Law and Grace
For a Jewish child of the first century, a religious education started with the Torah. These are the first five books of Moses and stand in a special class, collectively called the Pentateuch, meaning the five books. These are the books which the Jews called the Law and regarded as the most sacred part of the Bible. They are the five books of Moses, which are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It was considered more than Law, it was the sum of Divine teaching from a Hebrew verb meaning "to teach" or "to instruct," and included all the laws in regard to ethical behavior. The written Law, or Torah is said to contain 613 concepts, 248 of which were commandments while 365 were prohibitions. Both commands and prohibitions were divided into two groups, the "light" and the "heavy," according to their importance. There must have been some kind of hierarchy among all these commandments to provoke the perceptive scribe to inquire as to which is the first commandment. "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." Jesus told him. Mark 12 34. Lawyers today have successfully been able to grab hold of a mandate to rule the world. They have vested financial and personal interest in the present and unmanageable way of doing things and have neither the motivation nor the mind-set to make changes. Most of the judges themselves are in favor of maintaining the status quo. Many prosecutors are more interested in convictions than justice, public defenders are generally no better. The Ten Commandments are just part of the Law of Moses. There are myriads of lesser commandments, principles, governing systems, laws and by-laws, judgments and ordinances. The big difference is that under grace, we find that the righteousness of the Law can be fulfilled in us rather than by us. The Spirit in us changes everything when it comes to the Law. The Spirit is a helping power, not an enforcing one; we must decide to make the choice freely through our liberty in Christ to allow this Spirit to work effectively in us. The law of grace is much evident in all times. There are many Christian precepts and actions in the Spirit which are subject to these laws. Paul teaches of the "law of faith," but also knew that there was a "law of sin" that wars against it. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul." Leviticus 17:11. God's law to man was to require a sacrifice for sin and loved the world enough to allow His Son to be that for us. The action of Jesus dying on the cross did as much to the Ten Commandments as Moses did by breaking them except now, we are living stones and He has written His law upon the tables of our hearts. All of the Ten Commandments are replicated in the various Christian graces and virtues. The Sabbath day will be fulfilled when we enter into our seventh millennial day. In the New Testament, we fulfill the Law by acting in love. Law is the rule established by authority and the ultimate authority is the fact that God is love. In the Bible, we refer to the Law as the Mosaic Law and Jesus' coming had fulfilled the Law. The Mosaic Law was the sum total of all the commandments of God throughout the Old Testament. James writes "For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" James 2:10. Paul referred to the Jews as "under the Law." There are laws that govern the universe, creative persons can harness these laws and invent things. God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, these are laws for God simply because He is God, that's the way He is. His will for us may change, His mind may change but His essential nature never changes, He is governed by His own immutable laws, anything beyond that, we can't imagine. He is existence, pure and simple and the source of our existence and always a God of love, justice and righteousness. He will certainly keep His word to us. The Law was a tutor and the animal sacrifices were given as a type to point us to the sacrifice for all time that was to come through Jesus. There are immutable laws implicit in the atonement and reconciliation that apply to each of us. Outside of these universal principles is in the realm of the miraculous and the unknown - and in that, there is no limit, we are in the realm of infinite and unfathomable knowledge. The writer of Hebrews contrasts the Law of the commandments with the power of an endless life. Saint James gave us a glimpse into the perfect law of liberty. All of these are laws of God are unchangeable except through the unique experiences of those that are living them. Fulfilling these laws are as simple as being led by the Spirit toward another and we are especially blessed when God gets the glory. With the shed blood of Christ, there was remission of sins and by dying on the cross, He fulfilled the Law. Sin demanded a guilty verdict, every sinner forfeits his life and the Law requires death, we die to ourselves thereby fulfilling the Law Each time we sin, it is another guilty verdict but Jesus has still gone to the cross for us and as Paul teaches, His grace is sufficient. By going to the cross with Him, we join Jesus in His death and walk in His Spirit. "For the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" John 1:17. The Gospel does not destroy the Law but renews, in part countermanding and in part retaining and perfecting. It is the sense of superseding the Law, not destroying but accomplishing that which the Law was aimed at in the first place but failed to achieve, namely the letter of the Law, even in its smallest and most trivial enactment must be obeyed at all costs. The problem, of course is that to try is to fail, it is impossible to live up to. And this copious and literal observance of the entire Law was not left to the scribes and Pharisees alone; it was demanded of all the people; the demand was met but never fulfilled. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2. Christianity was something more than a law, it was a promise, the Gospel of Eternal Life. The Law was not an end unto itself, it was simply a means to the attainment of salvation, and it was a message of salvation that Christianity was preached to the world at large with the law of love through faith. Now the Church is under grace, not the Law. We have to be able to fulfill our Christian existence in grace and the Spirit, because God wills our lives, He set it up that way, that's the way it is and that's the end of it. That's nonsense to the legalist. Paul equates legalism with the flesh, "Are you so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?" Galatians 3:3. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Galatians 5:1
