Are You Under Law or Under Grace?: Being Free to Love God Daily

© 2005 Bob Bennett. All Rights Reserved.

All scripture verses have been taken from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means

without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 02/09/05

ISBN: 1-4208-2236-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-9017-1 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

Contents

Foreword:

Swept Up In Grace

Introduction:

Chapter 1: Why The Law?

Chapter 2: Why Grace?

Chapter 3:

Can Law and Grace Be Mixed?

Chapter 4: Grace In The Gospels: The Life And Words Of Jesus

Chapter 5:

A Study In Acts Of The Apostles

Chapter 6: A Study In Other New Testament Letters:

Grace As Our Cornerstone

Chapter 7: The Grace Of Hebrews:

The Everlasting Covenant

Chapter 8: Profiles In Legalism

Conclusion: To Live By Grace

Prayer For A New Believer

About the Author

Foreword:

The author is noted for his ability to project enlightenment and Truth in bringing to the reader with clarity the knowledge and understanding of the depth of God’s Unconditional Love. We, who are sinners, through belief in Jesus Christ are redeemed from the curse of the Law and set apart by Grace. The writer clearly sets forth that faith in Christ brings a completely righteous status in God’s Presence that the Law could never afford. Bob Bennett gives a very definitive awareness of Law and Grace. Belief in the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ brings Grace and the Forgiveness of sins and And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39)

The writer has done an outstanding and very thorough work throughout; bringing the reader into the freedom and righteousness Christ offers us at the Cross. It is that Faith in the Shed Blood of Jesus that brings us back to our Father’s House for all eternity. What a Gift of Divine Love!

I am grateful and pleasured to encourage Bob Bennett to continue to impart God’s Precious Gifts to so many hearts that they may know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior!

Vi Z. Walker

Woman-at-the-Well AgapeWorld-Wide Radio Ministries

Box 116

Valhalla, New York 10595

Swept Up In Grace

By Vi Z. Walker

Like the puff of white clouds moving softly in space

Like the sound of Spring raindrops all marching in place

Like the elegant flower and the towering pine

God’s designed and created your world and mine.

In Kindness and Love, He gave special Grace

And sent His Son Jesus to take our place

On the Cross of Forgiveness to free us from sin

Then gave us the power to triumph through him!

He shows up in our teardrops and He’s there in our pain

With each tribulation, He makes it our gain.

Father O Father, sojourners are we

You are God of the Living and in Christ we are free

Because of your Goodness our sin you’ve erased

By the Shed Blood of Jesus

We’ve been swept up in Grace!

© 1996 Vi Z. Walker. Used by permission.

Introduction:

I am sure your eyes opened wider when you saw the title of this book. Your thoughts are probably similar to other readers when they also first saw the title. Some thoughts may even be different. Either way, your interest has been perked. I only ask you to be patient with me as I explain, under the Holy Spirit’s direction, the significant difference between law and grace, between living the Christian life under the law and living the Christian life under grace.   

Law and grace may be an unfamiliar term to many people. But, I assure you, you will be convinced that law and grace is central to how one lives the Christian life. The keys are why and how is one motivated to live the Christian life. Does the law of God motivate you or does the grace of God motivate you? Or maybe it is a combination of both? Law and grace goes directly to the core/source of the Christian life. For you to experience the intimate love of God, it is vital that you understand the difference(s) between law and grace.

In this book, we will examine closely what God’s Word (the Bible) says about law and grace. And God’s Word does say much. We will look at many Bible verses (not all of them) that speak about law and grace. Most of our studies will be from the New Testament. We will look at Jesus’ own words. We will look at the early church, in the Acts Of The Apostles, and see how it responded to the conflict between law and grace. Also, we will examine many of the apostle Paul’s epistles (letters) to see what he wrote about law and grace. Paul wrote so much that some of his letters (Romans and Galatians) speak frequently about it. Galatians, in fact, was written primarily because of this conflict. We will also take an intensive look at legalism. Legalism believes in salvation by grace, but emphasizes that one must now keep the law and commandments to make oneself acceptable to God. And, finally, we will take an extensive look at the book of Hebrews where the author explains very effectively the difference between Old Covenant law and New Covenant grace. In the end, and this is very important, all glory and life only goes to Jesus Christ – and what He has accomplished for us through His death and resurrection.

