Are Grace and Law Mutually Exclusive?

by Jonathan Perz

An oft-repeated, though poorly-conceived, notion is that Christians must relate to God through an avenue of grace, rather than law. Says who? Are grace and law mutually exclusive? Are grace and law an either/or proposition? If so, by what standard do we make this claim?

First of all, is it possible to relate to God through both grace and law simultaneously? I wholeheartedly believe it is not only possible, it is necessary.

Under both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, in every age of man, grace and law are interdependent. Law teaches us right from wrong (cf. Gen. 2:16-17a; Deut. 11; Rom. 3:20; 7:7). Law teaches us the consequences of right and wrong (cf. Gen. 2:17b; Lev. 26-28; Rom. 2:5-11). Law is the standard of judgment (cf. Gen. 3:8-24; Ex. 24:3-8; John 12:48-50). Whereas, grace is that free, but conditional, gift God gives us to atone for and find forgiveness of our sins so that we will not have to face the consequences of them (cf. Gen. 3:21-24; Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:6-10:10; also Rom. 5:9; Jer. 31:31-34; Rom. 4:7; Heb.8:12; 10:17).

Grace and law are both given of God. The very idea of justice is rooted in law (cf. Prov. 31:5; Isa. 51:4-5; Hab. 1:4; Matt. 23:23). The very idea of God’s grace is rooted in justice (cf. Rom. 3:24-26; Tit. 3:7). They are not independent, but interdependent. To suggest we must view God through one and not the other is like accepting only the goodness of God, while rejecting the severity of God (Rom. 11:22). It is like accepting Jesus as full of grace, but rejecting that He is simultaneously full of truth (John 1:14). It is like accepting Jesus as Savior, but not as Lord (2 Pet. 3:18).

Without law, how would we know God’s grace? Where there is no law, there is no sin (1 John 3:4; Rom 5:13). It is law that not only teaches us how to obtain grace (cf. Mark 16:15-16; Rom. 1:16-17; Acts 2:38; 1 John 1:8-9), it is the violation of law (sin) that causes us to appreciate God’s grace (Rom. 6:1, 15, 23; 1 John 2:1-2). If we only view God through the prism of His grace, we will find that grace pretty bland because we won’t see or appreciate our need for it. But then again, we would not find God’s grace at all except by the law, for it is there that God instructs us about His grace and the conditions of obtaining it.

Nevertheless, in light of all of this, someone might still be foolish enough to argue, “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law: you have fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4). Is Paul telling us in this passage to view God through the avenue of grace and not law (generally)? Or is Paul actually talking to a group of first century Christians who are trying to find justification by the law of Moses? The context suggests that Paul was not speaking of all law, but a law—the law of Moses (see Gal. 5:1-6 in light of Acts 15:1-5). To generalize this passage is to twist it, and it is not even a difficult passage to understand in the first place (2 Pet. 3:16).

The reason they could not be justified by the law of Moses was because the covenant that Moses’ law was a part of is no longer in force (Heb. 9:16-22), since Christ fulfilled it (Matt. 5:17-18; cf. Gal. 3:19-29). The blood of animals could not save them because God always intended for His Offering to save them (Heb. 10:1-10; John 1:29). The law could not save them because they would not live by all of the law (Gal. 3:10-14; 5:3; Jas. 2:10). So, it is a false doctrine that suggests from Galatians 5:4, and passages like it, that grace and law (generally) are mutually exclusive, and that Christians must learn to view God through an avenue of grace, and not law!

Thus, rather than trying to draw a line between law and grace, we need to view grace and law as symbiotic, or having a relationship of mutual benefit or dependence. For the righteous, God’s law brings joy, peace and salvation. For the unrighteous, God’s law brings fear, turmoil, and condemnation. For everyone, God’s grace brought Jesus His Son, and the continual, but conditional, cleansing of His blood (John 3:16; 1 John 1:8-9). Praise God for His wonderful gift of grace and His amazing law that is light—that lamp unto our feet (cf. Prov. 6:23; Psa. 119:105)!

 

Other Articles by Jonathan Perz
Coming to the Defense of Sin and Error
Christian Independence
Fellowship With God is Conditional
Catechismal Christianity