Many today are beginning to believe, due to well meaning but error filled teachings, that grace is the reciprocal or opposite of law, which it is not. The reciprocal or opposite of law is lawlessness, which is not what we, as Christians, are after. The truth is that laws are absolutely necessary to our success.
For example, love is a law. In fact, love is the highest universal law, well, in the universe. The second universal law is the Law of faith or Good Faith, which is founded and based upon the law of love. So, without the law of love, the law of faith will not properly function. And without the law of faith, it is impossible to please God. And therefore, without the laws of love and faith, it is impossible to please God.
Does grace supersede the law? Of course it does not. The fact is that grace is an optional extension of the law of faith, which is not even ever needed until one sins or breaches the law of faith. This is because grace is the mechanism by which a repentant sinner or person in breach may, at the option of the wronged party, be allowed to re-enter the relationship that he or she breached, as if the breach had never occurred.
Another aspect of this whole law verses grace straw man which has been grossly misunderstood is the term “under the law” particularly when viewed or interpreted through religious eyes. These laws and you just exist separately. Normally, you are neither under the law nor above the law.
Only if or when you breach a law are you then “under the law”. In the vernacular, if you break the law, then you place yourself under the thumb of the law.
For example: There is a stop sign at the end of my street. The law of the land states that I should bring my vehicle to a complete stop at that sign. Now, as long as I stop at that sign, I am not “under the law.” That is to say, that nothing is hanging over my head. But should I run that stop sign, for whatever reason, particularly if there is a police officer watching me do it, now there IS something hanging over my head. That ticket officially indicates an arrest which places me under indictment, because I have placed myself “under the law.”
Now, should that officer have shown you grace and let you go, does that mean that it is now OK to run stop signs or exceed the speed limit? NO! He is only exercising this option to give you the opportunity to drive properly. Were you to run the next stop sign within his site, I assure you that no more grace would be extended. You’d not only be ticketed for BOTH violations, but likely be arrested and jailed for your obvious contempt.
Now, unfortunately, because of the first Adam’s sin or breach, every human on the planet, was born “under the law” which he breached. We can all thank God for sending Jesus as the second Adam, to institute our redemption in the form of repentance, grace and restoration to effectively and individually expunge our records.
The Holy Spirit has an important role in this. If or when you sin, or are found in breach, this is when your spirit comes under conviction of the Holy Spirit, usually through what we know as our conscience. Now, the Holy Spirit does not convict through guilt or shame, which are tools of the devil to keep you in bondage. But rather, the Holy Spirit convicts your spirit, in love, so that you can repent and straighten things out.
Therefore it needs to be understood that love is a law. You may call it your “love walk” or compassion or any number of other things, but understand that it is the highest of all laws. It is the foundation and basis of all laws. It is upheld by God himself. And, it is necessary to your success as a human being on this planet.