Jesus was full of both grace and truth. John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  Our preaching should also be full of both grace and truth. When we preach about grace we reveal God’s mercy. When we preach about truth, we reveal God’s holiness and need for justice. Preaching truth without grace is harsh. Preaching grace without truth misleads people into thinking they can abuse God’s grace by continuing to live a life of sin. Truth without grace becomes brutality; grace without truth becomes hypocrisy.

When Jesus is preached, grace is revealed. Acts 4:33 says, “With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” When the apostles began sharing about the supernatural resurrection of Jesus, the early church experienced “great grace.” Not “normal grace” but “great grace.” The same thing happens today when we preach about the resurrection of Jesus. You might even translate this term “great grace” as “radical grace,” or even “hyper-grace.” It is the type of grace that Paul was talking about when he wrote, “the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant” (1 Timothy 1:14). It is overwhelming, supernatural forgiveness of sins and freedom from the old forms of religion.

In Jesus, we have received grace on top of grace, favor on top of favor, and blessing on top of blessing. John 1:16 says, “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace” The Amplified Version translates the last phrase of this verse as “grace on top of grace.” This verse gives us a picture of “overwhelming grace.” When we give our lives to Jesus, we receive all of His fullness.

I don’t think the grace empowered believer should throw out the Ten Commandments.

Several times, Paul mentions the Ten Commandments. For example in Ephesians 6:2, Paul tells children to honor their parents. If the Ten Commandments were passed away, why would Paul be mentioning them? However, our understanding of the Ten Commandments is to be rooted in love.

We could express the law of grace by saying, “Love God, Love people.” This is our new version of the Ten Commandments. However, it is impossible to do this until after you have a revelation about how much God loves you. The more you focus on how much God loves you, the more you will love Him. The more you love Him, the better you will be at loving those around you.

How will you do it? Just as God saved you by grace, He now empowers you to walk the love-walk by grace. Why do you obey God? Is it because you fear He is going to strike you dead? Or is it because you love Him and are thankful for everything He has done for you? 1 John 4:18 says, “perfect love casts out fear.” We obey God’s laws, but now our motive is completely different. We are not scared of punishment, we obey God’s laws because of our love for Him.

St. Augustine said, “Love God and do as you please.” He understood that once you love God everything else in your life falls into its proper place. If you truly love God, you will not want to sin any longer. Love is the driving force behind grace.

Because of grace, we now have the freedom (liberty) to serve God through love. “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). Liberty from the Law is not an excuse to sin, instead it empowers us to live above the Law: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

While we are indeed free from the requirements of the old covenant, we are only freed from a lesser law so that we can serve a higher one. There is no law against love because there is simply no higher law. By this means, love is able to do what the Law could never do: make us blameless and holy before God. How much then should our heart’s cries echo those of Paul when he wrote, “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13).

Laws let us know when we are doing something right or something wrong. In order to illustrate this, let’s consider the speed limit. Often when I am driving around town, I see a sign that says, “45 MPH.” The sign informs me of the speed that experts think should be maintained for that particular street.

When I was younger, I would often ignore the speed limit. I would go 55 MPH or 65 MPH. I knew I was doing wrong, but I didn’t care. However, one day I was pulled over by a policeman. I received a ticket. Because the ticket was so expensive, it caused me to drive more carefully. I still sped from time to time…but I kept a careful eye out for police cars.

More recently, I became a father for the first time, and I find that I am much more conscious of driving safely. Now, whenever my son Caleb is in the car, I find myself driving under the speed limit. Caleb is 100% effective at making me drive the speed limit—and it’s not because he is writing me any tickets. In fact, with my son in the car, I don’t even need any speed limit signs. I operate under a different law, the “law of protecting my son’s life.” Or you could call it “the law of love.”

In the same way, the Law lets us know when we are doing wrong. Because disobeying the Law has consequences, it is occasionally effective at forcing us to be good. But, no one can obey the Law 100% of the time. By breaking even one law, you become a lawbreaker, worthy of punishment.

But, when you come out from under the Law and start a relationship with Jesus, you become motivated to do what’s right, not because of the threat of punishment, but simply because you don’t want to hurt the relationship. Suddenly, you are living under “the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” When my son Caleb is in the car, I drive safely, not because of the law, but because I don’t want to hurt my son. Relationship is a much greater motivator than the Law ever can be.

You can do right because you obey the Law, but you can also do right apart from the Law. In this illustration, what is “right” is safe driving. The law (speed limit) can make you drive safe sometimes, but the greater law of relationship (love for a son) can motivate you to drive safe all the time.

The Law is not effective at keeping us from doing wrong. It is effective at showing us when we do wrong. But, relationship is good at motivating us to do what is right. We know right and wrong because of the Law, but we know how to do right because of grace.

Law governs actions, but a grace relationship affects the heart. The Law can make you go to church, but grace compels you to worship. The Law can forbid divorce, but love between a husband and wife is a matter of relationship. The Law reduces adultery, but it can do nothing about lust. The Law can keep a person from stealing, but not from coveting. The law prevents discrimination, but not hate. In order for attitudes to change, grace is needed. My attitude toward safe driving radically changed once I had a son.

If you want to know more about God’s Grace and why Grace Wins, order a copy of Daniel King’s book about the Grace of God today!

Recently, I was invited to share at a Bible study. One man stood up and prophesied that God was about to judge America. He announced, “Because America has allowed abortions, homosexuality, and blatant sexual sins, God is angry at America.” He continued, “In Deuteronomy 28 there are five curses for every blessing. If you do not repent, you will be under a curse. Because of America’s sin, sickness and poverty will come upon you.”

I interrupted him and said, “Sir, all of God’s judgment was poured out on Jesus at the cross. Jesus took the curse. God now looks at us through the blood of Jesus. God does not curse us, He looks at us from a place of mercy, love, and forgiveness.”

The man was offended at my words but I continued, “In the Old Testament, we see God’s judgment. His wrath burned against the Israelites during the time of Moses. Fire and brimstone rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah. Elijah called down fire from heaven. But, in the New Testament, Jesus revealed God as a loving Father. All of God’s judgment was poured out on Jesus at the cross. The cross makes all the difference in the world. It is the dividing line between God’s judgment and His love.”

I finished by turning to the most radical verse in the Bible, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

In Old Testament times, God was angry at those who broke the Law. But Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Law. So God is not angry anymore! God is not mad at America or the world, God is smiling at the world. God is not judging America. God is not judging you. His mercy triumphs over His judgment. God is not up in heaven trying to beat you up. He is in heaven reaching out to you. Even when people are living in sin, God still loves them and offers them the hope of salvation. We are not “sinners in the hands of an angry God,” we are sinners in the hands of a merciful God.

Jesus did not come to condemn, curse, or judge the world. Jesus told Nicodemus, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).

Why do I call Romans 8:1 the most radical verse in the Bible? Because it completely sets the believer free from condemnation for doing wrong.

On another occasion, right when I was celebrating the fact that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ,” a holiness preacher quoted the rest of the Scripture to me, “There is no condemnation to those…who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit”

“See,” he said, “if you walk in the flesh and start sinning, you will be right back under condemnation.”

This interpretation bothered me so much that I went and looked the Scripture up in my Greek New Testament. Did you know that this phrase “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” is not found in the original Greek? So, what is it doing there?

The translators were so blinded by their legalistic theology that they could not believe the verse as it was originally written—its declaration of freedom was so large. So they added a qualification to the verse. The good news of our absolute freedom in Christ was too radical for those translators to handle. And for many today it is still too radical. There is therefore, now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. No condemnation! Think about that for a little while.