For the legalist the laws and rites of Christianity are the letter of the Law and fundamentalist conformity to tradition. Denominational interpretations of the Bible as religious acts are the ultimate norms of life. What the legalists forget is that legalistic observances were crucified on the cross and are meant to be symbols mediating toward the inward transformation of a new life. We are to live out our lives in the law of love and not in the outward performance of the old covenant Law, whether that law comes from the Old Testament Mosaic regulations or the New Testament interpretations of what morality consists of. Legalism creates a mask of conformity which makes the believer holy in his own eyes and thus tends to prevent him from coming to Spiritual self-knowledge through the graces and charisms. Because the legalist thinks that holiness is within his own grasp by what he does, he tends to despise the men and women who are not as holy as he is. Legalism causes pride, self-righteousness, judgment of others, a holier than thou attitude and in effect quenches the Spirit and draws you away from God because you have given up the true Spiritual power that would draw Him to you. Many ordinary Jews had come to believe that they could never hope to gain entrance to the God's Kingdom because they did not always follow the difficult laws and rituals of the Scribes and Pharisees. To them, Jesus' words brought comfort and hope, but the rabbis and Pharisees who heard His accusations were furious. Things haven't changed today either, all kinds of rules and regulations to live by, do this, don't do that; we have to be circumcised, we have to worship on a certain day and keep feast days and eat and drink and dress a certain way, wear our hair a certain length, no parties, be successful, belong to a certain church or believe a certain doctrine, baptized a certain way, read only their version of the Bible, pay tithes, can't wear jewelry or tattoos, have a special gift or you are not Baptized with the Holy Ghost. Blind guides all, still straining out the gnats while the camels run amok The book of Galatians contains the text of Christian freedom and grace that must be used to combat the Judaistic tendencies that we see today. Nullifying the law of grace and Christian freedom is to fall from grace themselves. He went further, calling even the Law itself a curse. Paul called this teaching another Gospel and a perversion that draws a double anathema on those who practice this type of legalism. Paul teaches us "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Galatians 5:16.
Paul was a kind of fuddy duddy, prone to legalistic and puritanical rules yet always in the end stood on the side of Christian freedom. He speaks of Christ being the head of man, man being the head of women and then he brings up the issue of my long hair. For many years now, I have worn my hair long and short and shaggy in between. In 1 Corinthians 11:14, Paul tells us: "Does not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man has long hair, it is a shame unto him?" OK, that's a trip. I am certainly not ashamed of having long hair so I have no problem with that but what about others? I have no problem with others until they have a problem with me. This attitude of Paul has conditioned some people to look down with shame to people with long hair. If they ever think of that verse when they see a long- hair and think shame, they have never considered the next verse, 1 Corinthians 11:16: "But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God." That's more like it. He starts with the word 'but' and then leaves it up to the individual to decide and Paul is speaking on behalf of the whole Church. Paul was a man of his times and held to obsolete customs and traditions, as well as the people around him. If he is willing to set custom aside for the sake of having it our way free of a guilt trip, then go for it, it is not a shame for me to have long hair. This extends upon the whole discussion of liberty and in the spirit of Christian freedom itself. We are reminded elsewhere of Paul's admonition to not let this freedom be an occasion for the flesh. We are also reminded that if our Christian freedom causes another to stumble, don't do it. The reply to the faithful is clear: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Galatians 5: I. That yoke of bondage is the Law, this should be enough to settle the matter but there are just so many churches today that have not yet learned Christian freedom, it's a shame because they turn people off. "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the Law; you are fallen from grace." Galatians 5:4. Those that teach legalistic rules of conduct have never learned to walk in the Spirit, they are part of a church that quenches the Spirit. So how do we lead a Christian life if we do not adhere to the Law? "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would. But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the Law." Galatians 5:16-18. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no Law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Galatians 5:22-29.
