The Gospel in Twenty Questions (8 page)

So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might
be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24)

The ultimate purpose of the law
is to point you to Jesus so that you may be set free from sin and live in it no
longer (Romans 6:2). The law is not your teacher, your friend, or your
protector. But the law will take you to Someone who is. The law is a guide who
leads you to Jesus.
[20]

For Christ is the end of the Law [the limit at which
it ceases to be, for the Law leads up to him who is the fulfillment of its
types, and in him the purpose which it was designed to accomplish is fulfilled.
That is, the purpose of the Law is fulfilled in him] ... (Romans 10:4a, AMP)

If you have met Jesus, the law
has fulfilled its purpose. You have no further need of its aid. You can dismiss
it as a good and faithful servant. Thank God for the law that leads us to
Christ.

The gospel of grace is
life-giving water to a thirsty soul. But mix in a little death-dealing law, and
the message becomes toxic. This is why grace preachers get upset whenever law
is preached to those under grace.

Someone once
asked me, “Who’s preaching law? I don’t know anyone who is saying we have to
live by the Law of Moses.” That’s a fair observation. The problem is, Moses
wasn’t the only lawgiver. Many are trying to live by the commands of Jesus, the
New Testament, and their own church traditions. We can even become our own
lawgivers by telling ourselves that God’s favor and acceptance hinge on what we
do.

There’s an
easy way to recognize law. You just look for the word
if
. For example, “
If
you fully obey the Lord and follow his commands, you will be blessed. However,
if
you do not obey the Lord and follow his commands, you will be cursed” (see
Deuteronomy 28:1
–
3,15
–
16). That’s vintage law. It’s carrots and sticks for religious
donkeys.

In the old
covenant, the law was often expressed like this:
If
you listen,
if
you seek,
if
you follow,
if
you obey. The commands may have
changed, but religious law today is expressed exactly the same way:
If
you fast and pray, God will act.
If
you avoid sin, he will receive you.
If
you read a chapter a day, you’ll keep the devil away.
If
you serve,
if
you give,
if
you go on a short-term mission trip, God will bless you.
[21]

There is
nothing wrong with serving or praying or any of these things. The problem is
the lie that says God’s blessings depend on you doing them. That’s the old way
of the law and it is completely opposed to the new way of grace. In this world
there may be seven steps to success or fifteen keys to favor, but in the kingdom
of God there is only one and it’s Jesus.

The law-based
covenant was a temporary arrangement between God and Israel. It was introduced
at Mt. Sinai and made obsolete at Mt. Calvary. But many don’t know this. They
didn’t get the memo. They may have heard about grace but they are living under
law. Like the Galatians of old, they’re trying to walk in two different
directions. They’re trying to do the right thing in their flesh and they’re
trying to live in step with the Spirit. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Perhaps you
feel like the prisoner running into the stone wall. You want to please Jesus
but no matter how hard you try, you just can’t break free. The problem may not
be the sin you’re dealing with. It could be that you’re trusting in the weak
arm of your flesh instead of the mighty hand of his Spirit. It could be that
you’re living under law instead of grace. Happily, the symptoms of a law-based
life are easy to recognize. Here are seven of them.

1. You feel
guilty and condemned.
Condemnation
is the number one symptom of the condemning ministry of the law (2 Corinthians
3:9). It is a sign you are more conscious of your sins than God’s grace. The
cure for a guilty conscience is a revelation of the new covenant forged in
Christ’s blood (Hebrews 10:22). It is the joyful discovery that now, in Christ
Jesus, there is no more condemnation (Romans 8:1).

You
may say, “I’m not worthy. I’ve done terrible things.” This is the judgment of
the law. Stop singing the old refrains of the law and learn the new song of
grace. God qualifies the worst of us and clothes us with the robes of his
righteousness. A life under law ignores what Christ has done, but a life under
grace responds with thanksgiving and praise.

2.
You suffer from performance anxiety.
Anxiety is a typical response to the uncertainty of living under
the law. “Have I done enough? Will God be pleased?” The law gives no assurance
and demands you do more. Yet the grace of God points you to the finished work
of the cross and fills you with confidence and peace. Those who live under law
tend to be fearful and insecure, but those under grace abound with joy (Isaiah
12:2
–
5).

3.
You are conscious of your debt to God.
What debt? Under the law-keeping covenant, it made sense to think
of God as a bookkeeper tallying your sins, but your heavenly Father is not like
that. Nor does his grace come with a price tag. He is a giver, not a loan
shark. God didn’t redeem you because he was looking for an indentured servant.
He did it because he loves you and longs to display the exceeding riches of his
grace to you (Ephesians 2:7).

A
life lived under law will always be conscious of some obligation or expected
pay back. “I have to prove I was worth it.” No you don’t. You need to renew
your mind, repent of your self-consciousness, and fix your eyes on the author
and finisher of your faith. God gave you his Son. How can you pay him back? Instead
of trying to repay him for his priceless gifts, why not enjoy what he gave you?
Let your life be a shining testimony of the generosity of your gracious Father.

4.
You’re not 100 percent certain if you’re 100 percent forgiven.
God doesn’t do forgiveness in
installments. All your sins were taken away at the cross when the Son of God
abolished sin by the sacrifice of himself (Hebrews 9:26). Neither God the
Father nor God the Holy Spirit remembers your sin any more (Hebrews 8:12,
10:17). The law says, “You must repent and confess before God will forgive
you.” But grace says, “Turn to God, for he has already forgiven you.” We don’t
confess to get forgiven; we confess because we are.