While the word “rewarded” usually has positive connotations, here it does not have that meaning. Here the word means simply that you will get what is coming to you as a consequence of the things you have done.

* “…I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works” (Revelation 20:12-13).

* “And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear” (1 Peter 1:17).

* “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Good and evil will be the criterion that will determine how our works are judged. The epic struggle between good and evil is at last being sorted out. Be assured, God is an impartial judge. He will not judge unfairly, but His judgments will be found to be justified (Psalm 51:4)

*“…I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).

* “… all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works” (Revelation 2:23).

* “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,who will render to each one according to his deeds” (Romans 2:5-6). Wrath, anger, and its consequences will one day be the portion of those who are found to be unrighteous.

The truth is that there are three different types of judgment—past, present, and future.

First, there is a judgment that has happened in the past. This is the judgment for sin that Jesus paid for at the cross. God poured out all of His wrath and anger on Jesus. Since Jesus paid the full price for sin, it never has to be paid for again by anyone who accepts Jesus as Savior. Every sin we have ever committed or will commit in the future were all put on Jesus at the cross—without exception. All your sins are forgiven. “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14).

Second, there is a chastisement for the present. This is not the type of judgment that an angry judge would dispense, rather it is the discipline of a loving Father. This present chastisement is mentioned in Hebrews 12:7 and Revelation 3:19. The purpose of God’s discipline is not to pay you back, but to bring you back. For example, when Jonah was swallowed by a whale he felt like he was being punished, but really God was just trying to get him back on track.

Finally, there is a future judgment at the Judgment Seat of Christ. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Payday is coming, and we will all have to give an account for our actions. At that point, the catalogue of your mundane actions are going to be something of vital interest to you. That day is coming—but, as long as you are breathing, you can experience God’s mercy.

1. Have mercy, because you could fall yourself. “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). “…Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

2. Continue to preach grace. I do not stop driving my car because someone had a car wreck. The abuse of grace is no reason to stop preaching grace. We should show grace even to those preachers who preach about grace and continue to sin. Just because someone preaches on grace does not mean that they fully understand it or are walking in it completely.

The power of sin is the Law.“The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56). If someone warns you to watch out for “grace preachers” because they give people a “license to sin,” remind them that Paul said that the strength of sin is the Law. It is not the preaching of grace that empowers sinful behavior; rather, it is the preaching of the Law.

3. Don’t judge. As Christians we are called to, “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” Bob Stamps said, “God is not against you for your sins, he is for you against your sins.” Jesus advised us not to pull up weeds lest we pull up the wheat too (Matthew 13:29). Our job is not to judge who is a weed and who is wheat, our job is to continue to plant the seed of God’s Word in as many hearts as we can. Don’t judge those who break the Law—that is God’s job. “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:11-12).

4. Continue to love those who sin. Jesus had a reputation of being “a friend of sinners” and we are all sinners. Have you sinned in thought, word, or deed today? The truth is that everyone sins (1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 14:2-3; Psalm 51:5; Proverbs 21:4; Proverbs 24:9; Romans 3:10-12). Most people sin twenty times before they finish breakfast. But the good news is that the blood of Jesus washes away our sins.“…The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The Greek word for “cleanse” is in the continuous present tense. This means that the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us from sin. It is not a one-time event, it is a continuous waterfall of forgiveness continuing to cleanse us every time we sin again. “Jesus took the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

Jude continues, “For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4). Jude warns us that the day is coming when people will use grace as an excuse for lewdness. What is “lewdness”? It is lust, perversion, uncleanness, and uncontrolled sin. Jude warns us there will come a time when people will say:

* Because grace has come, I am free to sin in any way I want to.

* I will make it to heaven, even if I live like the devil.

* I can do anything I want.

* No more laws, no more legalism, I am free to enjoy all kinds of sin and still be saved.

* I can confess Jesus and continue to do the same sinful things.

* I like the promises of divine blessing, I like the music at church, and I like the fellowship on

Sunday, but I don’t want to change the way I live my life the other six days of the week.

What’s wrong with these statements? Grace changes your heart. If the grace of God changes your heart, then the grace of God will change and affect your actions and lifestyle too. One proverb says that out of the heart flow the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). When grace is in your heart, it will issue out into your life too.

Jude calls those who treat the grace of God as license for sin “ungodly men,” and charges them with denying “the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” According to Jude, abusing grace is the same as denying the Lordship of Jesus.

Jude goes on to illustrate the consequences of using grace as a license for sin, giving us three examples from the Old Testament.

1. The children of Israel in the desert were saved from Egypt through grace, but because of their sin, they brought destruction upon their lives.“But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe” (Jude 1:5).

2. The angels in heaven rebelled against God and earned eternal damnation. “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6). James offers us some good commentary on Jude’s passage: “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble!” (James 2:19). Even the demons believe, but they do not submit to God’s lordship. The belief produces no change in the demons. You can’t say, “I’m a believer,” keep on sinning, and expect to make it to heaven. For demons, right believing does not lead to right living.

3. Sodom and Gomorrah engaged in wickedness and were wiped from the face of the earth. “As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 1:7).

Jude warns the New Covenant believer through three Old Covenant illustrations of the danger and consequences of abusing the grace of God. Believers in Jesus may be under a New Covenant, but that is no excuse for sin.

The teaching that grace gives us freedom to sin is a slippery slope. Saying you don’t have to live for God because of His grace is only one step away from the heretical idea of universal salvation that says everyone on earth will go to heaven because of His grace, regardless of whether they ever made Jesus Lord. If it is true that a person can continue in sin and still be under God’s grace, I still lose nothing by living righteously.However, if it is true that God’s grace compels you to live a holy life, and you choose to continue in sin, then you will suffer eternal consequences.

There are several reasons why we should avoid sin.

1. Sin has consequences. The eternal law of sowing and reaping still applies, even to those who have been forgiven. If you sow sin, you will reap destruction in your life. Even if you are forgiven in the eyes of God, here on this earth, sin will destroy you. Grace forgives our sin, but grace does not change the negative consequences that sin can have.

2. Sin opens a door to the devil. This is why Ananias and Sapphira died (Acts 5). They did not die because God judged them; they died because their lie opened a door for Satan to work in their lives. Every problem you have in life is attached to sin; either your sin, Adam’s sin, or someone else’s sin. Sin is always devastating.

3. Sin changes the direction your life is headed. Stephen Hofer says “Grace doesn’t keep us from the destructive results of sin. Sin damages the heart. It makes it difficult to trust God in the future. It makes us doubt God’s love and ability to forgive us. When we sin, God does not change and withdraw from us, but in our hearts we change and withdraw from Him.” The direction you are headed in reveals your final destination.

Sinning does not make God run away from you; rather it makes you run away from God. Under grace, you have freedom to sin. But walking in sin will pull you away from your relationship with God with no guarantee that you will ever be able to make your way back to Him.

4. Sin enslaves you. Sin actually takes you captive and turns you into a slave. You do not exercise your freedom by sinning; you actually destroy your freedom by sinning.

5. God hates sin. God abhors sin. He cannot allow sin to exist in His presence. The purpose of grace is not to allow sin, but to destroy sin. God’s grace empowers you to live holy. God’s grace frees you from sin.

What do you have to do to go to heaven? Do you have to be baptized? Do you have to read your Bible every day? Do you have to go to church every Sunday?

Let’s ask the thief on the cross next to Jesus. He simply said to Jesus, “Remember me.” In the next moment Jesus promised him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” The thief had no time to make restitution to those he had wronged, no time for baptism, no time to live a Christian life; all he did was cry out to Jesus and he was saved.

I often ask people, “What do you have to do to get to heaven?” Most people mumble something about “being good.” But, according to Jesus, getting into heaven is not about “being good.” Getting into heaven is about crying out for “help.”