The Gentiles are the non-Jews, a name given by the Hebrews to all those who had not received the Law of Moses. Galilee was surrounded by Hellenistic influence. Within Palestine itself some areas apparently were so Gentile in population as to be out-of-bounds for stricter Jews. When Jesus, sending his disciples on their first mission, said "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans," the implication recognized Gentile districts in Palestine and cities on the Sea of Galilee. Foreigners who embraced Judaism were called proselytes. Hebrew "Goyim" signified the surrounding nations, foreigners, as opposed to Israel. A Goy was a foreign nation, hence a Gentile, a term still used today. The distinction between Israel and other nations, as was shown in the covenant with Abraham, was to be only for a time; and believing Gentiles in no age were excluded. The Jews were hedged in by a multitude of special institutions and taught to consider a nonobservance of these customs as uncleanness. Blinded by an intense national pride, the Jews seemed often to regard the Gentile heathen as only existing for the purpose of punishing the apostasy of Judea. Through the superabundance of the grace of Jesus, the Gentiles are now called to faith. The Jews now as a group are too proud of their privileges to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Messiah and redeemer and are still bound to the Law. With Paul, the Gentiles are usually called Greeks and he is called the apostle to the Gentiles, whereas Peter and others, preached primarily to the Jews and are called apostles to the circumcision. Instructions concerning offerings and sacrifices were given by God from the very beginning, either verbally or intuitively. Immediately after the fall, men began to offer sacrifices unto the Lord. This kept before man the fact of his fall but more importantly, the types and foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus at the cross. The sacrifices reminded people that sin has its consequences and a blood sacrifice is necessary for atonement. They didn't need to understand, just do. Why Abel's sacrifice was honored and Cain's was not is not ours to question but we do know without the shedding of blood, there is no sacrifice for sin. This is the way that God did it and that we must accept. "You shall build the altar of the Lord your God of whole stones: and you shall offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 27:6. Fire was used to consume the burnt offerings and the incense offering. Noah took a number of "clean" beasts into the ark for sacrifice. Abraham was about to sacrifice his son and God provided one in his stead. Job, Isaac and Jacob all offered sacrifices. Abuse began when the Israelites relied on offerings to take the place of a change of heart. Godly fathers need to follow the example of Job who continually rose up early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all his children. David declares, "I will go into Your house with burnt offerings: I will pay You my vows." Psalms 66:13. The people that the Lord brings to His holy mountain rejoice in His house of prayer, their burnt offerings and their sacrifices are accepted. The poor were unable to afford the more expensive offering of a lamb and would buy doves from a dealer in the Court of the Gentiles. In the age of grace, we as Christians are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. We are to be as the altar of living stones that Peter wrote of and illustrated in the Old Testament, offering up "Spiritual sacrifices." The offering of a burnt sacrifice upon the altar was a sweet aroma to the Lord in the Old Testament, in the Revelation, it is the prayers of saints that were compared as "golden vials full of odors." Revelation 5:8. The Ten Commandments have the singular distinction of being written with the finger of God onto tablets of stone. As important a document that was, Moses threw them to the ground. The Law of Moses was given to the children of Israel but they did not keep the Law, rather it was impossible to keep and a grievous burden. The Law was effective only to the point of being a lesson to us in times to come that would lead us Christ by teaching us our utter helplessness to do the Law without Spiritual help. "That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 84. This is an easy concept to understand, it is impossible to do in the flesh. The Law was considered perfect because the righteousness of the Law was perfect in every way. The Hebrews could not righteously live by the Law as a people because human nature stood in the way. The laws of sin and pride were constantly present whether they were able to keep the Mosaic Law or not. The Jews failed miserably in this when they rejected the Spiritual Kingdom of God through Jesus the King. Through the New Covenant that is of our faith and the blood sacrifice met by the spotless Lamb of God, we by grace fulfill the righteousness demand made by God, and by His Spirit, we fulfill the