True
confession, like repentance, is an act of faith. It is a positive response to
what God has done. It is acknowledging your need for the grace he has provided
in Christ Jesus.

5.
You believe you have a responsibility to serve the Lord.
“Jesus did so much for you, what will you
do for him?” This noble-sounding line promotes an attitude of religious duty.
It fosters servants when God wants sons. It suggests your value to him is defined
by what you do rather than who you are. Worst of all, it trades the intimacy of
relationship for the lifeless formality of servitude. Instead of drawing close
to your loving Father, you’ll be content to be a doorkeeper in the outer
courts.

Those
under law aren’t free to serve; they are obliged to. They work hard but
accomplish nothing that lasts. In contrast, those accustomed to walking in the
restful rhythms of their Father’s grace feel no pressure to perform yet
accomplish much (1 Corinthians 15:10). Without any conscious effort, they bear
his fruit and change the world.

6.
You mainly think of following Jesus in terms of giving up things.
Christianity is a divine exchange, our
life for his. It’s true that you cannot follow Christ without renouncing your
right to everything, but look what you get in return. We give him our sinful
selves and get him
and everything besides
(see Hebrews 1:2). We give up
that which we couldn’t keep and get that which we can never lose.

If
you think following Jesus is mainly about self-denial and personal sacrifice,
you’ve missed the cross. You’re operating under the old law of offerings and
sacrifice. Do the new math of grace and you will see the numbers don’t add up.
Not even close. The benefits of grace are scandalous. Christ offers us an
unfair exchange, one in which we are greatly favored.

7.
You think, God will bless me as I do my part.
The essence of a life under law is the mindset
that says, “I have to do to get.” The goal may be salvation or some other
blessing but it is nothing more than DIY religion. This mindset is anti-Christ
and anti-cross.

Grace
and works don’t mix (Romans 11:6). Every blessing comes to us through Christ
alone. God doesn’t bless us in response to our faithfulness, but his. Don’t
look to yourself and your performance as the source of favor. Look to him.

Just as there were two trees in
the garden, there are two ways to live.
In
choosing the forbidden tree, Adam chose independence from God. An independent
spirit says, “I will decide for myself what is best.” This way of thinking
leads inevitably to a set of rules for living. “If I do this, I will be
blessed. If I do that, I will be cursed.” It’s a way of life that seems right
to us
—
it
makes sense
—
but ultimately leads to failure and defeat.

The law-based
life is an inferior way to live. It’s not the life you were made for. You were
created for a relationship based on the unconditional love of your Father. A
life lived under his grace has no need for rules for it says, “I will trust him
from start to finish. He will lead me in the path of life.”

Live by law
and you cannot win. The demands are too great and you face them on your own.
But live by grace and you cannot lose because God is with you, and he always
wins.

Living under
law is like being married to a fault-finding husband who constantly criticizes
you for your shortcomings but never lifts a finger to help. Living under grace
is like being married to Jesus, who is patient and kind, keeps no record of
wrongs, and carries you every step of the way.

Stumble under
the law and you can expect to be clobbered with the heavy stones of
condemnation and guilt. But stumble under grace, and Jesus will cover you with
the glory of his perfect righteousness.

The power to
change is not found in rules and the brittle promises we make. The only thing
that can bring lasting change to a sin-stained world is the supernatural power
of God’s grace.

Have you ever read something in
the Bible that seemed to contradict something else in the Bible? Have you
encountered scriptures that seemed to oppose each other? For instance, David
said, “God hates the wicked” (Psalm 11:5), but Jesus said, “God loves the whole
world” (John 3:16). Which is it? Job and Hannah both said the Lord kills people
(Job 1:21, 1 Samuel 2:6). But Jesus said, “The thief kills; I give life” (John
10:10). Who’s right?

If you get
your picture of God from Job or Hannah, you’ll end up with a different picture
from the one you get from Jesus. Or maybe your picture will be a composite made
up of bits from all over the Bible. “My God loves the wicked
and
he
hates the wicked.” Sounds like your God is confused. “My God gives
and
takes away.” Yet Paul says God gives without
changing
his mind (Romans 11:29).

Scriptures
that seem contradictory cause some to dismiss the Bible as inconsistent and
useless. But Paul said all scripture is useful provided we rightly divide the
word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15, 3:16). We divide the word whenever we emphasize
one scripture over another. Paul is saying there is a right way and a wrong way
to read the Bible.

“The whole Bible is
important. If it’s in the Bible, I’m going to do it.” Well the Bible says we
should stone our rebellious sons (Deuteronomy 21:18
–
21).
Do that and you deserve to go to jail.

“That’s
weird Old Testament stuff. I only do what the New Testament says.” Then you’re
still going to have problems. Jesus said God won’t forgive us unless we first forgive,
but Paul said he has forgiven us already. Which is it? Who will you believe?

“Obviously
I’m not going to listen to Paul. He must be mistaken if he disagrees with
Jesus.
We should do everything Jesus
said.” Well
Jesus said, “Be perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
How’s that working out for you?

Everyone
divides the
Bible one way or another
—w
e all emphasize certain scriptures over others
. B
ut how do we divide the word of truth
rightly
? What
is the best way to read the Bible? Jesus provides the answer:

And beginning with Moses and all the
Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning
himself. (Luke 24:27)

Jesus didn’t talk
about Moses and the prophets so the disciples would have a better understanding
of Moses and the prophets. He did it so they would understand him and why he
came.

To
rightly divide the scriptures, we need to ask two questions. Here’s the first
one.