Religion always tells you to “Do, do, do…” but Jesus says, “Done, done, done.” On the cross, Jesus proclaimed “It is finished.” He did not say “To be continued…by someone else.”

Religion always tries to “do.” The Israelites foolishly told Moses, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do…” (Exodus 19:8). But, for the entire 1,500 years from Moses to Jesus, not a single Israelite managed to fulfill this promise. They tried with all their might to do what the Law commanded them to do, but not one of them was able to actually keep the Law. Within a mere forty days of making this promise, the children of Israel begged Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship. God told them not to make idols, they promised to obey, but immediately they turned around and built themselves an idol.

The same thing happens today. Every time someone tries to “do” what the Law commands, they mess up. If you teach Law, people will look holy on the outside but not on the inside. The Law is all about us doing something to get something from God.

The most common question people ask me when I talk about my evangelism efforts is, “How do you disciple new believers?”—meaning, “How do you make new converts do what it is that a Christian is supposed to do?” Simply by asking this question, people show that there is a distrust of the concept of grace. God’s saving grace is not enough, new converts have to prove they are worthy of heaven by looking and acting like proper Christians. The Bible says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). Grace means you call on Jesus, period. It does not mean you have to “do” anything. Salvation is so simple that a man who drives a fast car over the edge of cliff can be saved before he hits the ground by crying out, “Jesus!”

A reward only comes for a good deed. Grace is given, not because of something you have done, it is given because of something Jesus has done.

Grace always upsets religious people. Why? Because then all the things they do (and tell others to do) don’t matter anymore—suddenly they are no better than you and they have no power over you.

Our own efforts can never get us to heaven. The problem with religion is that you will never be good enough through your own efforts to make it to heaven. No matter how good you are, your personal best is not good enough.

Once, two men had a jumping contest. One was an Olympic champion of the long jump who was in perfect shape. The other was a fat man who huffed and puffed just walking. They decided to have a contest to determine who could jump across the Grand Canyon.

The obese man could barely run. He waddled up to the edge of the cliff, leaned forward, and managed to jump two feet. He fell to his death at the bottom of the canyon.

Next, the champion long jumper warmed up and ran as fast as he could at the gaping canyon. He jumped over thirty feet…but, unfortunately, he ended up at the same place as the first man: the bottom of the canyon.

No matter how good we are, it is impossible for us to make it to heaven through our own works. The world’s most religious man and the world’s worst sinner both end up in the pits of hell without accepting Christ’s help. You are not justified by your works, you are justified by Christ’s work on the cross.

Grace cannot be earned or it’s not grace anymore. Besides who could afford the great price of grace? Dietrich Bonhoeffer compares cheap grace (grace without a price) with costly grace (grace that cost the blood of God’s Son). He writes, “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Some have accused “grace preachers” of preaching a message of “easy forgiveness” or “cheap grace.” However, grace is not cheap. Grace cost God His Son. Grace cost Jesus His life. Grace was so expensive it took the lifeblood of a Savior to pay for it. Paul did not preach “cheap Grace.” He preached the Gospel of Grace. We are to preach the Gospel that Paul preached.

Grace is not cheap, it costs the blood of Jesus.

Grace is not cheap, it cost God the life of His only Son.

Grace is not cheap, it requires a high price, paid in blood.

Those who say “don’t preach cheap grace,” do not have a full understanding of how important God’s grace is.

Since we have been recipients of God’s amazing grace, we must not cheapen it with a casual return to sin or a casual attitude to the effects of sin. Sin always has a price. We are blessed that Jesus paid the price with his own blood when He died on the cross, but we must not treat his great sacrifice casually. Expensive grace is what Jesus gives to us and thus we should value you because it is so valuable.

God gives the Israelites the Ten Commandments to show the seriousness of their sins.

First, He reminds them of His goodness, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself” (Exodus 19:4). He points out that He delivered them from Egypt through His grace, but then He adds conditions to future blessings by saying, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people…” (Exodus 19:5).

When they first came out of Egypt God blessed them out of His love, but now God puts them under “conditional blessing.” He says “If you obey me, then I will bless you.”

The children of Israel were confident they could do anything God asked of them. “…All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8). They boldly promised, “We will do everything you tell us to do.” Instead of begging God for more of His mercy and grace, they decided to be under God’s conditional blessing. They chose to live under Law, rather than continuing to live in God’s grace.

They thought they could “do” enough to keep God happy. But in order to show them their utter helplessness in completely obeying God, He gave them a perfect revelation of the requirements for earning a place in heaven. God met with the Israelites at Mount Sinai. With thunder, lightning, the sound of trumpets, and smoke, God spoke to them with a deep roaring voice. With bowed heads and trembling knees the people listened as God gave them The Ten Commandments:

1. You shall have no other God’s before me.

2. You shall not bow before a carved image.

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

4. You shall remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5. You shall honor your father and mother.

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet from your neighbor.

The people of Israel were not comforted by this experience of God, rather they were terrified. They begged Moses, “You listen to God and tell us what He says. If we hear His voice anymore, we will die.”

So for forty days, God met with Moses on top of Mount Sinai. While they spoke together, God gave Moses instructions to guide the Israelites in their daily lives. From His wisdom, God gave them dietary laws, ceremonial laws, ethical laws, and most importantly of all, God wrote the Ten Commandments with His finger, on two stone tablets.

In giving the Law, God knew that the children of Israel would fail in keeping them. There was no way any human being could obey all the laws God had given Moses. The Law was too perfect. It was simply impossible to keep. But, God gave the Law because He wanted the Israelites to realize their need for a Savior. Once they realized how impossible it is to obey the Law, the people would appreciate God’s grace all the more.

As Moses came down from the mountain, he saw that in his absence, his brother Aaron had led the Israelites into sin by building a golden calf, a direct violation of the first two commandments. In anger, Moses threw the tablets of stone to the ground, shattering them into a thousand pieces. (Thus Moses became the first man to break all Ten Commandments at the same time.)

Over the centuries, the Law worked just as God knew it would. The Israelites struggled to keep the Law, yet over and over again, they continued to break it. For forty years, they wandered in the wilderness because they broke the Law. Once they finally entered the Promised Land, they went through cycles where the children of Israel “did evil in the sight of the Lord.” For their evil, they were punished, but then a judge delivered them. Then for a short time they would live in peace, prosperity, and blessing. But, inevitably, the people fell away from God once again. Later, they demanded a king, but the kings of Judah and Israel fared no better at keeping the nation on the straight and narrow. One king follows the Lord, keeping the Law to an extent, and experiences blessing for himself and the Kingdom. But the next king does “evil in the sight of the Lord” and everyone suffers for it.

One writer in the Proverbs notes how “your law is truth” and the Psalmists sing, “I love your law!” But despite this devotion, no one is able to keep the Law. When the Old Testament writers say how good the Law is, they are still waiting for salvation.

The Prophetic books are full of lamentations and condemnations because Israel has prostituted herself and wandered away from God. In punishment, the people of God are led away into captivity. Once they return from captivity, the Jews become serious about keeping the Law. Rabbis arose who debated every small detail of the Law of Moses. To be on the safe side, they intensified the Law. If God said to keep the Sabbath, the rabbis taught, “no cooking on the Sabbath,” “no riding a donkey on the Sabbath,” and “no lighting a match on the Sabbath.” They forgot the purpose of the Sabbath—they made it a day of hassle instead of a day of rest. But, for all their work, it was the same old story in the end. No matter how hard these “teachers of the Law” tried to keep the Law, they failed. They became hypocrites, keeping the Law on the outside, but failing to obey the inward dictates of the Law. They imposed horrible burdens on others they themselves were unable to keep.

