The Law And Grace

Man’s works/deeds do not alter his or her sinful nature. You can mask the sinful nature and evil thoughts by your good deeds, but the sinner/sin in you does not die out or in other words, you do not die to sin by your deeds. You may be a person following every religious ritual, doing good in the society and may even be honored for the same; but God looks into your heart and not your outward appearance. Religious observances or charity or good works will not change one's sinful nature. Therefore, God’s grace and religion based karma take two different routes.

Ephesians 2:4 -6 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus
God positions you with Christ in heavenly realms through grace, which happens on the inside. 
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
When you receive grace, change first takes place on the inside which is then reflected outside. Your good work is the fruit/ outcome of you being a new creation in Christ. Change happens inside out and not the other way round and this change takes place by grace and not by karma. 

Grace wipes out every sin in your life, liberates you from the wages of sin which is death and eternal punishment, makes you a child of God and gives you an eternal inheritance in heaven. By this grace you change inside out and as a result you do good works compelled by God’s love.

Many treat God’s amazing grace as a license to indulge in sin all the more. 

Galatians 6:7,8 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Psalm 18:26 to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.

Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

What was the purpose of the Law?
The Law was given to the Jews. Some may wonder why didn’t God right away give grace instead of the law. 
Romans 5:20 The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more

1. The law functions as a mirror. It convicts us of sins. Though the law was originally  given by God through Moses  to the Jews, it is inbuilt in every human’s conscience and all of us have the notion of right and wrong. However, our culture, traditions and belief systems cause us to treat the right things as wrong and the wrong things as right; it may not make you feel guilty but there would be a conscience prick that somewhere something is not right. 
2. The law is a temporary guardian to keep us from sins. In addition to the original law, every religion and society has written/ unwritten moral laws, and these dos and don’ts benefit people from being entangled in great sin until the coming of Jesus Christ. 
3. The law is a tutor which teaches us that we need a Savior for our salvation. Nobody can fully obey the law in its fullness and be saved through it. Even Moses through whom the law was introduced was not able to fully obey the law. Aaron the first high priest also failed in doing so. Only Jesus could fulfill the law. The Hebrew word for the Mosaic law is ‘Torah’ which means ‘teaching’. 

The Mosaic Law has been categorized into three:

1. The Moral Law - rules for holy living
2. The Civil Law - rules for social life
3. The Ceremonial Law - rules for rituals of worship, sacrificial system

Hebrews 7:12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.
Hebrews 7:18,19 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

Taking the example of marriage, Paul writes about two husbands in Romans 7:1-6; ‘The Mosaic Law’ being the first husband, and ‘The Law of Grace’ as the second husband. If the Law came through Moses, we’ve received ‘the Law of Grace’ through Christ who is the mediator of the New Covenant. 

If a person says that he/ she wants both the law (religious law) and the law of grace, as per the example stated in Romans 7:1-6, that person will have two husbands at the same time. Lord Jesus himself said that nobody can serve two masters. Today or tomorrow, either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. In this context, most people have the tendency to return to the first husband, which is the Mosaic Law/ religious law. 

2 Corinthians 11:2,3 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Do not return to your old ways. If you get trapped in the yoke of slavery (the Mosaic Law) you will lose the freedom that comes through grace. 

Do not fall from the grace that you received through Christ. Do not return to the old religious observances and belief systems. You begin to drift when you hold on to a little of the religious law along with the law of grace that you received through Christ. In the long run, they let go of Christ and end up with the law. This should not happen with us. Do not miss out on these teachings which will help you stand grounded in faith and His amazing grace.