Law and grace

Introduction
There is this line of divergence or let me say confusion among Christians and this line is between Grace and law. People doesn't understand the difference or the similarities between the two. There is actually a big difference between law and grace and we are going to deeply examine that in this post.

Starting with

We will be making our study from the book of Galatians 3, in this chapter of the Bible, Apostle give better explanation on law and grace and by the help of Holy Spirit I was able to derive this revelation deeply.

Living by law every detail of result is breeded based on effort inputed, the reason why in old testament I.e the era of law it is hardly you see miracles or sign and wonders because such is reserved for the anointed, and some specially graced people, only few have the capability to do it. When you are lame you are lame, when you are blind you are blind and these misfortunes are usually attributed to sin that is why when Jesus wanted to heal the blind man He said oh man your sin is forgiven. Another thing that gives more concern in the era of law is the tendency to suffer the consequence of a parent sins or probably a person in the family and we can observe this in the life of Achan in Joshua 7, look at the story of Eli and his sons. The law is so cruel, if you don't conform to it you are damned.

But look at the era we are now we are heir and so we are free. Not our work determines our result or righteousness but just our faith in Jesus Christ

Understanding work and faith
Law is based on work while grace is based on faith. In law you have lots of task to achieve to be a qualified person, you don't dress anyhow like mixing different fabrics at a go, you don't eat anything like eating the creeping things because you might be disrupting the ecosystem, you don't talk anyhow, you act this way and you must observe this and that, ooooh, can't we see there are too much to obey. Ok, If i fail one so what am I going to do? I need to sacrifice as in make huge sacrifice to God through the priest but how many sacrifice will I be making with this generation where almost all things are against the law, you can't just expect me to stay at home for 40 days just because I give birth, my work place won't understand that, this day people are Keen on efficiency so there is no time to waste. Wearing just a pattern of fabric won't work any longer since fashion industry has moved on, so what happens to rocking varieties, you can see the too much constriction that we have in the law, it will only tie human to one spot and that is why law is hard to obey because humans are dynamic organism.

When i see churches clamping down on some set of rules which maybe it is because it favors them, i just shake my head for the error, there are lots of rules to obey in the book of deuteronomy aside the ten commandments but most of those things are not comfortable with us any longer because it could only work with the Israelites then as a system of governance since the priest rules them in that era, but now many people of different cultures and backgrounds has been integrated into Christianity, how comfortable will it be for a forty years gentiles to go under the knife for a circumstition just to fit into some law, if you remember vividly, the belief on circumstition caused big problem in the early church. Obviously the law is too particular it can't carry everyone along so Christ have to come and take away the barrier so that there will be dynamism where Faith in God can relate to everybody and every tribe.

The law was an interim for grace. The law is a system to bend life to a pattern while grace is a path of life. When under grace there is no fear for Christ has taken all that away, Christ has finished that work for us. The difference between law and faith can be illustrated between me and a wealthy man son let's assume Dangote child with the name Jack. My success In life is determined by the foundation and structure of work that I do, I need to work hard to succeed, if I don't work hard I will never enjoy comfort of life because I need to start from scratch since I have not big inheritance from my parent so my good life is totally depended on my work (my life just exemplify the life in law). Now let's us look at our other guy Jack who everything have been made ready for, either he works or not everything is on track. He does not need to wake up early even though I need to wake very early, he doesn't need to queue at the bus station for he has his private car but I have to, he does not worry of what to eat and how to pay the bills but i have to everyday and night but yet he has the potential to be more successful than i do. He has a good starting foundation, because of this good foundation we can't regard him being lazy, he is just enjoying a leverage and leverage is one thing that a man must not lack in order to be successful in life easily, another name for leverage is favour. Just as Jack enjoyed leverages from his wealthy father so also Christ came to the world to ease our work of faith and He has paid all the price so just like Jack, all we need to do is to bear that name by accepting him as our Father then obey his rule and follow his lifestyle and day to day instruction. Please note that I can be Jack with Dangote name on my head and still suffer, only if I don't do the will of my father and that will separate me from him and this relates us to Christain who still suffers although they thought they accept Christ when their life is a total divergence from Christ life and also the second category of people who still live in law, law is good infact there is nothing bad in it however, you can't compare the privilege that jack have to be successful with the privilege I have to be successful, those in grace will always do higher.

