The Law or Grace?
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Matthew 5:17-18
Don’t you just love a controversy? Not really. Webster’s defines “controversy” as “a discussion of a question in which opposing opinions clash”. I don’t like controversy, confrontation, or arguments. However, it seems like one could mention almost any subject, and there would be some controversy about it. The reason for that is folks can’t always agree about things. It’s common to have different opinions about subjects. We learn from hearing the viewpoints of others. The controversies that seem to be ridiculous are the ones concerning food. One day a food is good for you, and the next day, it will likely kill you. But then wait a few months, and it will be back on the list of beneficial foods. However, there are other controversies which are much more serious because they concern the spiritual condition of folks. There has been, particularly in the last couple of years, controversy over following the law or living under grace.
The very first thing to remember is that the law cannot, nor could it ever make a person righteous before God. One is saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Works, as in following God’s law, never comes into the picture as far as salvation is concerned. But that doesn’t mean that the law has become obsolete. Jesus’ statement about not destroying the law, that is the Ten Commandments along with the remainder of the laws that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai, was directed to two different groups in His audience. He wanted the Scribes and Pharisees to not fear that God’s law would now be superseded and done away with by His coming to earth. The Pharisees and other religious zealots were very protective of the Old Testament books. They were so zealous, in fact, they had added multitudes of traditions and rituals as their own law and made following the law extremely burdensome. One example is found in Matthew 15:3-6. These manipulators of the law had changed the intent of the fifth commandment which demanded honor of one’s parents to justify neglect of their parents. Jesus told them that they had basically made the fifth commandment ineffective. The Scribes and Pharisees considered themselves as “owners” of the law, the only ones privileged to have the written word and therefore giving them prestige and rank. If the law was destroyed or removed, they would lose their position of power. Always be wary of any preacher or teacher who does not encourage you to study God’s word on your own.
The second group to which Jesus directed his statement was just the opposite. These folks would have been eager for the law to be destroyed. These were common Jews who resented the burdens placed upon them by the Pharisees and Scribes. The regular folks did not own written copies of the Torah and were required to rely on what they were taught by the leaders of the synagogues. They wanted out from under all those harsh restrictions which the leaders had placed on them. They saw Jesus as a means of escape from the strict, binding law and an opportunity to live as they pleased. Notice how, not only these folks in ancient Israel, but folks today are almost always concerned about how things affect them personally. While the first group feared losing the law, the second group looked forward to the law’s demise. Neither one seemed to care all that much about God’s law and the reason for its existence.
However, Jesus had no intention to destroy the law or any of the words of the prophets. He came to fulfill the law and fully obey the commands of the law because He was “made under the law”, that is, born a Jew and came “to redeem them that were under the law” (Galatians 45:4-5). In order to have right standing before our Holy God, a person would have to obey His law perfectly. Because man is born in the flesh with a natural disposition to sin, he cannot fulfill God’s law perfectly. Only Christ could do that which made Him the fulfillment of God’s righteousness and the only One worthy to provide the remedy for sin by His sacrifice on the cross. Before His sacrifice, God accepted the blood of bulls and goats to temporarily appease His demand of righteousness, but the blood of animals could never take away a person’s sins. That miracle required Human blood, the blood of Jesus Christ, who was sinless and perfect, and who established, or settled God’s law perfectly.
Not one teeny tiny part of God’s law (jot and tittle) will be left out or neglected or omitted. God’s word will stand forever (I Peter 1:25). Some folks argue that because we are not under the law any longer, but rather under grace, the law has no meaning to Christians. Paul addressed this issue in Romans 6:14-23. Some of the believers in Rome had assumed that since they weren’t subject to the law any longer, they could do as they pleased because grace would cover their sins. Paul wrote, “God forbid” that they would have this attitude. Even though a saved person is under grace, how could he continue in sin, violating the very laws of God, and breaking God’s heart. As believers, we are not under the law, but we keep God’s law because we love Him and desire to do what’s right. I John 2:5 states: “But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.” It makes perfect sense that if we have been saved by the marvelous grace of the Lord, then it is only reasonable, rational, and right to live by His word.