of any of the rules of conduct required by God and found in scripture.   Is this true?  We can put that to the test by reading what the text in the verse says, “he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”  If the law of liberty freed anyone from keeping God’s law, then no one would have to be a doer of the work in order to be blessed.  Yes there is law in the covenant and James says we must be a doer of the work of this law of liberty.  The law of liberty, liberates us from the sins which the law of Moses could not accomplish.  The law of liberty does not liberate us from the need to obey God.

So far we we have the:

1) “law of the spirit of life“, which Paul said would free us from the law of sin and death.

2)  “law of Christ“, which Paul commanded Christians to Fulfill.

3) “royal law“, which James commanded Christians to Fulfill. The result of this fulfillment is love for their neighbors.

4)  “and the “law of liberty“, which James commanded Christians to continue in it and to do the work.

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians in chapter 9, verses 20 thru 21 we see one of the most informative verses of all regarding the laws found in each covenant.

1 Corinthians 9:20-21
“And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.”
KJV

There is a parenthetical statement in there which Paul threw in there to make sure there was no misunderstanding.  Paul say “being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ”.  Another way of saying that would be “though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law”  Paul made sure that the Christians he was writing to understood that he was still living under law.  Paul was discussing various ways in which he engaged in his evangelistic efforts to both Jews and Gentiles.   When trying to lead Jews living under the law of Moses to Christ, he made himself appear as if he were living under that law in order to get the opportunity to reach them with the truth.  To those Gentiles who did not live under the law of Moses, Paul says he made it obvious that he was not living under the law of Moses.

And then Paul made one of the most important statements in all of scripture regarding the law under the new covenant.  He said “being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ”, in other words, “though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law“.   Paul declared to Christians that he and every single person on earth, both Jew and Gentile were not living without law.  The law he was living under was the “law to Christ“.  Of the laws Paul spoke of in this context, the law to Christ is the one he is living under.

Concerning the law of God, Paul wrote in Romans 8:7, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”  A carnal mind is a sinful mind.  In this context Paul was discussing the differences between those who live with and without sinful minds.  He says those who live with sinful minds are not living in obedience to the law of God.  If there were no law under the new covenant, then it would not be possible to live outside the law of God.  There is law under the new covenant and in this verse Paul called it the law of God.

So far we we have the:

1) “law of the spirit of life“, which Paul said would free us from the law of sin and death.

2)  “law of Christ“, which Paul commanded Christians to Fulfill.

3)  “royal law“, which James commanded Christians to Fulfill. The result of this fulfillment is love for their neighbors.

4)  “law of liberty“, which James commanded Christians to continue in it and to do the work.

5)  “law to God” Which Paul says he is not living without.

6)  “law to Christ“, which Paul says he is living under.

7)  “law of God”, which Paul says evil minded people are not subject to.

In Hebrews 8:8-13 we learn a very important fact about the new covenant and law.

Hebrews 8:8-13

“8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”

There are a number of points that can made from this context relative to our lesson today.

There was going to be a new covenant. And we know this new covenant is the new testament under which all Christians live.  But notice carefully, that God says that this new covenant is going to have its laws written on our hearts and in our minds.  This new covenant has laws.  Being written on our hearts and minds means that Christians are going to follow this law from the heart out of love for God.  Christians are going to follow the laws of the new covenant from their own free will, because they love God and want to obey Him.  The new covenant which replaced the old covenant came with laws.

And finally, going back to James we see yet another reference to the law of liberty he had mentioned earlier in James 1:25

James 2:9-12

“9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.”

James is very obviously not speaking about the law of Moses here.  The scriptures make it crystal clear that the law of Moses contained in the old covenant has been replaced by the new covenant whose laws govern us today.  There are some important points we can take from these scriptures.  First, it is a transgression of God’s law under the new covenant to show favoritism.  Verse 11 lists adultery and murder as violations of new covenant law.

In Verse 10, James writes, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”  James lumps the entire new covenant law up into one system.   There is only one lawgiver, and only one law.  There are no transgressions of new covenant law that are more or less grievous  to God.  Any one transgression of any element of the law of Christ is a breach of the whole law because it breaks fellowship with the object of our faith, God.  James is reiterating something Jesus said in Matthew 5:19, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  There is no such thing as white lies or small sins.  Any transgression of the law of Christ is a trespass of the whole law.

Another very important point we need to take from this context is found in verse 12, “ So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.”  The law of liberty James spoke of, is going to be used to judge us in the end.  In John 12:48 Jesus tells us that we will be judged by the things He spoke, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

Let’s go back over what we have so far…

1) “law of the spirit of life“, which Paul said would free us from the law of sin and death.  (Romans 8:2)

2)  “law of Christ“, which Paul commanded Christians to Fulfill.  (Galatians 6:2)

3)  “royal law“, which James commanded Christians to Fulfill. The result of this fulfillment is love for their neighbors.  (James 2:8)

4)  “law of liberty“, which James commanded Christians to continue in it and to do the work of that law.  Our liberty is the freedom from sin, not a pass from obedience to God’s law.  ()James 1:25

5)  “law to God” Which Paul says he is not living without.

6)  “law to Christ“, which Paul says he is living under.   (1 Corinthians 9:21)

7)  “law of God”, which Paul says evil minded people are not subject to but should be.  (Romans 8:7)

8)  The “New Covenant” will replace the old covenant and its laws will be imprinted on our hearts Hebrews 8:8-13

9)  The “law of liberty” is transgressed by any violation of God’s will.  (James 2:9-11)

10)  The “law of liberty” is going to be used to judge us.  (James 2:12)

The word of God teaches that there is most certainly law under the new covenant.  And this law can be broken, meaning we are to obey new covenant law faithfully.  And in the end, we are going to be judged by new covenant law.  In order for there to be any judgment, there must be a standard or a set of rules by which we are judged.  Yes, there is law under the new covenant and we must live by that law if we are to have any hope whatsoever of an eternal home in heaven with God.

In our previous two lessons on Faith, Grace and works, we established the need for all of these things working together in order to provide man with a means and method of salvation.  Grace plus anything cannot be grace alone.  If grace we all that were required then everybody on earth would be saved regardless of how they lived or how they believed.  It’s by grace we are saved through faith so we know that it can’t be grace alone.  We also cannot be saved by faith alone because without grace all the faith in the world would be useless to us.  Works are a necessary component of faith, therefore we cannot be saved by works alone either.  It takes all three of these things, grace, faith and obedience working together.

Add  to these three things God’s law under the new covenant.  God’s grace provided us with a means and a hope of salvation.  It’s not grace alone because man has to make a response to what God has offered.   Everything man does in his response can be summed up as faith.  Grace is God reaching down to man with salvation.  Faith is man reaching upward toward God in hope.  Works are everything we do by faith.  God does not owe us anything for them, they cannot save us by going around the blood of Jesus Christ.  And finally, the new covenant law is what we have to do in order to live faithfully under the rule of Jesus Christ our king.  Grace gave us hope.  Faith, working is our response.  Law is what directs how we are to live.  If we did not have God’s law, we would not know what our response to God’s grace should be.   Without God’s law, we would not know how he wants us to live.