People in the old commandments lived the same life I lived in the illustration and they have the same thought I had when I thought about the ease Jack enjoys, they are like wow is it just for me to say yes sir and follow the will of my father will I not wake up early at 4am, eat unfitting food, queue at bus station then get late to work due to some hiccups on road caused by some unforseen situation and still get to work to be served with query which will take me begging upon begging to wave, I won't have fear of how will I pay my house rent at the end of the month, infact no fear at all. If those people could be under this dispensation where just faith makes all things happens they will have seen it as more than a privilege but a buyout for life.

That is why it is a said in John 3:16 as we all know that Christ so much love the world and he gave us his life to buy us a privilege. Grace has opened us to a new reality where what we only do is to accept Jesus Christ, have his name and do wonders with it because that name has bought us a space of authority with God.

Law is the foundation of grace
Law is an experimental phase for the birth of grace. Before a big project is done, I mean enormous project although that is relative though because to me now maybe renting a flat is my big project, there will be the planning period. If renting a flat will be the next big project of my life, I need to know basic things on how to care for a home as I am learning it now. So with law, God knew where men is lacking and what men need, to live a good and holy life. The lapses of law birthed the perfection of grace, if you are still living under the law then you are still leaving in the past, and the past is imperfect.

Law is the foundation as it was said before while grace is the structure. What I am trying to say is that the process of the law was the building of Christ as the structure.

When building a foundation, there are rules and if any rule is trivialize the structure is at risk. That is why God clamped down on the men of the old, immediately you do something that affect the foundation you are taken off immediately, it is an instant judgement. I have worked as a bricklayer before and I know what it means by following details when building a structure, although we see those bricklayers as illiterate but actually they are smart, they understand measurement to the mixing of concrete, laying the lintel and following the plan layout to achieve a strong building. So the building of a house is a process of work, and that's what happens with law. Law is a foundation so you need great work to build the structure on it, you need detailed attention in following the plan in order to prevent the slightest error. Glory be to God Christ came to earth to live an exemplary life, he came to show us how to live in the ready made structure which he used his blood as the grand opening for it.

If law is the foundation and grace is the structure, there is a similarities between the two. Grace does not discard the law but it modifies it, it step down our hard work and attach us to a finished work. Even in a flat which has been build there are basic rules that guided the building and the living in it. When building a structure, the engineer understand there is a portion for bedroom and there is a measurement for it, there is a place for toilet and there is a different way to build that and that is the procedure that will control their work, they also understand that structure differs, in the sense that the input or resources needed for a duplex will be different from that of 3 bedroom flat and the expertise needed to build a skyscraper is totally different from that of a magnificent duplex, these are the rules that guild the building of a structure so also when we live in the structure we are conscious of these rules since we recognize the difference between a bedroom and a kitchen. For the reason that you own a house and the things in it, you can't place your bed in the kitchen then cook in the bedroom, the same reasoning will make you to understand that, what is needed in furnishing a two bedroom flat is totally different from that of a duplex or expect the same resources needed to live in a duplex for a skyscraper, there is a difference in sophistication.

So by now we all understand that both law and grace are controlled by same foundation, the difference is just that in grace we need not to work for we just live in it but in law we need to work hard to build the structure we needed and also live in it although living in it won't be a problem since we build it ourselves but we never can tell. Summary is that there is hard work needed in law while there is less work needed in grace.

What does grace implies
Grace means an opportunity we enjoyed without earning it, it is more like having to live in a luxurious mansion of free things. Since our work is not what earn us this opportunity, there need to be something that will get us into it and that is faith and who supervise that faith is Christ that is why it is a said that Christ is the author and finisher of our faith.

