Law & Grace

I've just read something written a very long time ago, but brings to such clarity the difference between Law and Grace that I just have to share it here. At the end I will post a single statement which brings the importance of keeping the two, Law & Grace separate.

There was Law before Moses (Adam forbidden to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil Gen 2:17 was law) and there was Grace before Christ Jesus’ on the Cross. Surely grace was most sweetly manifested by the Lord God’s seeking His sinning creatures and in His clothing them with coats of skins (Gen 3:21).

However the “the Law” everywhere mentioned in Scripture was given by Moses and from Sinai to Calvary dominates, characterizes the time (dispensation) just as Grace dominates or gives it’s peculiar character to the dispensation which begins at Calvary and has it’s predicted termination in the Rapture of the Church.

It is of the most vital moment to observe that Scripture never, in any dispensation mingles these two principles. Law always has a place and work distinct and wholly divers from that of Grace. Law is God prohibiting and requiring. Grace is God beseeching and bestowing. Law is a ministry of condemnation, Grace is of forgiveness. Law curses, grace redeems from that curse. Law kills and grace makes alive. Law shuts every mouth before God, Grace makes guilty man nigh to God. Law says “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” Grace says “Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek turn to him the other also”. Law says hate your enemy and Grace says love your enemies. Law says “do” and live, Grace says “Believe” and live. Law utterly condemns the best man while Grace freely justices the worst (Luke 23:43, Tom 5:8, I Tim 1:15, I Cor 6:9-11). Law stones an adulteress, grace says “Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more.” Under law the sheep dies by the hand of the shepherd, under Grace the Shepherd dies for the sheep.

Now here's the kicker-

The mingling of these two together in the way we often teach today spoils both! The Law is robbed of it’s terror and Grace is robbed of it’s freeness.

I can't sum it up any better than that.