Does Grace

Replace The Law?

                                                                                                                        compiled by Rachel Cory, December 25, 2007 Last Edit: July 18, 2025

Scripture quoted from the NKJV, unless otherwise noted.

Romans 10:4 “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

 

Many Christians have been taught that the Gospel of the New Testament, replaced the Law of the Old Testament. “We are now living in the age of grace,” they say, “and it is no longer necessary to consider the Ten Commandments, or to be burdened with works of the law.”

 

Were First Covenant Israelites saved in a different way, from today’s Christian believers? Will they be held to a different standard in the judgment? If this is the case, what does this say about the character of our God? Is His justice the same for all people, through all time?

THEY WERE NOT SAVED BY WORKS.

                                                AND NEITHER ARE WE.

 

The Jews of Christ’s day, believed there was merit in the ceremonies themselves - that they were justified before God because they performed all the “works of the Law.” Christ kept pointing out their failings. They had not kept the Law - not really. They kept “the letter,” but not “the spirit,” of the Torah. And without “the spirit,” their law keeping was worthless in the sight of God.

 

And that’s not even considering the Oral Torah (of the Pharisees) which often contradicted the written Torah. Christ called it “your tradition” (Matt 15:3-6).

            Paul’s expression - “the law for righteousness,” in Romans 10:4, meant law-keeping as a means       to obtain righteousness (right standing) in the sight of God. Paul refutes this idea soundly.

 

Romans 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Galatians 2:16 “...for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”

Galatians 3:11 “... that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident ...”

 

Galatians 3:21 “For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.”

 

No one - not before the Cross, or since - has ever, or will ever be, “saved” by chanting a certain number of prayers, by going to church every week, by confessing to a priest, by keeping every one of the Ten Commandments, by offering the right sacrifices, by keeping the Ceremonial Feasts, by donating large sums of money, or by any other ritual or formula.

 

The Law is like a mirror. It can tell you that your face of dirty, but it cannot wash your face (James 1:23-24). The Law can be a mirror for your soul. It can tell you that your soul is dirty, but only Christ can wash you clean. “Whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7).

 

Isaiah 64:5 “All of us are like someone unclean, all our righteous deeds like menstrual rags [the most filthy thing Isaiah could think of]; we wither, all of us, like leaves; and our misdeeds blow us away like the wind.” (CJB)

 

Wow! That’s what God thinks of our (so called) “righteous deeds.” They are all tainted by our own self interest. Yikes!

 

Only if the Spirit of Christ works in us, and through us, are our good deeds “worthy” in the site of God. Why? Because those “works” actually come from Christ, not from us. Without Him - without the perfect love of God that flows through Him to us, our works are dead and accomplish nothing in the heavenly sense.

 

Deuteronomy 9:6 "Know therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness; for you are a stubborn people. RSV

 

Daniel 9:18 “Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.”

 

God did NOT bless Abraham, Isaac, Jacob or individuals within ancient Israel because they kept the law perfectly (though many were at least trying). They received unmerited blessing (grace) because of God’s mercy! Grace was absolutely the most important aspect of God’s relationship with the patriarchs.

 

NOTE: We are not “saved” by good works, but we will be rewarded for them (if they were faith motivated). This promise is seen across the Old Testament.

THE GOSPEL - IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

 

Galatians 3:8-9 “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.”

 

Hebrews 4:2 “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them; but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”

 

Did you hear that? Abraham heard the gospel!

            Question: What was the gospel - before Jesus came?

      Answer: God will provide the Sacrifice.

 

            Every sacrifice symbolized the death of God’s Son. He was “the Lamb of God.”

 

“Gospel” means “good news.” Since the death of Christ, the good news is that a Savior has come, and his death has paid the penalty for sin (for all who believe).

 

Bring a lamb. --------- Eat the Bread.

Both are symbols which represent the death of Our Savior.

One looked forward. --------------- One looks back.

            

The salvation is the same.