Usually, when we read the Old Testament, we focus on the stories of victory: David defeats Goliath. Solomon builds the Temple. Esther rescues her people. But, taken as a whole, the Old Testament is the sad story of a huge failure. It is a story of a people who could not keep God’s Law. Despite centuries of striving to obey it, the utter failure to keep the Law given on Mount Sinai reveals the need for a Savior.

Let’s look at one of the most controversial issues in the message of “radical grace.” 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” First, I want to say up front that I believe in this verse and I preach this verse. Every sinner needs to confess his or her sins to God. When we confess our sins we are forgiven and cleansed. It is important to confess our sins to God.

* The word “confess” in 1 John 1:9 in the Greek language is a present subjunctive, first person plural. The fact that it is first person plural shows that John is including himself in this statement. Thus, this verse is addressed to both believers and unbelievers. The fact that it is present implies continuous confession so this confession of sins can happen more than once.

* Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Jesus taught His disciples to ask for forgiveness.

* In Revelation 3:3, Jesus tells the church in Sardis to “repent.” Apparently, Jesus felt that even though the church in Sardis was full of born-again believers, some of them still needed to repent.

* In my marriage, it never hurts to say “I’m sorry” to my wife when I have done something to hurt her.

* As a believer, you do not confess in order to maintain your salvation, rather you confess to restore fellowship with God in much the same way that a child says “I’m sorry” to his father after being disobedient. My son Caleb never stops being my son no matter what he does, but when he does something wrong, it is good for him to apologize.

Furthermore, John brackets 1 John 1:9 with two other important points. He writes, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8), and “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:10).

We all sin, even after we get saved. But God does not see our sin any longer—He sees Jesus. This is why John writes, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). If we do sin, we have an Advocate who stands between God and us.

In Jesus, there is no sin. When God looks at someone who has been born-again, He sees Jesus standing there in our place. “You know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5).

So, 1 John 1:9 must be read in light of these verses:

* “Whoever abides in Him does not sin” (1 John 3:6).

* “He who sins is of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

* “Whoever has been born of God does not sin [and] cannot sin…” (1 John 3:9).

Some translations change these verses to say, “Whoever has been born of God does not [continue] to sin…” This is used to teach that the sin these verses are talking about is a continuous, habitual sin. However, this translation is not supported by the Greek tense used in these verses. The word “cannot” in 1 John 3:9 is the Greek word ou dunatai which can be translated as “not able” or “not have the power” to sin.

According to the plain reading of 1 John 3:9, if you abide in Jesus, you do not sin. If you have been born of God, you do not sin and you cannot sin. If you do not sin, then in God’s eyes you do not need to confess your sins all the time.

Some people in the church today feel that if they miss confessing a single sin, their salvation is in jeopardy. So, what happens if they forget to confess a sin? What if Jesus comes back in the twinkling of an eye and they have not had a chance to confess yet? I do not base my eternal security on whether I have confessed every sin or not. If I did, I would always worry that I had missed one. However, I think it is right for us to humble ourselves before God and say, “Sorry for messing up.”

There is a “grace way” to confess your sins, and there is a legalistic way of confessing sins. In the Roman Catholic Church, people confess their sins to a priest. Before Martin Luther had a revelation about grace, he was so concerned about confessing every sin that once he sat with a priest for over six hours in order to confess every single thing he had done wrong. He confessed every sin of commission and every sin of omission. He carefully searched his memory for every sin he had ever committed. At that time, he believed that “Sins to be forgiven must be confessed. To be confessed they must be recognized and remembered. If they are not recognized and remembered, they cannot be confessed. If they are not confessed, they are not forgiven.” Yet, despite all this effort, he still felt sinful in front of a righteous Judge. Finally, the priest got tired and said, “Martin, just go home.”

The legalistic confessor says, “Forgive me for lusting after that woman. Forgive me for doubting you for a second. Forgive me for telling a little lie. Forgive me for my lack of faith. Forgive me for that angry thought.” Once you start listing all your sins, you will never run out of things to repent of.

In contrast, the person who understands grace says to God, “Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Thank you that the blood of Jesus covers all of my sins. Thank you for giving me the grace to overcome every sin.” This is how we “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). The sinner confesses his sins, the believer confesses his hope in Christ.

The word “confess” comes from the Greek word “homologos” which is a compound word from “homo” meaning “same” and “logos” meaning “word.” So, the word “confess” means to say the same words Jesus is saying. So, when we confess our sins it means we say the same word about our sins that Jesus is saying. What is Jesus saying? He is saying, “Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Matthew 9:2). You are already forgiven, so if you ever make a mistake, just tell God you are sorry and say, “Thank you Jesus, my sins are forgiven.”

When God looks at you, all He sees is the “righteousness of Christ Jesus.” Begging for forgiveness all the time is like paying a debt that has already been paid. Imagine if someone completely paid off your mortgage. If you continued to write checks to the mortgage company every month, you would be foolish.

Under the New Covenant, your debt has been completely paid off. Stop trying to pay it again through your prayers, your confessions, or your good works.

My wife Jessica noticed that my t-shirts were starting to look ratty because of holes and stains. She went to the store and bought me brand new t-shirts. When she returned home, she threw all my old shirts into the trash. To make room for the new, she threw out the old. The same thing happened when the New Covenant came along. Hebrews explains that the New Covenant makes the Old Covenant obsolete.

In Galatians and Romans, Paul writes to mostly Gentile believers. But, the writer of Hebrews writes primarily to Jewish believers and explains the concept of grace in Jewish terms. By talking about the tabernacle, the priesthood, the system of offering sacrifices, and the great heroes of the Jewish faith, he demonstrates how Jesus completely fulfilled every aspect of Jewish tradition. Let’s look at nine facts about the New Covenant from the book of Hebrews.

1. Christ is the guarantee of the New Covenant. Hebrews 7:22, 8:6 “…Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant”

2. The New Covenant replaces the Old Covenant. Hebrews 8:7-8 “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…”

3. The Old Covenant is more than replaced, it is gone. Hebrews 8:13 “In that He says, A new covenant, He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away”

4. The New Covenant is much better than the Old Covenant. In Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments say, “You shall not….you shall not…you shall not.” But, in Hebrews 8:8-12, God says, “I will…I will…I will.” In the Old Covenant, the emphasis is on what we have to do, but in the New Covenant, the emphasis is on what God does for us. We are now “ministers of the new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6).

5. Under the Old Covenant, the Law never made you perfect. Hebrews 7:19 “for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God”

6. Under the New Covenant, Jesus is our perfect High Priest who stands before God on our behalf. Hebrews 7:26-27 “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself”

7. Under the Old Covenant, we had inferior high priests, but under the New Covenant, our High Priest is perfect. Hebrews 7:28 “For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever”

8. Under the New Covenant, God’s law is written on our hearts. Hebrews 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” God is not about a list of rules, He is after relationship.

9. Under the New Covenant, God no longer remembers your sin. Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” In Christ your sin is completely gone. Not only do you have a new future, you also have a new past. All our sins, past, present, and future, were taken away at the cross of Jesus.

I am not married because I help my wife, Jessica, in the kitchen; I help my wife in the kitchen because I am married. When I help Jessica with housework, my work does not make me more married. I simply help her because I’m her husband. In the same way, you cannot become more righteous through what you do for God; rather you are excited to help God because you are righteous.

Under the New Covenant, our motives become more important than our actions. It is all about motivation. You can have the exact same action with the wrong motivation. A woman forced to have sex is raped. A woman paid to have sex is a prostitute. A woman who willing gives her body to the man she is married to is a wife. In all three cases, the outward action is the same (sex has occurred), but the motivation determines whether the act is a loving action or a repulsive one.

