Question:
Dear
Greg,
Christians seem to see “law” and “obedience” as being old
covenant issues and being at variance with “grace” and “mercy”, which
are seen as new covenant issues. My
question is: would it not be closer to the truth if we saw law and obedience
as being part and parcel of God’s grace and mercy?
This certainly seems to be how David saw God’s law (see Psalm 119
where David celebrated, extolled and rejoiced in God’s law).
So even though the law does not save us, it is still a part of God’s
provision of grace. Some aspects
of God’s grace save us, some aspects guide us, other aspects protect us and
sustain us, but God’s grace is “all in all”.
David
Answer:
Dear
David,
The name of the game is the name.
That is—two people may discuss a topic, using the exact same word,
phrase, title or name, but the meaning that they pour into the term being used
is radically different. Thus, it
may appear that they may agree but in fact they do not.
A number of cults have specialized in taking biblical and Christian
terminology, redefining them and giving them an in-house meaning.
So we must consider what meaning you may be attaching to the words
“law”, “obedience”, “grace” and “mercy”, and further specify
what I understand as the gospel of Jesus Christ.
On the one hand, I very much agree that for Christians, “law” and
“obedience” are part of “grace” and “mercy” (not the other way
around, by the way). That is, the
horse of grace and mercy draws the cart of law and obedience.
Because Christians are saved by grace, they do obey the law of Jesus
Christ. But the law of the old
covenant is not a provision of God’s grace revealed to us by and through the
cross. Because Christians are
saved by grace, they do not bow the knee to Sinai and kosher food laws, Hebrew
calendars and holy days and the like. They
accept only Jesus as Lord and Savior. They
obey him, not Moses. AND—Christians
obey Jesus Christ because he has already saved them, not for the purpose of
qualifying and being accepted in order that God will then love them and save
them. The law is not the
requirement for salvation—accepting what Jesus Christ has done for us
(including perfect obedience to the old covenant law) is.
Amen—God’s grace is all in all.
In Christ,