Law. The reliance on ceremonies and commandments only too easily leads to a false trust in the legal elements of religion. St. Paul warned us: "Wherefore if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh." Colossians 2:20-23. (NASB). God will make crystal clear to you the difference between your own self-efforts and the working of the Holy Spirit through you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. To make your own way to Heaven by your own efforts is what condemned the original Babylon. Salvation is by grace through faith plus nothing. It is a question of doing or believing. All the laws of Moses were fulfilled in Christ on the cross and not binding to the Christian, walking in the Spirit supersedes them through the greater law of love. Has the Sabbath day been done away with? As the seventh day of the week according to the Law, yes it has. "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." Colossians 2: I6-17. Those that try to enforce the Sabbath laws are in the same situation as the Judaizers who tried to enforce the circumcision laws. The same can be said of those that tried to enforce Sunday laws as the Sabbath like Constantine and Calvin did.
The Gospel of grace by faith is the true Gospel and that is why Jesus died so that we could receive eternal life without the stifling rules that no one could live by anyway. These are those that would bring us under another gospel which tells you that we are to follow the specific rules in their church or to make the Bible as an idol or a club. Legalism is idolatry because it supplants our faith in what Jesus did on the cross. The fact is that the Gospel is very simple. Love those around you and love God and walk in His Spirit, you will not sin. It was done on the cross, it is finished, now let go and let God. If you can trust Him even just a little bit in this, He will not fail to make you into something that He will be proud of. This is nothing new, the Church has been saying it all along. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. This may be the most popular Christian song ever sung. To know grace is to know Jesus. To know Jesus is to know grace. Of all the words in our language, nothing else but grace carries with it as much weight; it is the sum total of all that Christianity stands for. Grace is the love and favor of God toward man, spontaneous, unmerited, limitless, infinite and almighty directed. With grace, we leave those stifling laws and rules and regulations and sacrifices behind and lead a life full of the Spirit. Most all references to grace in the Old Testament are termed as finding favor or grace in the sight of God or another person. Grace is found all through the Bible as various types of undeserved kindness and favor. We do not know how far grace extends in our human life here on earth but it extends at least back to Adam. We can see this throughout the New Testament. Our salvation is directly through God's grace, God saves us even though we do not deserve it, this is the ultimate undeserved favor. As we display the fruits of the Spirit, we are showing grace to others. Grace is the source of the entire plan of redemption from Creation to eternal life. For us, grace is found in the prophetic realm as well as in social justice and all the Christian virtues and callings. God's grace is to be distinguished from His mercy and love. In Scripture, grace is used in several senses (xapis, charis). There are different kinds of graces that have been debated through Church history. Very frequently, grace signifies not just a gift bestowed on us, but the goodwill or favor with which God regards us. It is important to consider these "graces," in the plural. All the fruits and blessings of the Gospel are termed graces, not only regeneration and pardon, enlightenment, sanctification, etc., but from the miraculous with sign gifts to the peculiar traits of Christian character. Grace gifts are freely bestowed by God as miracles when you can channel the hand of God through your own. While grace has many facets, we can see them all in four types, common grace, prevenient grace, saving grace and sanctifying grace. Wesley would add another called glorifying grace. Paul writes to Titus in verse 2:11 "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men." This is common grace, it is what we see in Creation as God's handiwork in nature, the beauty, the seasons, the miracle of life. These things affect all of us throughout all our lives. Common grace is given to each of us simply because we are able to get up in the morning. Among the greatest gifts of Grace is everywhere that God is. Grace is present in the creation story of Adam and Eve; we know that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and that God's grace was present in the wilderness wanderings. God's grace in New Testament salvation is freely given but conditioned upon our receptiveness in faith as evidenced by Jesus as Lord. To be faithful toward God is not something we do, it is the essence of