God’s grace is a believer’s motivation for good works, but “religion” is a whore. Our relationship with Jesus should be like a marriage. Jesus is the bridegroom and the church is the bride. The marriage bed is all about relationship. But religion is like a man who visits a prostitute: the physical action might be the same, but the love is absent.

Once there were two restaurant owners. The owner of “The Grace Café” was an immigrant who was proud of living in his new country. He put a huge American flag on a pole right in front of his restaurant. Because of his patriotism, people flocked to eat his food. When the restaurant owner across the street saw all the increased traffic because of the flag, he put up his own flag, not because he was patriotic, but because he wanted more business. Both restaurants now have flags, but there is a difference in their motives. The first owner has a “flag with patriotism,” the second owner has a “flag without patriotism.”

In the same way, some people do good works “because of grace” and others do good works in an effort to get grace or look like they have grace. One Christian man tithes because he is in bondage to legalism. He has been taught from the Old Testament that he will be under a curse if he fails to tithe. Another Christian man tithes because he loves God and he gives out of a motivation of thankfulness. They both put the same amount of money into the same offering plate, but one does it out of legalism and the other does it out of love. One is the equivalent of a spiritual prostitute while the other is part of the bride of Christ.

In another case, one man refuses to drink alcohol because he thinks it is a terrible sin. Another man refuses to drink alcohol because he has had a revelation that his body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and he does not want to pollute that temple. Same behavior—not drinking alcohol—but one man is motivated by legalism; the other is motivated by grace.

You cannot become righteous through your own efforts, neither can you stay righteous though your own efforts. You need God’s help to change ingrained sinful habits. For many, the desire to change becomes a daily struggle with the flesh. This leads to a “works mentality” where people try to do what is right. But, even if they manage to keep their outward actions right, many still fight with inward temptation.

Doing the right thing is of little value when one inwardly wants to sin. The only truth that can set us free, both inwardly and outwardly, is God’s grace. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). For us to truly be free of the heavy burden of temptation—temptation to sin and temptation to trust in our own attempts at good behavior—we we must come to Jesus, the personification of grace. Our self-effort is worthless; we must learn to rely on Jesus. Through Jesus, victory over sin becomes easy.

Works prove you have faith. If you have faith, then you will exhibit the fruit of faith. “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Our actions should line up with what we believe. One good example of this is the sacrament of baptism. Being dunked in water does not have any power to save you by itself; otherwise every child at the public swimming pool would be saved. However, baptism is important because it is an outward sign of an inward conversion. The deed of baptism does not save you, but it is a sign (evidence) that you are saved.

Works makes our faith perfect. “Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (James 2:22-24). Faith is not perfect without works. Believing is a verb, not a noun. You have to do something to show that you have faith. Faith can only be seen when it is demonstrated.” Faith is invisible. Our works are like the “skin” put on our faith to show its existence and form.

Good works are a fruit of grace, not the root of grace. So if we don’t do good works to get saved or to stay saved, why do we do good works? If “good works” do not help us earn salvation, what role do they play in the Christian faith?

On the track to heaven there is a train. The locomotive at the front of the train is spewing smoke and chugging away. Following it are many boxcars of different shapes and sizes. At the back of the train is a caboose, bright red and shiny.

On the side of the locomotive, painted in giant letters, is the word “grace.” Directly behind the locomotive, the first boxcar is labeled “salvation.” The other boxcars all contain the blessings of God. One is “healing,” another is “prosperity,” a third is “wisdom.” And there are many more cars leading us down to the last car—the red caboose at the end of the train. The label on it reads “good works.”

One of the key themes of Galatians is identity. The identity of the Jews was very much wrapped up in the Law—the rite of circumcision being a significant sign of this identity. While circumcision is not an issue in the church today, the principle of what Paul says regarding circumcision is applicable to many situations in the church today.

Circumcision was at the center of the Jews’ identity, and Paul uses it as a symbol of the entire system of Old Testament Law. Originally, God gave circumcision (the cutting off of the male foreskin) to Abraham and his descendants—the people of Israel—as a sign of their covenant. Circumcision set Jews apart from the Gentiles, marking them as the special people of God. But, is circumcision something that Christians have to do to be saved and included among the people of God? This was a vexed question for the early church, and one that Paul addresses.

^“Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing” (Galatians 5:2). Paul is telling the Galatians that if they as Gentile believers submit to circumcision because of the suggestion of the Judaizers, they will have lost their faith. Instead of trusting in Christ alone for salvation, they would be relying on their own works. Paul informs them that they cannot mingle salvation by grace alone with the false righteousness that comes through works of the flesh. If the Galatians got circumcised, they would be turning their backs on Christ’s work on the cross.

Are we saved by faith, or are we saved by obeying the laws and fulfilling the rituals of the Old Covenant or any other traditions however ancient or modern? Paul is not actually against circumcision or the observation of religious traditions in and of themselves. We see this in Acts 16:3 when he circumcises Timothy. In Acts 21:26 he shaves his head before visiting the Temple. It is only when someone is coerced into doing works of the flesh in order to earn salvation that Paul is against these traditions. There is nothing wrong with keeping the Sabbath, getting circumcised, obeying the commandments, etc. It is only when these things are required for salvation or merit with God that they become wrong.

Some churches preach that people have to dress a certain way in order to be saved. They feel that if someone dresses “inappropriately,” they are sinning and damned to hell. This kind of thinking actually teaches people to rely more on outward appearances and behaviors than on faith in Christ.

In Christ, believers have a new identity that is not linked to any work of the Law: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation” (Galatians 6:15).

Some might argue that Abraham, the father of faith, was circumcised. However, according to Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:3, “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” This happened thirteen years before he was circumcised. Abraham was made righteous because of his faith, not because of circumcision. Abraham’s identity is found in his faith not in his circumcision: “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham…those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). It was not because Abraham was circumcised that he received the promises of God, but because he believed God.

The Judaizers did not understand the point and purpose of the Law. They thought the Law was a place of believer’s identification. But the Law was never meant to be that. Abraham’s identity was not wrapped up in the Law. But Israel as a nation had missed this. Their identity was wrapped up in rituals like circumcision rather than in the faith of their founding father. The founding father of the church is Christ, the “Seed” of Abraham (Galatians 3:16), and it is through faith in Him that we are saved and live out our new identities as sons of God.

The question for believers today is: where do you place your identity? Is your identity wrapped up in which version of the Bible you use and how many chapters of the Bible you read? In how often you go to church or what denomination you are a part of? In how much you give or serve? In whether you permit skirts to be worn above the knee or tattoos to be worn at all? What things other than faith in Christ might you be putting your trust in? Paul says this: “you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

Paul begins by talking about righteousness. The righteousness that Paul speaks of is not the righteousness of a moral code, but the righteousness that consists in right relationship with God. And this right relationship begins with acknowledging God for who He is—namely, God. Because of the ungodliness of people (that is, their failure to acknowledge God for who He is), God has just cause to be angry with humans. Yet for all this justifiable anger, God is still kind, and His goodness is intent on leading people to repentance. Repentance is required of the Jew as well as the Gentile, for while the Gentiles do not have the Law, the Jews, who do have it, are guilty of breaking that same Law. So Gentiles who do not have the Law are unrighteous, and Jews who do have the Law cannot claim to be righteous either: “There is no one righteous.” But for both Jew and Gentile there is a way to be right with God—Jesus Christ.

