At first glance it does seem that law and grace are opposed. Even the Bible seems to be divided into two sections the Old Testament (law) and New Testament (grace).
The Old Testament and especially the first five books are all about law. How God expects righteousness from everyone. In fact God gives man the Ten Commandments in this section of the Bible. Surely this means that God expects man to live up to the Ten Commandments in an effort to please Him. Right?
Well if you take the Bible as a whole you begin to understand that the Ten Commandments were never given as a way to please God. God knows us, and our limits. They were given as a way to show us how far short we fall, a measuring stick to show us just how much we need Him.
Sound a little hopeless? It is hopeless to think that we can keep the Ten Commandments. Jesus showed us that in his teachings. "If a man hates it is the same as murder in the sight of God." Think about that. If you want to live under the Law then a white lie has the same penalty as murder!
It is pretty obvious that it is mans pride that makes him think he can keep the Law!
Forget about "It means strive for perfection" try that in a court of law. Smile!
Galatians 2:21
"I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
The good news is that the law makes us realize just how much we really need God! It is the righteousness of God's Son that makes us acceptable in God's sight, not anything we have done.
Ephesians 2:8
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."
Because of that, we can concentrate on doing what God put us here on Earth for, instead of being under the burden of striving for something just out of reach!
God loves his creation and wants us to be free and productive for Him. We do not need to worry about genes, heredity, sexuality, or environment.
Just relax in Him and learn who we are in God and He will show us what is best for us!
Chris Hampton
Alpha Life Fellowship
http://www.alpha-links.com
We come into this world alone, we experience physical life... Read More
Jacob had sent his family on across the river Jabbok.... Read More
Back in the days of the old law of Moses,... Read More
A Tarot card deck typically consists of 78 colorful cards... Read More
Be filled with the Spirit.? always giving thanks to God... Read More
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in... Read More
In Corrogue it is frosty.The ramp into our "acre of... Read More
The 'As Above, So Below' law that is the combination... Read More
On Shamans and Shamanism ... Shaman, a Tungus (Siberian) word,... Read More
When I was a child, I thought as a child,... Read More
In Corrogue, Celtic mythology helps me live a wonderful life.As... Read More
Being"You have taken yourself to be something that you are... Read More
Many look outside of themselves for an experience of the... Read More
Why do we have an Ego?Almost all spiritual guides say... Read More
Yes, we are living in a world where we are... Read More
It was my intention to explain the word "simple," and... Read More
Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell recently starred in the movie... Read More
Forgiveness breaks all bounds of repression and depression. It liberates... Read More
Imagine for a moment. It's Tuesday night about 7pm. You... Read More
Human beings are blessed with a unique gift: the gift... Read More
In Feng Shui, water symbolizes wealth. The word "fish" in... Read More
1. Identify a woman who is "like minded," who has... Read More
When my dad was nearing the end of his life... Read More
The following fragment was found in Qumran along with the... Read More
Feeling restless? Is part of you calling out for change,... Read More
quick home cleaning Lake Forest ..Chaos: "complete confusion" and "the formless void before the creation... Read More
Forgiveness breaks all bounds of repression and depression. It liberates... Read More
In the movie "A Beautiful Mind" John Nash (played by... Read More
Following are 17 questions that can be used as a... Read More
The question of life after death is one that continues... Read More
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.... Read More
One of the first things you will find that God... Read More
Enlightenment, which is as varied as each individual's fingerprint, is... Read More
Setting boundaries is a common expression that we hear almost... Read More
Have you ever wondered how much faith you really have?... Read More
We are all here on this plane, thinking to ourselves... Read More
The word means different things to different people. Is it... Read More
I would like to tell you the story of a... Read More
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ... Read More
Let me explain my approach to the practice of ritual.... Read More
We know that David did much to stabilize the Kingdom... Read More
"It's a big challenge. It's a journey into the unknown.... Read More
IS FAITH - NOT VITAMIN C WHAT'S MISSING FROM YOUR... Read More
Forget what you have read or seen about vampires. The... Read More
I still remember the scene vividly. I was getting out... Read More
So, none of us arrived with an Owner's Manual, neatly... Read More
The fastest way to raise your frequency is to do... Read More
Adam had it right when he covered himself with fig... Read More
I heard recently on a Christian radio station somebody talking... Read More
We want to hear from God so that we may... Read More
Spirituality |