As you read, remember that THE FOCUS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS ONLY TO BE JESUS CHRIST. The Christian life does not get much simpler than Jesus. Remember also that law and grace depends on how one is motivated to live the Christian life. You must remember this often.

May the deep love and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ bless you.

Enjoy your reading.

Bob Bennett

Chapter 1: Why The Law?

Why the law? is the type of question one would rarely expect to find when studying the Bible. It seems a paradox and sort of a dumb question to ask. After all, God is perfect and has given us His laws/commandments for our own welfare. All we are required to do is simply obey them.

But, reality tells us that obeying God’s laws are not so simple. Why would God make laws that are so difficult for us to obey? What is wrong with God that He makes life so difficult by creating laws that we always seem to break? Using a phrase from the field of psychiatry: God definitely has personal/mental issues He needs to deal with.

Or maybe the problem lies elsewhere, instead of with God? What do you think?

By time you complete the reading of this book, I pray that you convincingly accept that the problem lies with you (and me). The problem is with everyone ever born (except Jesus). The problem is with our evil, sin nature (called the flesh) that always commits sins, breaking God’s laws. God loves us so much that to restore the love relationship with us, He needed to first deal with the sin issue that separates us from Him. God needs to first convince us that we are born with an evil, corrupt flesh. For if we are not convinced, then we wouldn’t turn to God.

And God did take care of the sin issues 2000 years ago through the one sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross. However, as sufficient as Jesus’ death was for our sins, this does not restore our relationship with God. For God respects our free-will choice and will not force His will on us. Instead, He offers an invitation to enter into a personal relationship with Him. And this invitation is offered by God coming to live in us – giving us His very life. He offers us His life as a gift - free of charge. Yes, God gives us His life back when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We become spiritually alive, for before we were spiritually dead.

If one believes she does not need a relationship with God, then why should she accept God’s invitation? That makes sense. If I do not believe I need salvation, why would I ask Jesus to be my Savior? God certainly does respect our free-will choices.

So to convince us that we need Him for everything (especially to be loved), God set up a system (the law) to show us this need. This is why He set up the law for the nation of Israel, His chosen people. It was the law God instituted through Moses after He freed the Israelites from the slavery of Egyptian bondage. God’s law through Moses, which also includes the Ten Commandments, is often referred to as the Mosaic law.

Through the law, God wants to expose our sin nature, the flesh. The flesh has basically controlled our entire way of living and thinking since we were born. (The flesh is what Satan effectively uses to control us.) God set the law up to show us how evil our flesh is in light of His holy standards. Our flesh is totally opposed to God’s law and will always hate God. God can do absolutely nothing with us until we acknowledge our shame and sin when His Holy Spirit exposes it to His light. And God accomplishes this through the law.

As you read this book, I do pray you will clearly see the purpose of the law God set up.

Chapter 2: Why Grace?

GRACE is one of those words that can never be fully defined. Right now, I cannot imagine myself even attempting to write about GRACE. All I can say (and pray) is that I am totally dependent on Jesus in me to do the writing through me.

Let us pray:

My Dear Lord Jesus, You are so worthy of praise, honor, blessing, and glory. You truly are the Beginning and the End of life – God’s life existing forever in the very simple pureness of love. I love You so deeply, Jesus, and can never even fathom just a tiny bit of the limitless grace You have for all people. Therefore, my Love, I ask You to think through my thoughts, to speak through my words, and to write through my hands. May all that read this book only see the very deep depths of Your intimate and personal love for them – all summed up so magnificently in one word – GRACE. I love You and thank You so much for all You are to me. Amen!

How would you, the reader, define GRACE? Also, how would you describe GRACE? Put this book down for a few minutes to think about these questions. Take a pen and a notebook to write your thoughts down. Write your thoughts as accurately as possible because you will be referring to your notes often in the future whenever you think or hear about the grace of God. You certainly will be adding additional thoughts on grace to your notes. (One thing I did a few years ago was, with a Bible concordance, write every Scripture verse that contains the word grace. As I reflect often on these verses, the Holy Spirit truly magnifies God’s free gift to us in His Son Jesus Christ.)

Permit me now, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to attempt to write about GRACE.

Being a gentleman is something I take very seriously. There is a proper courtesy and behavior in society that is generally expected of a gentleman – especially how he is to treat a lady. Some of these courtesies include the following:

•   Holding a door open so she can enter first.

•   Opening and closing the car door for her.