who we are in Christ and is the singular prerequisite on our part that stimulates God's grace toward us in salvation. It just takes that mustard seed of faith with the humility and courage to reach out to God for forgiveness and mercy. Jesus already provided the grace, all you have to do is accept it by faith; a penitent life comes all at once or in stages, a changed life should follow. Saint Augustine is quoted as saying: "For grace is given not because we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them." And Paul; "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8. Prevenient grace is the kind of grace we see before conversion from whatever God uses to lead us to salvation. Those that are ultimately saved initially receive this kind of grace. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men." Titus 2:11. Not everyone responds to prevenient grace so it is not included in saving grace. Intercessory prayer and the wiles of the devil are most active in this area. It is the battleground for the multitudes in the valley of decision and taken into the Heavenlies to pave the way for salvation. Saving Grace is God's gift of redemption and claimed by every child of God. "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." Romans 3:24-25. For saving grace to work there are two things present, the work of Jesus at the cross and our faith in that work, prompting the writer of Hebrews to declare that "but without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6. Redemptive grace is focused most on the death and resurrection of Jesus. With it are united the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for sinners; and that of the Spirit of Grace. Grace in man is traced up to the grace of God as its primary source; and the Gospel of Christ and the work of the Spirit - both pure grace - are its only avenues of communication. Sanctifying grace is also present in saving grace because as we are justified, we are separated from the world by being set apart as a member of the universal Church of God through Jesus Christ. The grace that effects our salvation is a process that culminates with our initial conversion and giving of the Spirit. We are a new creature without the stain of depravity. Salvation is not a guarantee of a true Spiritual life however, it is the entrance into the true Spiritual life. Previously, we were in control of our own lives, God was not in control, we were. As we grow in sanctification and grace, we submit to the Heavenly calling where God is in control. God is in control in our lives only as we give Him that control. Saving Grace is the redemptive work of Calvary and has made men the sons of God. Justification is not perfection, it is our position in Christ, it gives us the Spiritual life but not Spiritual maturity Thus Peter admonishes us to "grow in grace." 2 Peter 3•I 8. Sanctifying grace implies being separate and is not the same thing as justification. It is a process of setting ourselves apart from the world and keeping our minds set on Heavenly things and fulfilling our calling. Classical Pentecostals call sanctification a second work of grace. By God's grace, we are given the power to be separate but the choice is still ours to follow the Spirit at this point or go back and walk in the flesh. Justification through saving grace is in the holy place but sanctifying grace is living for Christ in the holy of holies. We need God's grace to be saved and we also need God's grace to be sanctified. This is what makes faith and works compatible. Sanctifying grace is present in the grace that keeps us in the state of holiness. This is the power of grace that separates us from the sins and lusts of the world. It is actual grace; it produces the good works by us through the power that He gives us. But more, it brings us to the point of total union with the risen Lord. It is by faith, not through our own efforts but obedience to the revealed will of God in our lives. This is the Holy of Holies. We are being the Church in action and bringing forth into the world the teachings of grace found in the Gospel of Christ and Him crucified so that others may also believe and enter into the abundant life. Sanctifying grace can be as subtle as a gentle nudge or come in prophetic power and healing. Holiness is the key, through God's power, we cleanse ourselves at the altar of forgiveness and Godly sorrow. A Kempis writes, "But he who attributes anything good to himself, hinders the grace of God from coming to him, because the grace of the Holy Ghost ever seeks the humble heart." It has been true in all ages that we need more grace in our own lives and we need it now. We are compelled to bring forth that grace in others. Saving grace saves us from the penalty of sin; sanctifying grace saves us from the power of sin. The grace where we stand is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is how He keeps us in grace and our salvation certain. Grace is the only power on earth that you can be saved in this life and