Paul also wants believers to have a clear understanding of the purpose and limitations of the Law. He announces, “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The primary limitation of the Law is that no one can become righteous by keeping it. And this is because no one has or can successfully keep the Law (Christ being the only exception). Instead of making people righteous, the real function of the Law is to make people aware of their unrighteousness, make people conscious of sin. The Law ensures that everyone will be found guilty, and that no one can boast that they are righteous. The problem with the Law is that it leaves everyone condemned and no one righteous. This is the trap of legalism. The observance of the Law seems to offer a way of escape from sin, but it is ultimately a blind alley demonstrating the fruitlessness of human effort to attain righteousness this way. The dead end of the Law reveals only this: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” And because all have sinned, all stand in need of “the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Paul goes on to discuss the nature of the Law and the nature of sin. While no one can be made righteous by the Law, the Law is not bad, is not evil. In fact it is good—it presents a perfect standard, holy and just. The Law is spiritual. The Law was meant to produce life. However, due to the nature of sin, the Law is woefully ineffective as a means of righteousness.

Sin has a very slippery nature. Sin exists outside of the Law, but the Law made it so that sin could be clearly defined, understood, and judged. Once the Law was in place, sin and all its ways of being lived out became definitively, unequivocally sinful, and sin became abundant. Thus the Law gave sin a whole new life: “apart from the law sin was dead,” but because of the Law, “sin revived” and came back to life. Sin went on to use the Law to flex its own muscle, twisting the original intention of the Law, making it the floodgate of wrath and the legal grounds for death rather than a means of righteousness and a source of life. By the Law we understand not just sin, but find out that our natures are inescapably sinful, for even when we want to do what is good we only discover that we always seem to be sinning. And the wages of sin is death. So we cry out in frustration: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

It seems a hopeless case. If the Law were the only means of being right with God, the case would indeed be hopeless. But where sin abounded, the grace of God super-abounded. So while Paul builds his argument about the Law and sin, he also outlines another means of righteousness that the superabundant grace of God has revealed.

Paul calls Jesus the revelation and demonstration of “the righteousness of God apart from the law.” It is because of Jesus that the grace of God becomes overwhelmingly more abundant than the sin that is abundant because of the Law. Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law—all of them, and is the only human being who has ever or ever will be able to satisfy the Law of God on every point. By doing so, Jesus accomplished for us what the Law never could do for us: where our “flesh” makes us weak and incapable of being sinless, Jesus “condemned sin in the flesh.” Jesus condemned sin not only by perfectly, sinlessly fulfilling the Law, but also by paying the penalty for sin under the Law, which is death. Because He did this, Jesus Christ is “the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” As the “end of the law” Jesus sets those who believe in Him free from sin—for “where there is no law there is no transgression.” So it is no longer by the works of the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ that righteousness and right relationship with God are to be found. This new way of righteousness in Jesus is the essence of God’s grace.

Therefore, faith, not works, is the door to righteousness. Abraham was saved not because of any goodness of his own, any works of his own, but simply because “[he] believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” No one can be justified by the Law, but everyone can be made righteous by faith in Jesus. Romans 10:10 says that whoever believes in their heart and confesses with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord will be saved. Those who are saved are dead to the Law, and because they are dead to the Law, the Law no longer has any power over them. The new reality of the person who believes in Jesus is grace: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

In Romans, the reality of grace is that there is no one and nothing left to condemn those who have put their faith in Jesus. The Law is gone. Sin has no power. God, who alone could condemn us, gave His own Son for us. Christ who might condemn us, died for us, rose again, and lives to make intercession for us. The reality of grace is that there is now nothing that can “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The grace message is controversial today. Some preachers emphasize that we are saved by grace. Other preachers urge believers to live holy lives. Often the supporters of these two viewpoints clash. Grace preachers accuse holiness preachers of preaching the Law. Holiness preachers warn those who preach “radical grace” that their message is unbalanced and that they are soft on sin. Others still try to combine the two views by saying that salvation comes by grace, but sanctification comes by continual effort to do what is right.

These conflicting views and the heated debates erupting from them should not surprise those in the church today. After all, it is no new controversy. The roots of these arguments go all the way back to the first century church. One group within the early church were called the “Judaizers” (they were also called “The Circumcision Group” or “the sect of the Pharisees”). This group taught that Gentile Christians should follow the Law of Moses. Another group, led by Paul, emphasized that salvation comes by faith, and not by adhering in any way to the works of the Law.

The two groups and their leaders met in Jerusalem to discuss the issue. Let’s peek in on their meeting and listen to what might have been said.

A former Pharisee stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise the Gentiles and command them to keep the Law of Moses.”

Peter shared his testimony, “God gave me the vision of a sheet full of unclean animals. God told me, ‘Take and eat.’ At first, I did not want to obey, but God repeated the instruction three times. Because of that vision, I went and ministered among the Gentiles. Many of them were saved. They were filled with the Holy Spirit, just as the Jews were. Both the Jews and the Gentiles are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

James who was the chairman of the meeting said, “Paul, give us a report on what has been happening in Antioch.”

Paul stood up and shared, “The Holy Spirit has moved among the Gentiles in Antioch and many have been saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. God has worked many miracles and wonders among the Gentile believers.”

A Jewish believer interrupted Paul with an objection, “The problem is when Gentile believers invite Jewish believers over to their houses to partake of the Lord’s Supper—the Jewish believers do not know if the food they are eating is kosher. Some Gentiles eat food that has been sacrificed to idols or even eat meat that still has blood in it.”

One of the former Pharisees spoke up with anger in his voice, “The only solution is to force Gentile believers to fully keep the Law of Moses.”

Paul replied calmly, “I used to be a Pharisee myself. In keeping the Law of Moses, I was blameless. But the Law did not save me. I was saved by faith in Jesus Christ, not by my pitiful attempt to keep the Law.”

The Jewish believer had another comment, “But the Law must be kept—it is what makes us holy. If we tell people there is no Law, what will stop believers from lying, or stealing, or fornicating with another man’s wife?”

Paul explained, “If they live according to the Spirit, they will not satisfy the lusts of the flesh. We are made holy through the grace of God. If we require Gentile converts to be circumcised and to keep the Law, then we place them in the same bondage we used to be in ourselves.”

The Jewish believer is horrified, “But the Gentiles eat pork—we would contaminate ourselves if we ate at their table. We would be unholy.”

Paul continued, “When Peter first came to visit Antioch, he freely ate at the table with the Gentiles. But then one of ‘the Circumcision Group’ came to Antioch and Peter stopped eating with the Gentile believers. This caused great confusion.”

James spoke up, “I think Peter did the right thing. It would be wrong for him to flout the laws of God.”

Paul spoke again, “It was hypocritical of Peter to eat with the Gentiles and then to withdraw from eating with them. Either salvation comes by works of the Law or it comes through faith in Christ. The truth is that neither the Jew nor the Greek can become righteous before God by observing the Law. So, why should we ask them to keep the Law if it cannot make them righteous?”

Peter repented: “I never should have pulled back from fellowshipping with the Gentile believers. Sometimes it is difficult for me to understand what Paul says, but I agree with him, salvation comes by grace. We must not put a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear.”

Having heard all the arguments, James had the last word, “I think we should allow the Gentiles to turn to God without troubling them by forcing them to keep the Law. But, it does seem good to me that we ask them to stay away from food sacrificed to idols, and bloody meat, and sexual immorality.” At the Jerusalem council, grace was extended to everyone.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached that, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21).

It was a powerful message—thousands of people put their faith in Christ when they heard the good news that Peter preached, the good news that “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” But it was a message that would take the preacher, Peter, a while to fully comprehend.

It was not really his fault—when legalism has chained a man’s soul, it is difficult for him to allow grace to set him free. From a young age, Peter was trained to keep the Law. He knew that the Jews were God’s chosen people, knew that he was not supposed to eat certain kinds of “unclean” animals, knew the Law inside and out, and kept it as best as he could.