•   Giving his seat up on a bus or train.

•   Assisting her first to put on and take off her coat.

•   Being seated last at table.

•   Being well groomed.

•   Permitting other automobile drivers to go first. (My flesh still has a problem with this one. LOL)

Unfortunately, in today’s society, chivalry for a gentleman is all but non-existent. I must admit that often I am negligent and forget to exhibit proper courtesy. Therefore, I am very grateful that the Holy Spirit reminds me so I can focus more on being a gentleman.

Experiencing daily the joy and love of Jesus Christ easily motivates me to be a gentleman. After all, the love of Jesus motivates me into service for God so God becomes glorified through my work. Being a gentleman is an excellent example of Christian service. Only Jesus is the gentleman through me. Amen!

The people who are receiving the benefits of my gentlemanly efforts may never understand why nice things are occurring to them. They know they do not deserve it. Yet, they easily become grateful – even when just a door is held open. (When my efforts are not appreciated or understood, I do not become upset. I only pray for those recipients so they can see the love of Jesus doing it through me.)

When you receive something (even a service) from the goodness of someone’s heart and you know you do not deserve it, GRACE is an accurate word to describe this action. Grace definitely has its origins from the heart of God’s love. When we understand more of the nature of God and His plan of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, we realize that every gift He has given us is all due to His grace. It is all due only to His unconditional love and mercy. Every gift from God is always outstanding – even just having the ability to breathe. The greatest gift of all, of course, is the restoration of God’s life in us – accomplished by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God’s greatest gift is Jesus Himself. Jesus became our sin offering in His death so God, through Jesus’ resurrection, can once again live in us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ death and resurrection is the climatic action of God’s grace to us.

Defining grace is really trying to define God. One just cannot. Often grace is defined as God’s unmerited favor upon us. True this is, but it is so much deeper. Grace is the only word that can accurately describe this free gift of eternal life and salvation that God the Father has given to us through His Son Jesus Christ. God gives us the very life of Christ Himself. Yes! Jesus is a free gift. Like any gift, you do not deserve it, nor do you earn it by your good works (living under the law). The giver gives it freely and joyfully. Because it is free, you either accept it or reject it. And, when you examine closely the true meaning and motivation of Jesus’ death and resurrection, you can only step back in awe and amazement. You very easily say, My Lord, how deeply You do love me!

Grace also makes one keenly aware of whom he really is without Christ. How much do you realize that you are born evil? You have been born with an evil, sin nature that is always opposed to the Holy Spirit. You have been born spiritually dead, with the absence of the Holy Spirit – the very presence of God, the very essence of eternal life. This is the dead life you inherited from Adam and Eve as a direct result of their sin to be their own god apart from the true God. God respected their free-will choice and withdrew His life, His Holy Spirit from them. From spiritual life, they went to spiritual death. Genesis 3:6-7 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

The withdrawal of spiritual life causes spiritual death. Therefore, you (and I) are born inheriting this sin nature. Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. We, in our flesh, become God’s enemies. That is a deep revelation to grasp and understand – we are born enemies of God in our flesh, born with indwelling sin.

Because we are God’s enemies since birth, we deserve eternal punishment in hell. Therefore, the eternal life in Jesus is truly a free gift from the love of God’s heart. Do you now see GRACE as a result of God restoring His life back to you? There are countless verses from the Bible that magnificently magnify the grace of God exemplified through God’s plan of salvation – the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. Some of these Bible verses that immediately come to mind are as follows:

•   Colossians 1:19-22 For it pleased [the Father] that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.

•   Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

•   Colossians 2:9-15 For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head over all principality and power: in Whom ye also are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, Who hath raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it.

•   II Corinthians 5:17-21 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

•   Ephesians 2:4-9 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Read these verses often during your personal prayer time. Absorb the depths of God’s intimate love and grace for you. Reflect on them deeply in your heart. Reflect on the deep meaning of His GRACE. In fact, let’s expound further on GRACE, especially the free gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Grace is sure worth meditating on.

I continue to marvel that, despite deserving hell, God’s grace permits me to have this free gift of eternal life/salvation through Jesus. I am amazed that Jesus would take my place of death so I can be risen spiritually to life with Him. With every sin I committed and will commit against God, He forgives me. (This is a very deep revelation.) And with my spiritual life now alive with the residence of the Holy Spirit, God declares me Not Guilty! When Satan accuses me of my sins before God, God