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Learning to Distinguish Law and Gospel
Bernie L. Gillespie © September 15, 1999 All Rights Reserved
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the
law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a
righteousness from God apart from law, has been made known to which
the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes
through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Romans 3:20-22 NIV
Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for
everyone who believes. Romans 10:4 NIV
The Struggle With the Law
Then Jesus said to the woman, "Go now and sin no more, and then I will not
condemn you." No I am not inventing a new translation. This is not what Jesus really
said. But, the way many hear salvation preached, these words of Jesus may be more
fitting. When we misunderstand the relationship between the Gospel and the Law, we in
effect reverse the words of Jesus and turn the grace of God inside out. This in turn leads
us to a struggle in balancing Law and Grace. Instead of a healthy, confident faith in the
Gospel with a good conscience (1 Timothy 1:5, 19), there is confusion and damaged
consciences while wrestling with the issues of Law and Grace.
I have received a variety of letters from people who are struggling with this issue.
One man wrote to me about his struggle with the requirements of his church. His pastor
said that he doubted that anyone who did not keep the "standards" of their denomination
was a true Christian. In a sermon his pastor preached, he heard it expressed "that by
living a 'holy life' the members of his church were 'exceeding the righteousness of the
Pharisees.'"
I received another letter from a pastor. In writing about the subject of grace he
shared that there seemed to be a "slippery slope to keep folks thinking grace and at the
[same] time continuing to realize the importance of pressing toward a Christ-like life
which embodies abstaining from physically self-destructive behaviors in a lesser measure
that they did when they were in bondage altogether." His concern was about grace being
used to excuse behavior that was obviously harmful.
In another situation, a young woman who is a pastor's daughter said, "It really
bothers me that some of the most trivial things are taught to be of the greatest
importance. We're talking about a difference between heaven or hell on whether a
woman wears a pair of blue jeans or not. I have trouble believing in or trusting a God
that trivial." She could not reconcile the legalism she was under with the God of the
Bible.
These folks are not alone in their struggle. The place of the Law in a Christian's
life is one of the church's most debated subjects throughout it's history. A wide variety
of opinions are held concerning the Law: it is abolished, still in effect, no longer
important, a guide to right living or even replaced by Christ's law. My concern is not
with categorizing the viewpoints, but to come to an understanding of what Scripture says
about the relationship of the Law to the Christian life. The primary reason for my
concern is that most of the deviations from the biblical Gospel emerge from an ignorance
of this relationship.
Equally, most of the problems Christians have in living their faith arise from some
failure to understand the Law-Gospel relationship to Christian life. A broad range of
questions address this issue: "Since we are not saved by obeying the Law, does that mean
the Law is bad?" "Is it no longer part of the Christian life?" "If we are to live "in Christ"
what are the principles for living "in Christ"?" "Since we live out of the Gospel, how are
we to do this?" "Is the Law - the 10 Commandments - no longer valid for Christians?"
"Are there any commands to which a Christian is obligated?" "If we walk in the Spirit
then what principles do we live by?" These questions and many more illustrate the
importance for the believer to find solid answers concerning the role of Law in Spirit or
Gospel living.
This issue is often seen in the common question, "How should a Christian balance
Law and Grace?" The better way to frame this question is to ask, "How should a
Christian distinguish between Law and Gospel?" In order to learn how to distinguish
between Law and Gospel, we must know what "Law" is and what "Gospel" is. Then, we
will need to identify the ways that Law and Gospel differ. Only then, can we begin to
learn how to distinguish Law from Gospel in our lives as Christians.
Please
continue reading this article by going to
The
Struggle to Balance Law & Grace (PDF format)
Check Out:
"How
Do I Know When Law is Confounded with Gospel?"
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