The Grace Of Law

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.
1 Timothy 1:8

“Dear Paul, I have a question. In some places the Scripture says things like I have been released from the law, and that I am not under the law, but under grace. In other places it says that the perfect law gives freedom. Is this a contradiction?”

Have you ever wished you could write a similar letter to the apostle? How do we reconcile these apparently contradictory statements about God’s law? R. L. Dabney explains that the word law has different meanings in Scripture.

WALK WITH R. L. DABNEY
“First, the law is the authoritative declaration of God’s character. It is the unchanging expression of how God distinguishes right from wrong.

“Second, the law was ‘our guardian until Christ came’ (Galatians 3:24). By showing us our sinfulness it prepares us to submit to the Redeemer.

“Third, the believer has been chosen to be holy and blameless; he has been redeemed from all wickedness to be one of Christ’s very own people, eager to do what is good. This great end, the believer’s sanctification, can only be attained through a holy rule of conduct. Such a rule is the law. It is to be diligently observed as the guide to holiness.

“Fourth, its precepts restrain the aboundings of sin. They partially instruct the consciences even of the unrenewed. They guide secular laws, and thus lay a foundation for a wholesome civil society.

“And last, the publication of the law convicts God’s enemies on earth in a way that foreshadows their conviction on judgment day.

“For these reasons, the preaching and expounding of the law is to be kept up diligently in every gospel church.”

WALK CLOSER TO GOD
John saw God’s law as the standard that distinguishes love (see 1 John 5:3) from sin (see 1 John 3:4).

James expressed the same thought when he wrote of the law as a mirror that shows us where our spiritual complexion is blemished and where it is clear (see James 1:22-25).

Paul shows us that God’s law defines and restrains civil criminals (see 1 Timothy 1:8-11).

Have you been quick to use God’s grace as an excuse for ignoring his commands? Meditate on Psalm 119 for a different perspective.