Understanding Law and Grace in Christ

 

Summary

In the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 17, we find a profound statement: "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." This verse encapsulates the relationship between law and grace, a relationship that is often misunderstood and leads to many troubles in the Christian life. The law, given through Moses, serves to highlight our need for grace by showing us our helplessness and the necessity of forgiveness, renewal, and strength. It is through understanding the law that we gain the finest introduction to the gospel of grace offered through Jesus Christ.

The law points out our need, and grace answers it. The law's purpose is to reveal our sinfulness and our inability to achieve righteousness on our own, thus pointing us to Christ, who fulfills the law's demands on our behalf. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. This means that our standing before God is not based on our ability to keep the law but on Christ's perfect obedience and sacrifice. He has borne the penalty of the law for us, and through faith, we receive His righteousness.

As believers, we are no longer under the law's condemnation. Our relationship with God is not determined by the law but by grace. This understanding is crucial for assurance of salvation and for living a life of sanctification. Grace does not nullify the law; rather, it empowers us to fulfill it. Through the Spirit, we are enabled to live according to God's commandments, not as a burden, but as a joyful expression of our new life in Christ.

Key Takeaways:

- The law reveals our need for grace by showing us our sinfulness and inability to achieve righteousness on our own. It points us to Christ, who fulfills the law's demands on our behalf. [01:32]

- Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Our standing before God is based on Christ's perfect obedience and sacrifice, not on our ability to keep the law. [11:37]

- As believers, we are no longer under the law's condemnation. Our relationship with God is determined by grace, which provides assurance of salvation and empowers us to live a life of sanctification. [24:38]

- Grace does not nullify the law; it empowers us to fulfill it. Through the Spirit, we are enabled to live according to God's commandments, not as a burden, but as a joyful expression of our new life in Christ. [35:34]

- Salvation must always be thought of in terms of the law, but we must never think of it in terms of our having to keep the law. Our relationship with God is entirely dependent on Christ and His work on our behalf. [20:38]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:10] - Introduction to John 1:17
[00:32] - The Relationship Between Law and Grace
[01:12] - The Function of the Law
[02:13] - The Law as an Introduction to Grace
[03:10] - The Role of Christ
[04:25] - The Importance of Understanding the Law
[06:01] - Assurance and Sanctification
[07:08] - Avoiding Extremes
[08:14] - Christ as the End of the Law
[10:00] - The Righteousness of God Revealed
[11:05] - How to Stand Before God
[12:07] - The Purpose of the Incarnation
[13:24] - Christ's Perfect Obedience
[15:32] - The Penalty of the Law
[17:09] - Salvation and the Law
[20:38] - Salvation and Grace
[23:39] - Delivered from the Law
[27:08] - Dead to the Law
[30:26] - Assurance in Christ
[34:45] - Fulfilling the Law Through the Spirit
[39:23] - The Purpose of Grace
[42:23] - Serving in Newness of Spirit
[46:00] - Three Principles of Salvation
[47:31] - Closing Remarks

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- John 1:17: "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

Observation Questions:
1. What does John 1:17 reveal about the relationship between the law and grace? How does this verse set the stage for understanding the role of Jesus Christ in fulfilling the law? [00:10]
2. According to the sermon, what is the primary function of the law as given through Moses? How does this function point us to the need for grace? [01:12]
3. How does the sermon describe the role of Christ in relation to the law? What does it mean that Christ is the "end of the law for righteousness"? [11:05]
4. What are the implications of being "no longer under the law's condemnation" for believers, as discussed in the sermon? [24:38]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the understanding of the law as an introduction to grace change the way believers view their need for forgiveness and renewal? [02:13]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that grace empowers believers to fulfill the law? How does this empowerment differ from trying to keep the law on our own? [35:34]
3. What does it mean for a believer's relationship with God to be determined by grace rather than the law? How does this understanding provide assurance of salvation? [24:38]
4. How does the sermon address the potential misunderstanding of grace as a license to sin? What role does the Spirit play in guiding believers to live according to God's commandments? [36:23]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt burdened by the law or your own efforts to achieve righteousness. How can the understanding of grace through Christ change your perspective on this struggle? [11:37]
2. In what areas of your life do you find it challenging to rely on Christ's righteousness rather than your own efforts? How can you remind yourself of the truth that your standing before God is based on Christ's obedience? [21:15]
3. How can you cultivate a joyful expression of your new life in Christ by living according to God's commandments? Identify one specific commandment you can focus on this week. [35:34]
4. Consider a situation where you have felt condemned or accused, either by yourself or others. How can the assurance of being "no longer under the law's condemnation" help you respond differently? [30:53]
5. How can you actively seek the Spirit's guidance to fulfill the law in your daily life? What practical steps can you take to ensure that your actions are empowered by grace rather than obligation? [42:23]
6. Identify a person in your life who may not understand the relationship between law and grace. How can you share the message of grace and truth with them in a way that is both loving and clear? [04:25]
7. Reflect on the concept of being "dead to the law" and "alive unto God." How does this truth impact your daily walk with Christ, and what changes might you need to make to live more fully in this reality? [27:08]

Devotional

Day 1: The Law Reveals Our Need for Grace
The law, given through Moses, serves as a mirror reflecting our sinfulness and our inability to achieve righteousness on our own. It highlights our helplessness and the necessity of forgiveness, renewal, and strength. By understanding the law, we gain the finest introduction to the gospel of grace offered through Jesus Christ. The law points out our need, and grace answers it. It is through Christ that the demands of the law are fulfilled on our behalf, allowing us to stand before God not based on our ability to keep the law but on Christ's perfect obedience and sacrifice. [01:32]

"For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways has the law highlighted your need for grace in your life? How can you embrace this need as a pathway to deeper reliance on Christ?