It was in the city of Joppa that Peter received the revelation that the Gentiles (non-Jewish people) could be saved. (Joppa was the city that the Old Testament prophet Jonah had fled from when God told him to go preach salvation to the evil Gentiles who lived in Nineveh.) It was noon and Peter went up on a rooftop to pray. While he was praying, he fell into a trace and saw a vision.

In his vision, he saw heaven open and a massive sheet lowered down. In the sheet were many different kinds of wild animals, insects, and birds. The sheet was full of pigs, lobsters, rabbits, and snakes. All the animals had one thing in common: they were all “unclean”—meaning that according to the Law, Peter was forbidden to eat them.

A voice came from heaven, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat.”

Peter recognized the voice of God, but he could not believe what he was hearing. The command to eat these animals was against everything he had ever been taught. He told God, “No way am I going to eat these animals. I have never eaten anything common and unclean.”

The voice said, “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.” Peter saw this same vision three times over. Then as he woke, there was a knock at the door. Three men had come from Cornelius, a Roman Centurion. Cornelius was a Gentile. He was “unclean.” He was not a keeper of the Law. Under normal circumstances, Peter would never have had anything to do with such a man. But what God had cleansed, Peter was not to call unclean. When the men asked him to go with them to the house of Cornelius, Peter went with them.

This silenced Peter’s critics, and the believers began to rejoice that even Gentiles could receive the grace of God.

Grace is all about Jesus. Everything in the Bible is about Jesus. He is more than the “alpha” and the “omega,” He is the alpha to the omega. He is the “A” to the “Z” and everything in between. Joseph Prince says, “In the Old Testament, Jesus is concealed; in the New Testament, Jesus is revealed.” Everything in the Old Testament points toward Jesus. Everything in the New Testament points back to Jesus. We can see Jesus in every page of the Bible. Jesus is the face of grace. The goal of studying the Bible is to see more of Jesus.

Every detail of the Old Covenant points us to what Jesus does in the New Covenant.

The Tabernacle reveals the character of Jesus.

The system of animal sacrifices reveals what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.

The Law reveals how good Jesus is and how much we need Him.

The stories of the Old Testament teach us about the goodness of God and humanity’s need of a Savior.

Jesus came as a visible manifestation of God’s grace. “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Notice that the Law was given, but grace came. Grace is not a thing. Grace is a Person. Jesus is God’s revealed grace. Jesus is the visible expression of God’s grace. If you have Jesus, you have grace. When you experience grace, you experience Jesus.

Grace appeared in the person of Jesus Christ. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). When Jesus appears in your life, He teaches you to live a holy life. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Jesus is the Word. So the more you hear about Jesus, the more faith you have in your heart and the more grace you experience. Every time you talk about Jesus and what He has done for you, you are talking about grace.

Did you know that Jesus actually intensified the Law. The Old Testament set an extremely high standard for how to live and act, but Jesus raised the bar higher still by revealing that people will be judged for more than just their actions. Let’s look at how Jesus made the Law even harder to keep.

1. Anger equals murder. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:21-22). Have you ever been angry and found out that it was unjustified?

2. Lust equals adultery. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). Most men would admit to checking out a woman on occasion.

3. If part of your body causes you to sin, it must be punished. “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29-30).

If you could keep the entire Law, you would be an amazing human being.

Jesus made the Law, as difficult as it was to keep, even more difficult. Not only are you required to be perfect in your outward behavior, you also have to be perfect in your thoughts, intentions, and motives. Jesus commands, “…be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). This word “perfect” is the Greek word teleios meaning “nothing lacking, complete, perfect.” How can anyone ever fulfill this command?

The Law is impossible to keep. If you break even one of the laws, you might as well have broken every single one of them: “For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). Once you decide to try to be righteous by keeping part of the Law, you have to keep the rest of the Law too—it’s an all or nothing venture.

I graduated from a conservative Christian university. Rules and standards of conduct were an extremely important part of the university’s culture. At the beginning of the year, every student was required to sign an “Honor Code.” The students were then expected to stick to the honor code or suffer expulsion.

The rules at my school were originally instituted back in the 1960’s when many young people were rebelling against authority. At that time the university was known as a beacon of light because of the moral conduct and behavior it required and promoted. But good behavior and moral conduct were not the only requirements. Male students were forbidden to wear beards or blue jeans; female students had to wear skirts to class and the cafeteria. Curfew was strictly enforced. Drinking and dancing were not allowed.

By the time I arrived in 1998, much of the justification for the rules had worn thin. Students chaffed under the restrictions. Every year, the students would petition to wear blue jeans, and every year they were denied. When the students asked why they could not wear blue jeans, they were told, “Because that’s the rule.”

The rule that most frustrated the young men at my university was a ban on facial hair. Student leaders would roam the campus and if they saw a male student with the beginnings of a beard they would force him to go back to the dorms to shave. One day, a chapel speaker was preaching about maintaining standards of holiness. He had us turn in our Bibles to Leviticus 19:28 and used the verse to preach about how bad it is to get a tattoo. As we read the verse he was preaching from, my eyes wandered to the verse right above which forbids the Israelites to shave their beards. I remember being struck by the fact that the school chose to follow some verses from the Law while rejecting other verses.

Many people think that they can pick and choose what parts of the Law to obey. The book of Leviticus (part of the Law of Moses) tells us that it is wrong to eat pork, shrimp, or lobster, and that it is wrong to wear poly-blend cotton, work on the Sabbath, charge interest, or shave your beard. Also, every man must be circumcised, and women must not cut their hair. Do you know anyone who follows all these laws?

Altogether, the Law encompasses the Ten Commandments and various other civil, moral, dietary, and sacrificial laws. No one manages to keep all of these laws. Some choose to only follow the Ten Commandments. Others choose to ignore the dietary laws, but they follow the moral laws. Animal sacrifices are decidedly outdated. Everyone picks and chooses the rules they want to keep.

So, which sins are “acceptable” and which are “unacceptable?” Many point to the sins of others as being horrible, but they excuse their own sins. They say, “My own sins deserve grace, but the sin of that man (pointing a finger) are beyond the pale;” or “It is forgivable for me to lie sometimes, but for a homosexual to engage in unnatural acts with his body is really sinful.” Matthew Barnett tweeted, “People who make a list of what sins are worse than others rarely have theirs in the Top Ten.”

Look at what Paul said, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9- 10). According to this verse, adultery and coveting my neighbor’s new car are just as wrong as homosexuality.

In the end, a little of the Law is as powerful as the whole Law. As Paul said, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9). If you put a little bit of yeast into your dough, it will affect the entire loaf. In the same way, a little Law has a big impact on your salvation. Even if you keep ninety-nine out of one hundred laws, by breaking one you are guilty of breaking all of them. Either you are perfectly perfect in every requirement of the Law, or you need a Savior.

The power of grace is its ability to overcome sin. No sin in your life is bigger than God’s mercy and grace. No sin is bigger than Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for sin. Look at these amazing verses:

“Your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2).

“…whoever believes in [Jesus] will receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).

“…through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38).

“In [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

“…God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
“…we have redemption through [Jesus’] blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14).
“…your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake” (1 John 2:12). Are you getting the message? Your sins are forgiven!

Martin Luther wrote, “Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved. Now choose what you want.”

Fred Price said, “You’re not a sinner saved by grace. You’re either a sinner or you’re saved by grace. You can’t be both.”

Am I a sinner? My actions, thoughts, and motives are often contrary to God’s laws. Yet in God’s eyes, I am a new creation, perfect in Christ Jesus. How can this be? The answer is grace.

