Lesson 17: God's Law — Law and Grace

Introduction

Law and grace — two words that play a central role in the Christian faith. How do they relate to each other? Are they contradictory or do they complement each other? Does the Law still have meaning for a believer who lives under grace? These are questions that Christians have wrestled with through the centuries, and that are important also for you as a disciple of Jesus.

In this lesson we will discover what God's Law is, why He gave it, how Jesus has fulfilled the Law, and what that means for us as believers. We will see that Law and grace are not enemies, but two aspects of God's love for us. The Law shows us who God is and what He asks of us; grace gives us the strength to respond.

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

The Law came through Moses, grace through Jesus Christ. But both come from the same God, and both are expressions of His love and His holiness.

God gave the Law to Moses: the Ten Commandments

On Mount Sinai God gave His Law to the people of Israel through Moses. The heart of that Law is the Ten Commandments, which God wrote with His own finger on tablets of stone. These are not just rules — they are expressions of God's holy character. They show who God is and how He wants us to live.

Exodus 20:1-3 God spoke all these words, saying, “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.”

The first commandment: God alone is God. There is no other god beside Him. This commandment touches the foundation of everything: who is your God? To whom do you give the first place in your life? Everything that takes the place of God in your life — money, career, relationships, entertainment — is an idol.

Exodus 20:4-6 You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

The second commandment: No images to be made for worshipping God. God does not let Himself be captured in an image. He is greater than any image, any representation. This commandment protects us against a diminished image of God.

Exodus 20:7 You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

The third commandment: Do not misuse God's name. God's name is holy and must be treated with reverence. This goes beyond cursing — it is about a fundamental attitude of reverence for who God is.

Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. You shall labour six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.

The fourth commandment: Keep the Sabbath holy. God wants us to set apart a day for rest and worship. This commandment shows that we are not made for continual work — we are also made to rest in God's presence. (We will go into this extensively in lesson 16.)

Exodus 20:12 Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.

The fifth commandment: Honour your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise: whoever honours his parents will live long. Respect for parents is the foundation of a healthy society.

Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder.

The sixth commandment: Do not murder. Human life is sacred, because man is created in God's image.

Exodus 20:14 You shall not commit adultery.

The seventh commandment: Do not commit adultery. Marriage is sacred and must be protected.

Exodus 20:15 You shall not steal.

The eighth commandment: Do not steal. Respect for the property of another.

Exodus 20:16 You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.

The ninth commandment: Do not lie about your neighbour. Honesty and truth are fundamental in God's Kingdom.

Exodus 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbour's house. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour's.

The tenth commandment: Do not covet what is your neighbour's. This commandment goes beyond the deed — it touches the heart. You may not even desire what belongs to another.

The purpose of the Law: knowledge of sin

Why did God give the Law? Not to save us — the Law cannot save us. The Law has another, very important purpose: to show us that we are sinners who need grace.

Romans 3:20 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

The Law is like a mirror: it shows us what we really look like. When you look in a mirror and see that your face is dirty, then you know you must wash. The mirror does not make you clean — but it shows you that you are dirty. So the Law works: it shows us that we are sinners who need cleansing.

Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn't have known sin, except through the law. For I wouldn't have known coveting, unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”

Paul says: without the Law I would not have known what sin is. The Law defines what is good and evil. It draws the boundary line and shows us when we cross it. Without Law there is no knowledge of sin, and without knowledge of sin there is no awareness of the need for a Saviour.

Romans 7:12 Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good.

The Law itself is not the problem — the Law is holy, righteous, and good. The problem is our inability to keep the Law. The Law shows us how far we are from God's standard, and so drives us to Christ.

The Law as tutor leading to Christ

Paul uses a powerful image to explain the function of the Law:

Galatians 3:24 So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

The Greek word translated here as ‘tutor’ is paidagogos. In Roman times a paidagogos was not a teacher, but a slave who brought a child to school and guarded him until he came of age. The paidagogos had authority over the child, but that authority was temporary — it lasted until the child became an adult.

So the Law is our tutor who brings us to Christ. The Law shows us that we are sinners, that we cannot meet God's standard, and that we need a Saviour. And then, when we have arrived at Christ, the task of the tutor is accomplished:

Galatians 3:25-26 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus.

