CHRISTIAN LIFE 101 - LAW VS. GRACE - PART 3
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
[Christian] “Hey, Law… It’s good to see you… I’m glad you came.” | [Mr. Law] “Oh, hey, Christian… Yeah, well… let’s see what Grace has in store for us today.”
[Dr. Grace] “Good morning, class. My name is Dr. Grace and welcome to Introduction to the Christian Life. We have been studying the Galatians Road, which provides a roadmap for how to live the Christian life. And we have been discussing legalism, which is in direct opposition to the truth found in our first verse, that we are justified by faith and not by works. Today, we are going to answer some difficult questions that arise when we begin to implement this teaching of being free from the Law… yet under Grace.”
[Dr. Grace] “The Law and Grace are diametrically opposed to one another. They do not mix. If we pepper even the smallest amount of Law into our Grace-based diet, we ruin all the benefits of Grace. The purpose of the Law is to point us to Jesus. Like an X-ray machine, The Law is a divine tool provided by God to reveal the problem of our sin and point us to the solution of our Savior. Once we have the solution of Jesus Christ, we don’t need the tool that identifies the problem anymore. “Christ is the end of the Law for all who believe.”
[Mr. Law] “Dr. Grace, I’m sorry to interrupt… do I have your permission to speak freely?” | [Dr. Grace] “By all means, Mr. Law. What’s on your mind?” | [Mr. Law] “Well, to be completely honest… I have some concerns about your teaching.” | [Dr. Grace] “Oh, I see.” | [Mr. Law] “Yeah… well… something in our last class just… rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it… but I think my main concern is that your teaching appears to encourage believers to just… completely disregard the commandments and core principles of our faith such as repentance and obedience.”
[Dr. Grace] “I see…” | [Mr. Law] “Don’t get me wrong… I like how passionately you teach on God’s grace… I just fear you do so without the proper balance with respect to the rest of God’s Word. For example, Galatians 2:16 says we are justified by faith and not by works but we need to balance this with what the Book of James teaches. In chapter two, James writes on multiple occasions that faith without works is dead!”
[Dr. Grace] “Thank you for your sincere and thoughtful concern, Mr. Law. You have clearly done your homework. Now, with regard to your example, I would argue that the Apostle James doesn’t disagree with the Apostle Paul. He is simply emphasizing a different point to a different audience. Allow me to illustrate: In the very same chapter you are referring to, James writes, ‘whoever keeps the whole Law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it,’ thus he is confirming what Paul says in Romans 3:20, “no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by works of the Law.’ Also in the same chapter, James quotes Genesis 15:6, which clearly states that God credited righteousness to Abraham solely on the basis of his faith. James explains how Abraham’s later actions proved the genuineness of his faith and the reality of his justification before God. However, he is not suggesting that our works—and not our faith—are what make us right with God. Do you see the difference? His teaching complements the doctrine of justification by faith by emphasizing that genuine saving faith will be accompanied by spiritual fruit. Well, the Apostle Paul teaches the exact same thing. Take our Galatians Road, for example. After making it abundantly clear that we are justified by faith, what do the next three verses teach us? Surrender to Christ, walk in the Spirit, and produce spiritual fruit.”
[Mr. Law] “Well… that may be true but my main concern still stands: too much grace just gives believers a license to sin.” | [Dr. Grace] “Mr. Law, what is God’s grace?” | [Mr. Law] “Uh… unmerited favor.” [Dr. Grace] “Precisely! God’s grace includes every blessing we have that we don’t deserve. This would certainly include things like mercy, forgiveness, and redemption… but grace also includes the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and divine empowerment. Now, you are correct—there are people who “pervert the grace of our God” and turn it into a “license for immorality.” However, the Book of Jude makes it abundantly clear that these are “ungodly people” who “do not have the Spirit.” In other words, these are they false teachers and non-Christians! Notice Jude says they “pervert the grace of our Lord.” Well, it would need to be perverted because God’s grace leads to obedience and empowers us to live the Christian life.”
[Dr. Grace] “I would like everyone to turn to Titus chapter 2. Christian, would you please read verse 11? | [Christian] “Sure. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.” [Dr. Grace] “Yes! notice in verse 12, it is grace that teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions. It is grace that trains us to live self-controlled and godly lives. It is grace that redeems us from all wickedness and every lawless deed. And it is grace that purifies us to be a people of His very own, eager to do what is good. So you see, grace doesn’t give us a license to sin; it empowers us to live the Christian life! This is why it would need to be perverted to promote immorality.”
[Mr. Law scratching his head.] [Mr. Law] “Huh.” | [Dr. Grace] “Mr. Law, in Romans 8, Paul says God did something in sending His Son that the Law was unable to do because it was weakened by the flesh. The result is that now the righteous requirement of the Law can be met in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. You see, the profound truth of the New Covenant is that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can live in loving obedience like never before. And yet, we have been released from the requirement of doing so as the basis for our relationship with God, which is not dependent on our performance, but Christ’s! Amazing Grace!”
[Dr. Grace] “Do you remember what Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery? He told her, ‘I do not condemn you either. Go and sin no more.’ Most religions of the world (and legalistic Christians) reverse those statements. They tell themselves, ‘If I sin no more, then, I won’t be condemned.’ But that’s not grace. Those who believe are not condemned. When we truly believe this, we are compelled to surrender to Christ, walk in the Spirit, and produce spiritual fruit. God’s Grace is the greatest power to overcome sin.”
[Christian] “Dr. Grace, what does it look like to stop putting ourselves under the burden of the Law and live under Grace? I mean… what are we supposed to do with all the laws and commands in the Bible?” [Dr. Grace] “That is an excellent question, Christian! Allow me to answer with an analogy: The Law is like a map that shows the way to righteousness. There is nothing wrong with the map. The problem is when we try to navigate the map by ourselves, we get lost every time. Under the New Covenant, you don’t need to try to navigate the map by yourself because you are given a personal Tour Guide who is with you at all times. Your Tour Guide is not only the author of the map… He is the only One to navigate this territory without fail. When you follow the Tour Guide, you will never get lost. If you attempt to navigate the map by yourself, the Tour Guide will let you do so, and for the most part, remain silent. When you get lost and cry for help, He will be right there. He will encourage you to put the down the map and follow Him. The Tour Guide will never lead you into sin. He not only knows the map like the back of His hand, He knows you better than you know yourself. Did I fail to mention that He is also the owner of the land, and the One who made you?”
[Dr. Grace] “I love this analogy because it explains why legalism is so detrimental to walking in the Spirit. You can follow the map or you can follow the Tour Guide, but you can’t do both at the same time. It’s that simple. The Law and Grace do not mix. The intended result is the same. It’s the path to get there that has changed. Now that we have been justified by faith, may we surrender to Christ, walk in Spirit, and produce spiritual fruit. You are free… but not to ditch the map and wander aimlessly wherever you want. You are free… to follow the Tour Guide in accordance with God’s amazing Grace.”
[Bell rings]
[Dr. Grace] “That’s all the time we have for today. Class dismissed.”
[Dr. Grace] “Mr. Law, I want to thank you for your participation today. My office hours are always open to you… anytime.”
[Mr. Law] “Thanks, Dr. Grace.”
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