grace is the only power on earth that keeps you saved. We must rely on the Lord Jesus Christ to be able to increase our faith and appropriate that grace. The blood at Calvary was final in our lives, it is done. There is nothing more that the Lord will do to make us more saved once we accepted Jesus in faith, our standing in grace is assured with that fact. Now we further stand on that grace by being led by the Lord and moving onto perfection. Many people depend on "cheap grace," the kind of grace that uses salvation as fire insurance and then sin, knowing that God is bound to forgive. Paul warns about using our grace as an excuse to sin. We must make the daily decision whether to put Jesus back upon the cross or stand on the Spiritual power of God in directing our lives. Good examples of cheap grace and costly grace are found in the book "The Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace represented as the Church's inexhaustible treasury from which she showers blessings with generous hands without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost. The essence of grace is that the account before God has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing. Cheap grace therefore amounts to a denial of the living Word of God, in fact, a denial of the Incarnation of the Word of God. Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves, the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without Church discipline, communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "For you are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6 20. Above all, what has cost God so much cannot be cheap for us, it is grace because God did not reckon His Son too dear a price to pay for our life. Teachers of cheap grace do not have a holiness doctrine that brings them beyond initial justification and into sanctification. Once they get you into the Holy Place, they do not have the Spiritual wisdom to get you into the Holy of Holies. Please people, listen to what Paul and James have to say to us concerning grace and holiness. Listen to the writers of the Bible and not to the conventions of men that would dissuade you from holiness and entire sanctification. These false teachers have a great following and many Christians flock to them but cheap grace is just coming to Jesus for the freebies without sufficient grace giving us power to live as we should. Grace should give us the desire to do good, not a license to do bad, licentiousness is the abuse of grace. Growing in grace requires the continuation of the Spirit. We can no more rely on our own power to live the Christian life than we could in becoming a Christian in the first place. All you have to do is ask. Grace interacts with faith for salvation unto good works. Many seem to think that grace and works are not compatible but they better be or we are in big trouble. "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast, for we are his workmanship, 'created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10. God's grace is working in us, bringing us to Spiritual maturity and completeness. The writer of Hebrews states in verse 2:9, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man." These Scriptures show the universality of grace toward all men. The difference here is Calvary, Jesus died for the whole world and God's grace is truly available to all but salvation is conditioned upon our acceptance of Him. Certainly, faith and grace are way up there in the "process" of salvation. Part of this process is justification; we cannot be said to be saved until we are justified. Paul teaches in the book of Romans that "justification does not come from the deeds of the law but freely by His grace through the redemption of Christ Jesus" 3:24. In grace the believer has a whole new life ahead in the Spirit. Grace is boundless; it discriminates against no one and shows the love of God toward mankind as nothing else does. The sinner is lost until by divine grace He is saved, grace can never be excluded in the salvation process. Without grace, God would have had to come up with something else and He didn't. This indescribable gift of grace is perfect in every way. The amazing part is that it is absolutely free. All we have to do is reach out and take it with faith in the Person who gives it.
by Jay Atkinson
The Greeks settled their matters of law in the civil courts while the Jews settled things before the elders of the village or the elders of the synagogue; to them justice was far more a thing to be settled in a family spirit than in a legal spirit. It was forbidden for a Jew to go court at all in a non-Jewish court, it was blasphemy against the Divine Law they were caretakers of. Paul also spoke against the taking of a Christian brother to civil court.
common grace is the Spirit that has been shed upon the world through the Gospel teachings of grace. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse, because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." Romans 1:20-21.