We are no longer under the tutor — we are now children of God! The Law has done its work: it has brought us to Christ. Now we no longer live under the Law, but under grace. Not because the Law was bad, but because it has reached its goal.

Galatians 3:21-22 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could make alive, most certainly righteousness would have been of the law. But the Scriptures imprisoned all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

The Law could not make us alive — it could only show us that we were dead in our sins. But precisely in that lay its value: it pointed us to the promise of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus has fulfilled the Law

Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it:

Matthew 5:17-18 “Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill. For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.”

Jesus has fulfilled the Law in three ways:

1. He kept the Law perfectly. Jesus is the only Man who has ever perfectly kept God's Law. He never sinned, He never transgressed a commandment, He was obedient to the Father in everything. His perfect obedience is credited to us when we believe in Him.

2. He fulfilled the Law by His sacrifice. The sacrificial laws in the Old Testament pointed forward to the ultimate sacrifice: the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is that Lamb. All the sacrifices of the Old Testament find their fulfillment in Him.

3. He revealed the deeper meaning of the Law. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus shows that the Law is not only about outward behaviour, but about the heart.

Jesus sharpens the Law: it is about the heart

In Matthew 5 Jesus shows that the Law goes much deeper than outward behaviour. He sharpens the Law by showing that God does not only look at our deeds, but at our heart.

Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever shall murder shall be in danger of the judgment.’ But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.”

Not only murder is sin — even unjust anger is sin in God's eyes. The Law says: ‘do not kill’. Jesus says: ‘do not even be angry with your brother without a cause’. God looks at the heart, not only at the deed.

Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery;’ but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

Not only the act of adultery is sin — also the lust in the heart. Jesus does not lower the bar but raises it higher than the Pharisees thought. God is not only concerned with outward obedience — He is concerned with a pure heart.

Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”

This is perhaps the most radical commandment of Jesus: love your enemies. Not only your friends, not only your neighbours, but your enemies. The Law said: love your neighbour. Jesus says: love even your enemy. That is the standard of God's Kingdom.

The Law of Christ: love

Jesus summarizes the whole Law in two commandments:

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

The whole Law hangs on these two commandments: love God and love your neighbour. If you keep these two commandments, you keep the whole Law. Love is the fulfillment of the Law.

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbour has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Love doesn't harm a neighbour. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

Whoever loves, fulfills the Law. If you truly love your neighbour, you will not kill him, not steal from him, not deceive him, not envy him. Love is the fulfillment of all commandments.

Jesus also gives a new commandment:

John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What is new about this commandment is the measure: ‘just as I have loved you’. Not as you love your neighbour, but as Jesus loves you. That is a much higher standard. Jesus loved us to the uttermost — to the cross. So must we love one another.

Not under Law but under grace

Romans 6:14 For sin will not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.

As believers in Christ we are no longer under the Law, but under grace. This does not mean that the Law is no longer valid or that we may now sin. It means that our relationship with God is no longer based on keeping the Law, but on grace through faith.

Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be!

Grace is no excuse to sin. On the contrary: grace gives us precisely the strength not to sin. Under the Law we tried in our own strength to keep God's commandments and failed time and again. Under grace God Himself works in us through His Holy Spirit, so that we can do His will.

Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we would live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.

Grace instructs us! It is not passive — it is active. Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and live godly. Grace is the best teacher there is.

The Law written on the heart

In the Old Testament the Law stood on tablets of stone. But God promised that a day would come when He would write His Law in the heart of His people:

Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says Yahweh: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and I will write it in their heart. I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

This is the promise of the New Covenant. No longer a Law from outside that condemns us, but a Law from within that leads us. God writes His Law in our heart through the Holy Spirit. We obey no longer out of fear of punishment, but out of love for God.

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 into their mind; I will also write them on their heart. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

The writer of Hebrews applies this prophecy of Jeremiah to the New Covenant in Christ. Through the Holy Spirit God writes His Law in our mind (we understand His will) and in our heart (we desire to do His will). This is the beautiful reality of life under grace: God transforms us from within.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes. You will keep my ordinances and do them.

God gives a new heart and a new spirit. He replaces the stone heart with a heart of flesh. And He gives His Spirit, who causes us to walk in His statutes. It is not our own strength — it is His Spirit in us that makes it possible.

The royal law

James 2:8 However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you do well.