What does faith implies
Faith is a system of believe. Abraham faith in God was regarded to him as righteousness, Abraham righteousness was not because he did not steal or he did not lie but because he had faith in God. Therefore faith supercedes work. You can be that spiritual lady in the means of wearing long gowns, doing natural hair and being very outwardly respectful, all those things connect you to men which is also good however there might be a lady who is free in her dressing, wears little bit elaborous makeup and act so sharp that people judge her disrespectful (I use the word people judge her deliberately, for i understand that people can be biased) but she have faith in God by achieving God's purpose for her in being a good and creative fashion designer which designs gives people modesty and takes them away from shabbish dressing and you know build good moral in them hence won the battle against indecency among ladies, we shouldn't forget to note that she might also be using the opportunity to preach to ladies indirectly while the holy sister who suppose to be a hairdresser but couldn't do it because hair dresser is a career that will affect her holiness but she forget to understand that the hairdressing is God's purpose for her that when done will through that set a new God's standard that will make people move away from doing worldly hair style and through that she is evangelising but her holy holy character will warp her brain from thinking straight, I have come to realise that most Christians are so selfish that they care about the healthiness of their own personal faith and they are doing nothing to reach out to people who are seriously sick and need urgent care in their faith. most believers are like Peter when he was sent to minister to Cornelius the gentile, you know Peter fought with God's will just because of a standing law, the same law that was made by who send him. If law has no problem, Christ need not to come to make a repair. Law will limit our righteousness. Christ said that the greatest law is love God and love man and that's the law that we need very importantly so other don't do or do that should be decided to us by God based on personal relationship with God. Do you know that it takes a man that loves God to love his fellow man correctly. You can be so respectful to your fellow men or be so humble that they appreciate you for that but you are unknowingly hurting them if you fail to do God's purpose which will make life better for them and draw them to unity with God, It might not be through being a pastor, it might be just being a food seller that you serve God purpose but your success in that food selling will effect love of Christ in men and if your life effect love of Christ in men and it is reproduced by another believer the chain of Christ love continues and becomes more longer, you will see that we will have a better world. Failed Christians is the problem of the world that we are living now.

Carrying megaphone doesn't change lives again or wearing uniform to shout on the street makes people better, those actions will not bring food to People's table and take away the hunger that subject men to sin. Let your life, your career, your life philosophy talks about Christ and we can only come to that reality if we can live out of law and live in faith. Living in faith makes us more obedient than living in law. For example when you have a little tantrum with someone although you aren't guilty but the spirit says that go to that person and beg, remember that by law you didn't do something wrong but by faith when you refuse to go and beg that person you have sinned, infact begging that person is a way of relating Christ love. Sometimes we battle with our spirit with the points we made from law, for example God told you to forgive your fiancee who cheated on you then makeup the relationship but you will tell God that the law doesn't permit that. Faith takes us above the law and not below the law, you can't tell me that you are in grace and you still commit fornication, how will that happen like how can that happen when Christ the structure we live in never does that, you are surely living in a wrong structure.

Grace doesn't makes us free to sin rather it makes us free with God and his righteousness. After I read the book of Hebrew 11, I discovered that the great men of the old testament weren't men of law but men who had faith in God word and follow it sincerely.

When we walk in faith we walk in particular with God, we receive direct law that involves us directly and do things that God want from us in particular. The law generalise everything and makes us common but the truth is that humans are not like that so we need grace.

Receiving under grace
This days people have this serious belief on prayer and fasting, like prayer and fasting is all it takes to be blessed. People that are greatly blessed never merit it with prayer and fasting, Abraham never, David never, Gideon never, Elijah never, Daniel never, Meshach Shadrach and Abednego never however, prayer and fasting build our spirit man up and charge us up. Our faith and believe in God then our obedience drives us with God and earn us mercy. When you do God's will and you follow his purpose for you, you are already in a path where your already made blessing is placed. It is in the old commandments that you need to sacrifice a child for a victory or fast to engage your mind with God but in this era Christ has done everything just follow the path and the path will lead you to your place of blessing, I am a living example in this regard, I discovered that never has fasting or too much prayer alter anything in life but it has sharpen my spirit man though but faith and obedience have done more for me than I can imagine.

Commandments and holy Spirit Spirit
During the time of law, we need the commandments in order to be right with God but now we need Holy Spirit, for He is the commandments in our heart, so the temple has no need anymore. The temple lies in our heart. The holy Spirit will guide you with God, it will direct your belief with God and makes you holy in God. It is the spirit that makes us holy, we need it and we must.grow in it.

Conclusion
Grace and law are two things in the race of righteousness that we ought to understand. When we walk in grace we live superiorly to the law but when we walk in the law we downgrade our capability and our benefit with God, it like adding extra baggage to ourselves. I hope we learn to live by grace and not by law.

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