If you want to know more about God’s Grace and why Grace Wins, order a copy of Daniel King’s book about the Grace of God today!

What are the top ten things that God’s grace can do for you?

10. You are called: “[He] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus…” (2 Timothy 1:9).

9. You believe: “…[Apollos] greatly helped those who had believed through grace” (Acts 18:27).

8. You are saved: “…by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:5). “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11).

7.You are justified: “…being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

6. You are accepted by God. “… the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).

5. Your sins are forgiven: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

4. You overcome sin: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14).

3. You overcome every weakness: “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness’…” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

2. You are sanctified: “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).

1. You are empowered to live for God: “…let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28).

What does the ark of the covenant teach us about grace? The ark was the Jews’ most cherished possession since it carried the tangible presence of God on earth. The ark represented two things that must always be kept in balance, God’s holiness and God’s mercy.

The ark was a box built of acacia wood and it was overlaid with gold. According to Exodus 25:10, the ark was approximately 3.75 feet long, 2.25 feet wide, 2.25 feet high. Hidden within the box was the stone tables of the Ten Commandments—the symbol of God’s Law.

God’s Law is a manifestation of God’s character of holiness. Because God loves righteousness, holiness, and truth, the Law is perfect, holy, and just. All who break the Law must be judged as law-breakers in accordance with the Law. Breaking the Law of God is, of course, the essence of sin. While God wants to bless you, He cannot bless sin. Sin must be punished because the Law has been broken. God’s holy character demands justice.

The cover of the Ark reveals a second element of God’s character. Moses received God’s instructions: “…make the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement, out of pure gold. It must be 3.75 feet long and 2.25 feet wide” (Exodus 25:17 NLT). This lid is known as the “Place of Atonement” or “The Mercy Seat.”

During Old Testament times, once each year, the high priest poured the blood of a goat over this mercy seat (Leviticus 16:15). The goat was a substitute for all the people of Israel, and in a ceremony, the Israelites would symbolically place their sins on the goat. The goat was then killed as a sacrifice for the sins of the people. However, there was a problem: this sacrifice was only temporarily effective, and, year after year, the death of another goat was needed to atone for the fresh sins of the Israelites.

God wanted to permanently and effectively deal with the issue of sin. So He sent Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice, to die once and for all for the sins of humankind (Hebrews 9:28). When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price for your sin and my sin. Christ’s death and resurrection is evidence of God’s mercy.

Under the New Covenant, Jesus becomes our mercy seat.Romans 3:25-26 says, “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” The word “propitiation” is the Greek word hilasterion, a word that can also be translated as “mercy seat.”

Now for the best news of all: God says to you, “…I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat” (Exodus 25:22). God wants to speak to you, not where the Law is kept, not where judgment is meted out, but in a place of mercy!

Inside the box there is judgment. But notice, the mercy seat is exactly the same size as the ark. Because of Christ, God’s need for judgment is completely covered by God’s mercy. Outside the box, Jesus poured His blood on the mercy seat of heaven so that all can be saved.

Many preachers stay inside the box. They preach from a place of judgment and condemnation. People become depressed trying to follow an endless list of religious rules. God wants us to think outside the box. All of God’s need for judgment was poured out on Jesus at the cross. God is not judging our nation; God is smiling upon us. Preachers, listen to me. God is not inside the box. He is waiting to meet us at the place of mercy, forgiveness, and love. We should preach mercy, not Law.

Without mercy, no human being could go to heaven. If we try to approach God from inside the box (on the basis of the Law), we would be judged and condemned to an eternity separated from God. But, God does not want to meet us at the Law; He desires to meet us at the mercy seat, the place of atonement and forgiveness where “mercy triumphs over judgment!” (James 2:13).

This is the difference between religion and a relationship with God. Religion tries to force people to stay inside the box. Religion provides a list of rules and regulations. Religion is about the Law. You can experience a relationship with God, not based on rules, but based on the mercy that His grace and love have provided.

Jesus told a parable about two men who went to the temple to pray (Luke 18:9-14). One was a Pharisee, a religious leader. The second was a tax collector. The Pharisee began to pray, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I have.”

But the tax collector stood in the corner. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus said, “I tell you that the tax collector, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified before God.”

The Pharisee approached God from within the box (based on Law), but the tax collector approached God at the place of mercy. The tax collector was the one made righteous.

Before we were saved we were dead in sin. “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions…” (Ephesians 2:4-5). When you die, what do they bury you in? A box. A coffin. But Jesus through His mercy made us alive. He set us free from the box. It’s time to think outside the box!

Why does the world think Christians are bigots trying to impose their antiquated sense of morality on others? Many atheists equate fundamentalist Christians with the Islamic Taliban and accuse us of trying to drag the world back into the first century. Is this because Christians tend to be known more for what they are against then known for their grace?

We are known for being anti-gay, anti-choice, anti-drinking, anti-smoking, anti-gambling, anti-R-rated movies, anti-television violence, and anti-just about everything else that the world perceives is fun. The core message of Christianity is forgiveness, love, and acceptance. But too often our message seems to be one of unforgiveness, disagreement, rejection, and hate. Is this really what God wants the church to be known for?

The truth is that many Christians are saved by grace, but few live by grace. Instead of focusing on grace and forgiveness, the church often preaches the Law. We try to put the Ten Commandments up in schools and courthouses. We try to “impose morality” on others. Instead of offering the love of Christ, we bash people over the head with our Bibles.

Recently in the news, I heard of a politician who resigned from office because he had an affair with one of his staff. The ironic thing is that this particular politician was known for his emphasis on passing laws to promote abstinence.

No matter how “good” people are, without Jesus they are headed to hell. So, trying to force people to be “good” doesn’t change their eternal destiny. Only a relationship with Jesus can change people. Jesus did not come to earth to make bad people good, He came to make dead people alive.

Trying to force someone to keep the Ten Commandments might make them look “good” on the outside, but it does not change them on the inside. The only way to effectively and eternally change people is from the inside out. So, instead of preaching on the Ten Commandments, we should preach about Jesus.

The world will never find forgiveness in two pieces of stone. We are not called to be moral people; we are called to be Jesus people. Our focus should be on Jesus, not on religious rules. Jesus never told his disciples to “follow my rules”—He told them, “Follow me.”

Don’t tell people what is wrong with them, tell people what is right for them because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Some might protest, “But if we don’t focus on teaching people to do right, then people will live worldly lives.” Really? Then why, despite all the church’s screaming and teaching about right and wrong, do people still live worldly lives? Really.

The truth is that the only way for a person to live a godly life is through the power that comes from knowing Jesus as a personal Lord and Savior.

According to Jesus, “If you have been forgiven much, you will love God much.” The more you love God, the more you will want to do what is right. As soon as you realize that you have been forgiven everything, you will want to love God with all your heart. Being aware of how much you have been forgiven will not cause you to go out and sin more, instead it will motivate you to glorify God more with your life.

The church is most effective when it reveals God’s grace. We must show grace to the world. Gordon MacDonald said, “The world can do anything the church can do except one thing: it cannot show grace.”

The great evangelist D. L. Moody once said, “Of one hundred men, one will read the Bible; the ninety-nine will read the Christian.” Jesus revealed how the world will recognize the believer, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

What are you known for? To your family? In your neighborhood? In your ministry? Are people getting a good look at Jesus when they take a look at you?

The new commandment that Jesus wants us to keep is to love one another. But not to love one another in any way of our choosing, but in this manner: “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). How did Christ love you? “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). May His saints celebrate that grace till the knowledge of it fills the whole earth.

If you want to know more about God’s Grace and why Grace Wins, order a copy of Daniel King’s book about the Grace of God today!