James calls the commandment to love your neighbour the ‘royal law’. It is royal because it is the law of the King of kings. It is the highest law, the law that summarizes and fulfills all other laws. Whoever keeps this law, does well.

Galatians 5:14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

The whole Law in one word: love. Not a sentimental feeling, but an active, self-sacrificial love that puts the interests of the other above one's own. This is the law of Christ, the royal law, the law that is written on our heart by the Holy Spirit.

Freedom in Christ, not legalism

It is important to understand that freedom in Christ does not mean that we are free to sin, but that we are free from the power of sin and from the condemnation of the Law.

Galatians 5:1 Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don't be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Christ has set us free! We are free from the yoke of the Law — the yoke of ‘you must do this and that to be saved’. We are free to serve God out of love, not out of fear. We are free to live by the Spirit, not by the flesh.

Colossians 2:16-17 Let no one therefore judge you in eating or drinking, or with respect to a feast day or a new moon or a Sabbath day, which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ's.

The food laws, the feast days, the Sabbath — they were all shadows of Christ. Now that Christ has come, we have the Body itself. We no longer hold on to the shadow, but to Christ Himself. No one may judge us about these outward matters.

Galatians 5:13-14 For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don't use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

Freedom is not an excuse to do what you want. Freedom is the possibility to do what God wants. We are free to serve — free to love. That is true freedom in Christ.

The Law and the conscience

Although the Law was given specifically to Israel, Paul shows that God has also placed something of His Law in the heart of non-Jews — namely the conscience:

Romans 2:14-15 For when Gentiles who don't have the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying with them, and their thoughts among themselves accusing or else excusing them.

Every person has a conscience — an inner awareness of good and evil. That conscience is not perfect (it can become numbed or distorted by sin), but it shows that God has built His moral law into human nature. Even people who have never read God's Word know deep inside that stealing is wrong, that murder is wrong, that lying is wrong.

For us as believers the conscience has a special role. The Holy Spirit uses our conscience to convict us of sin and to lead us back to God's way:

John 16:8 When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment.

The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin — not to condemn us, but to lead us to repentance. When your conscience accuses you, it is often the voice of the Holy Spirit calling you back to the way of obedience.

The law of the Spirit of life

In Romans 8 Paul introduces a new ‘law’ — not the law of Moses, but the law of the Spirit of life:

Romans 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

This is one of the most liberating passages in the whole Bible. No more condemnation! The Law could not redeem us — it was powerless through our flesh. But what the Law could not do, God did by sending His Son. And now the righteous requirement of the Law is fulfilled in us — not through our own obedience, but through the Spirit who dwells and works in us.

The law of the Spirit of life is the inner working of the Holy Spirit who leads us, motivates us, and gives us strength to do God's will. It is not external regulation, but internal transformation. The Spirit changes our heart, so that we no longer experience God's will as a burden, but as a joy.

Galatians 5:16-18 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Not because you are above the Law, but because the Spirit in your heart does more than the Law could ever do from outside. The Spirit changes your desires, so that you want from within what God wants. That is the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy: the Law written on the heart.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The fruit of the Spirit is everything the Law ever asked of us — and more. Against such things there is no law, for they are the perfect fulfillment of the Law. Whoever bears the fruit of the Spirit, automatically does what the Law asks — not by compulsion, but out of love.

Finding the balance

How do we find the right balance between Law and grace in our daily life? Two dangers lurk:

1. Legalism — the danger of reducing the Christian life to a list of rules and regulations. This leads to pride (‘I keep the rules better than you’) or to despair (‘I can never perfectly keep the rules’). Jesus sternly warned against the legalism of the Pharisees:

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.”

2. Antinomianism (lawlessness) — the danger of misusing grace as an excuse to live as you wish. ‘We are under grace, aren't we?’ But Paul is very clear about that:

Galatians 5:13 For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don't use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another.

The right balance is: living by the Spirit, led by love, shaped by God's Word. We do not keep God's commandments to be saved, but because we are saved. We obey not out of fear, but out of love. We do not live under the Law, but the Law lives in us — written on our heart by the Holy Spirit.

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.

God's commandments are not a heavy burden when they flow from love. A child who loves his father does not experience his father's rules as a burden, but as an expression of care and love. So it is also with God's commandments: when you love Him, His commandments are not a heavy burden, but a joy.

Memorization texts

Learn the following three texts by heart. Take your time and repeat them daily until you know them.