Day 2: Christ is the End of the Law for Righteousness
Christ is the culmination of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Our standing before God is not based on our ability to keep the law but on Christ's perfect obedience and sacrifice. He has borne the penalty of the law for us, and through faith, we receive His righteousness. This understanding is crucial for assurance of salvation and for living a life of sanctification. As believers, we are no longer under the law's condemnation, but our relationship with God is determined by grace. [11:37]

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (Romans 10:4, ESV)

Reflection: How does knowing that Christ has fulfilled the law on your behalf change the way you approach your relationship with God today?


Day 3: Living Under Grace, Not Condemnation
As believers, we are no longer under the law's condemnation. Our relationship with God is determined by grace, which provides assurance of salvation and empowers us to live a life of sanctification. Grace does not nullify the law; rather, it empowers us to fulfill it. Through the Spirit, we are enabled to live according to God's commandments, not as a burden, but as a joyful expression of our new life in Christ. This understanding is crucial for assurance of salvation and for living a life of sanctification. [24:38]

"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:14, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel condemned? How can you invite God's grace into that area to experience freedom and transformation?


Day 4: Grace Empowers Us to Fulfill the Law
Grace does not nullify the law; it empowers us to fulfill it. Through the Spirit, we are enabled to live according to God's commandments, not as a burden, but as a joyful expression of our new life in Christ. This empowerment through grace allows us to live a life that reflects God's love and righteousness, not out of obligation, but out of a transformed heart. Our relationship with God is entirely dependent on Christ and His work on our behalf, allowing us to serve in the newness of the Spirit. [35:34]

"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2, ESV)

Reflection: How can you rely on the Holy Spirit today to empower you to live out God's commandments joyfully?


Day 5: Salvation and the Law
Salvation must always be thought of in terms of the law, but we must never think of it in terms of our having to keep the law. Our relationship with God is entirely dependent on Christ and His work on our behalf. This understanding frees us from the burden of trying to earn our salvation through our own efforts and allows us to rest in the assurance of Christ's finished work. It is through faith in Him that we receive His righteousness and are empowered to live a life that honors God. [20:38]

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways have you been trying to earn God's favor through your own efforts? How can you shift your focus to resting in the assurance of Christ's finished work today?

Quotes


The law helps us to understand the meaning of grace as to what grace is. We consider that the law in a sense defines grace by showing us our own position of utter helplessness and hopelessness, and it also helps us to see and to understand what it is that we need from grace. [00:15:32]

The law indicates that that is what we need, and grace answers that. All the promises of God in him are yea and in him are amen. There is that sense in which grace is an answer to these needs which are in men in his fallen state and condition as shown and proved and demonstrated by the law. [00:25:49]

Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. The problem for all of us is this: how to get hold of righteousness. We can’t stand in the presence of God unless we are righteous. God is righteous, God is holy. How can we stand in the presence of God? [00:11:05]

Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. In the law, God has told us the type of righteousness he demands. He says, you manage to produce that kind of righteousness, and I will receive you. Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law. [00:12:07]

We must always think of salvation in terms of the law. Does that surprise you? We must always think of salvation in terms of the law and our relationship to the law. Now, you see, that’s a contradiction of so much popular evangelistic preaching today, which has got nothing to the law. [00:20:38]

We must never think of salvation in terms of our having to keep the law in any form. Now, you see the difference. Always think of salvation in terms of the law, never think of salvation in terms of your having to keep the law. There’s no contradiction; it’s a logical sequence. [00:23:39]

Christ has delivered us from being under the law. Now let’s be clear about this. Again, it’s another way in which the Apostle puts it. There you had in Romans 10:4, Christ is the end of the law. In Romans 6:14, we read this: for sin shall not have dominion over you. [00:24:38]

Christ through the spirit enables us to fulfill the law. Now then, Christ is the end of the law, Christ delivers us from being under the law, thirdly, Christ through the spirit enables us to fulfill the law. And I imagine that at this point some people are uncomfortable. [00:35:34]

Grace in other words must never be thought of in lawless terms. You must never think of the grace of God as just a way of escape, just a way of forgiveness, just that which always sets us free. Now that is what we like, isn’t it? That’s what we want. [00:36:34]

The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us what does it teach us? Worldly teaches us this: that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope. [00:41:23]

Christ through the spirit enables us to fulfill now that’s Christianity. It doesn’t do what you like, sin as much as you like, my dress covers you. I say it’s the opposite of that. You are forgiven, therefore by the power of the spirit, live the law, keep it, please God. [00:42:23]

We are put into a position in which now by the power of grace we are enabled to live and to practice the law of God. We are able to be what man was intended to be in his original creation by the Almighty God. Very well, let’s never forget these three principles. [00:46:00]

Chatbot

  • I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from May 25, 2017. Do you have any questions about it?

Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?