GRACE AND THE LAW
Part One: Grace in the Old Testament -
Law in the New Testament
compiled by Rachel Cory, September 3, 2006
Many Christians have been taught that the GOSPEL was not introduced until the NEW TESTAMENT. This gospel, they believe, replaced the LAW which was taught in the OLD TESTAMENT. We are now in the “age of grace” they say, and it is no longer necessary to be concerned with “works of the LAW.”
Were those who lived during the time of the Old Testament saved in a different way from those living since the Cross? Will those who lived prior to the death of Christ be held to a different standard from those who have lived since? If this is the case, what does this say about the character of our God? Is this fair?
MANY HAVE TAUGHT THAT THE JEWS WERE SAVED BY WORKS.
Indeed, that was the perversion of the gospel that was taught by the religious authorities of Christ’s day. The Jews came to believe that there was merit or value in the ceremony itself. They completely lost the symbolic/prophetic meaning of the sacrificial service.
ROMANS 3:20 “For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” RSV
No one, not in the New Testament or the Old Testament, was ever saved by keeping the law.
No one is saved or has ever been saved, by following a formula-by chanting a certain number of prayers, by going to church every week, by keeping every one of the Ten Commandments, by keeping the Ceremonial Feasts, or by donating large sums of money to the church or charities.
DEUTERONOMY 9:6 "Know therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness; for you are a stubborn people. RSV
DANIEL 9:18 “Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.” NIV
God did not bless the Israelites because they kept the law.
They received unmerited blessing because of God’s mercy and grace,
which could only have been given because of what Christ had promised to do.
THE GOSPEL IS NOT CONFINED TO THE NEW TESTAMENT.
GALATIANS 3:8-9 Paul says that Abraham heard the gospel. “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” NKJV
HEBREWS 4:2 “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them; but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”
Did you hear that? Old Testament Israel heard the gospel! Abraham heard the gospel! What was the gospel? – God will send a redeemer.
During the Old Testament period, the gospel (good news) was that someday a Savior would come to pay the penalty for sin. Since the death of Christ, the good news is that a Savior has come, and has died to pay the penalty for sin.
Bring a lamb---------eat the bread.
Both are symbols which represent the death of Our Saviour.
One looked forward ---------------One looks back.
The salvation is the same -------------thru the death of God’s Son.
GRACE IS NOT CONFINED TO THE NEW TESTAMENT!
GENESIS 6:8 “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
EXODUS 22:27 God said, “I will hear; for I am gracious.”
EXODUS 34:6 God is “merciful and gracious, long suffering”
The word “grace” means “unmerited favor.” It is also defined as “the divine influence in the life.” Most certainly the unmerited favor of God was shown to Old Testament Israel. God is the same - yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Every believer from Adam through Abraham to this very day, has felt the divine influence. Every believer has known the grace of God.
THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB POINTED TO CHRIST, “THE LAMB OF GOD.”
Every lamb brought by an Israelite represented Christ. His death would someday pay the price of redemption for every man and women. And even before the Israelites, righteous Able, Noah, Job, Abraham and others made sacrifices, seeking forgiveness of sins. These men were forgiven because of their belief in the substitute provided by God. They were forgiven in exactly the same way that we are forgiven today when we claim Christ’s as our substitute (Gen. 4:4; Gen. 8:20; Job 1:5). Christ said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad" (John 8:56).
The Israelite who came in true heart sorrow for sin, with his sacrificial lamb, was forgiven because of his faith. His sins were covered (Num.15:25-29; Lev.19:23). He stood righteous before God. The word “atonement” means “covering.” The sacrificial ceremony had no power or worth apart from the faith of the one who brought the lamb. Without true heart repentance, the ceremony was repulsive to God (1 Sam. 15:22; Ps. 51:16,17; Hos. 6:6; Heb. 9:9).
THE LAW IS NOT CONFINED TO THE OLD TESTAMENT.
ROMANS 13:10 “Love is the fulfillment of the LAW.”
I JOHN 5:3 “This is love for God; to obey HIS COMMANDMENTS.”
JOHN 14:21 “Who ever has my COMMANDMENTS and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.”
JOHN 14:15 “If you love me, keep my COMMANDMENTS.”
MATTHEW 19:16,17 “If you would enter into life, obey my COMMANDMENTS.”
ROMANS 2:12-13 “For not the hearers of the LAW are justified,
but the doers of the LAW shall be justified.”
NOTE: Here we have Paul, a New Testament writer, saying that
those who do not keep the Law will not be justified.
I JOHN 2:4 “The man who says ‘I know Him,’ but does not keep His COMMANDMENTS is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
ROMANS 7:12 “The LAW is holy and the Commandment is holy, just, and good.”
ROMANS 7:14 “The LAW is spiritual.” “I agree with the LAW that it is good” (Rom. 7:16).
ROMANS 7:22 “In my inner being I delight in God’s LAW.”
Our study is continued in Part Two: The Ten Commandments - Great Moral Law of God
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Grace
and the Law part 2