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Subject: Law and Grace - New Testament
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1999 15:49:15 -0800
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From: Greg Killian
Subject: Law and Grace - New Testament
Law and Grace - New Testament
by
Greg Killian
http://members.aol.com/gkilli3/home/grace.html
Okay, now lets examine the Apostolic Writings to see how grace is
used. The first use of "grace", in the Apostolic Writings, is found
in:
Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou
hast found FAVOUR/GRACE with God.
-----------------------------------------------------------
5485 charis, khar'-ece; from 5463; graciousness (as gratifying), of
manner or act (abstr. or concr.; lit., fig. or spiritual; espec. the
divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life;
including gratitude):-acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace
(-ious), joy liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy).
------------------- Dictionary Trace -------------------
5463 chairo, khah'-ee-ro; a prim. verb; to be "cheer" ful, i.e. calmly
happy or well-off; impers. espec. as salutation (on meeting or
parting), be well:-farewell, be glad, God speed, greeting, hail, joy
(-fully), rejoice.
In this verse, righteous Mary receives God's grace. It was not because
of what she had done, but because God chose her. She did not abandon
the Torah because of this grace, but rather taught it to her son, and
encouraged Him to walk in the ways of Torah.
Lets look at some more verses which deal with grace:
Acts 2:42-3:1 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching
and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous
signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together
and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and
goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they
continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread
in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the
Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. One
day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of
prayer--at three in the afternoon.
In these verses, the ones who find grace are the ones who devote
themselves to the Apostles' teaching, which includes going to the
Temple to pray three times a day.
John 1:15-23 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying,
"This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed
me because he was before me.'" From the fullness of his GRACE we
have all received one blessing after another. For the law was
given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the
Father's side, has made him known. Now this was John's testimony
when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him
who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I
am not the Christ." They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you
Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered,
"No." Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take
back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" John
replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of
one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"
Notice, in the above verses, that law and grace are together in the
sentence, not as opposites, but as complements to each other. The One
who brought us grace was himself, completely, obedient to the Torah.
Acts 13:42-44 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue,
the people invited them to speak further about these things on
the next Sabbath. When the congregation was dismissed, many of
the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and
Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the
GRACE of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered
to hear the word of the Lord.
In the above verses, we see Paul and Barnabas urging the saints to
"continue" in the grace of God. Notice what they are doing, that they
should continue doing: They are studying God's word in the synagogue
on the Sabbath. They are not meeting on Sunday, they are, repeatedly,
meeting on the Sabbath.
Acts 14:1-3 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the
Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great
number of Jews and Gentiles believed. But the Jews who refused to
believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against
the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there,
speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his
GRACE by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.
Here we see grace associated with those who usually go to the Jewish
synagogue.
Acts 15:1-22 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were
teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to
the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." This brought
Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So
Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other
believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders
about this question. The church sent them on their way, and as
they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the
Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very
glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the
church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported
everything God had done through them. Then some of the believers
who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said,
"The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of
Moses." The apostles and elders met to consider this question.
After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them:
"Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among
you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the
gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he
accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did
to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he
purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test
God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither
we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is
through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as
they are." The whole assembly became silent as they listened to
Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders
God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished,
James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to
us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the
Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in
agreement with this, as it is written: "'After this I will return
and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I
will restore it, That the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and
all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these
things' That have been known for ages. "It is my judgment,
therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles
who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling
them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual
immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.
For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times
and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."
In the above passage, we see that salvation comes through grace, but
we still have to obey parts of the law immediately, and we will learn
the rest of the law of Moses when we go to the synagogue on the
Sabbath.
Acts 18:24-28 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of
Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a
thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in
the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught
about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and
Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to
him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to
Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples
there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those
who by GRACE had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in
public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the
Christ.
Here we see grace associated with those who spoke in the synagogue,
Apollo; and those who attended the synagogue, Priscilla and Aquila.
Priscilla and Aquila are attending the synagogue, even after they knew
the way of God more adequately than Apollo. The Sabbath and the
synagogue were important to those who were saved by grace.
Romans 3:21-24 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law,
has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ
to all who believe. There is no difference, For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God, And are justified freely by
his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Notice, in the above verses, that GRACE is related to justification,
NOT sanctification. We receive God's grace in order to be justified,
not for sanctification. Since we sin, we need grace in order to escape
the condemnation that our sins bring upon us. This grace does not
preclude Torah observance for sanctification. The law and the prophets
testify about this righteousness. If we want to "hear" this testimony
we have to look to the Torah and to the Prophets.
Romans 4:1-10 What then shall we say that Abraham, our
forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was
justified by works, he had something to boast about--but not
before God. What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God,
and it was credited to him as righteousness." Now when a man
works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an
obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God
who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of
the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
"Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins
are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never
count against him." Is this blessedness only for the circumcised,
or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's
faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what
circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised,
or before? It was not after, but before!
Now, we can see that Abraham was justified by grace BEFORE he was
circumcised, BUT, he still circumcised himself and his whole
household. He even circumcised Isaac, sometime later, on the eighth
day, just as the law requires.
Romans 4:13-16 It was not through law that Abraham and his
offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the
world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if
those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the
promise is worthless, Because law brings wrath. And where there
is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes
by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all
Abraham's offspring--[not only to those] who are of the law [but]
also [to those] who are [of the faith] of Abraham. He is the
father of us all.
Notice that the words in the brackets are NOT part of the text. These
words reflect the theology of the translator. The above verses also
compare law and grace. The law brings wrath. We are never justified by
the Torah, justification always comes by grace through faith. Grace
from God is clearly linked to faith and to justification. But, lest
you think that Abraham did not obey the Torah, consider:
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified through
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in
which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of
God.
Here we see that grace is clearly associated with justification. The
law is never used for justification.
Romans 5:12-18 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through
one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all
men, because all sinned-- For before the law was given, sin was
in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no
law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the
time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a
command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. But
the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the
trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the
gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ,
overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the
result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and
brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and
brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man,
death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who
receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of
righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation
for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was
justification that brings life for all men.
The ones who need grace, are the ones who trespass God's law, and we
know that we are not to sin in order for grace to abound.:
James 2:14-24 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to
have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a
brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of
you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,"
but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In
the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by
action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have
deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my
faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even
the demons believe that--and shudder. You foolish man, do you
want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our
ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he
offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and
his actions were working together, and his faith was made
complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that
says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a
person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
James indicates that those who obey God's word, which is found in the
Bible, will be justified by their faith.
This study was written by Greg Killian.
Comments may be submitted to:
Greg Killian
24620 Russell Road P204
Kent, WA. 98032
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
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