GRACE IS NOT CONFINED TO THE NEW TESTAMENT!

Genesis 6:8 “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

Exodus 22:27 God said, “I will hear; for I am gracious.”

Exodus 34:6 God is “merciful and gracious, long suffering...”

 

The word “grace” means “unmerited favor.” It is also defined as “the divine influence in the life.” Most certainly the unmerited favor of God was shown to Israel under the “first” covenant. God is the same - yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Malachi 3:6). Every believer from Adam through Abraham to this very day, has felt the divine influence. Every believer has known the grace of God.

THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB POINTED TO CHRIST

Every lamb brought by an Israelite, symbolized Christ. His death would pay the “redemption price” for every man and women who believed. Even before the Israelites, righteous Able, Noah, Job, Abraham and others offered sacrifices, seeking favor with God. These men “found favor” because they believed Yehovah God, and sincerely repented of any wrongs. They were forgiven in exactly the same way that we are forgiven today. Christ said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56).

 

How did Abraham “see” Christ’s life and sacrifice? Answer: The miraculous birth of Isaac, to a mother 90 years old. Then the near sacrifice of that miracle son. As Abraham trudged up the mountain, piled wood on the alter and finally raised his arm with the knife, he felt Christ’s “day.” He felt the sacrifice, of God. He felt it “by faith,” because it was his faith that brought him to that mountain top. He felt the massive relief, when the Angel of the LORD caught his arm and then provided a ram, to be sacrificed instead. This is the wonderful joy that every believer experiences, knowing that God has provided the Lamb (Gen. 4:4; Gen. 8:20; Job 1:5, Rev 21:22).

 

The Israelite who came with his sacrifice, in true heart sorrow for sin, was forgiven because of his faith - his belief that Yehovah God would forgive. His sins were covered (Num.15:25-29; Lev.19:23). He stood justified - declared righteous before God. The word “atonement” means “covering” or “reconciliation.” The sacrificial ceremony had no worth apart from the humble faith of the one who brought the sacrifice. Without true heart repentance, the ceremony was actually repulsive to God (1 Sam. 15:22; Ps. 51:16,17; Hos. 6:6; Heb. 9:9). Israel began to act as if the LORD was obligated to forgive, because they brought the correct sacrifices. Yehovah could not continue to bless such a system. He allowed its destruction.

            See our study: “The END of Sacrifices.”

THE LAW IS NOT CONFINED TO THE OLD TESTAMENT.

Romans 13:10 “Love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Galatians 5:14 “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this:

‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

I John 5:3 “This is love for God; to obey His commandments.”

 

John 14:21 [Jesus speaking] “Who ever has my commandments and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.”

John 14:15 [Jesus speaking] “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

Matthew 19:17 [Jesus speaking] “If you would enter into life, obey the commandments.”

Question: Who spoke the Ten Commandments from the top of Mount Sinai?

           Who wrote The Covenant on two stone tablets?

      Answer: The Son of God - the “one mediator between God and man” (2Timothy 2:5).

The Ten Commandments ARE His commandments.

Romans 2:12-13 “For not the hearers of the law are justified,

                                   but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

            According to Paul, those who do not keep the Law, will not be justified.

 

I John 2:4 “The man who says ‘I know Him,’ but does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.”

Romans 7:12 “The law is holy and the commandment is holy, just, and good.”

Romans 7:14 “The law is spiritual.”

Romans 7:16 “I agree with the law that it is good.”

Romans 7:22 “In my inner being I delight in God’s law.”

 

Grace was there all along. And God’s Law was there all along. Long before Mount Sinai, “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” (Gen 26:5). Abraham obeyed “by faith.” He obeyed because he believed.

            And for those who say there was no “Spirit of Christ” during the Old Testament period:

 

1 Peter 1:10-11 “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow” (NIV).

 

He was there all along. He has been “the only mediator between God and man,” since the first sin in the Garden. He was there for them. He is there for you. See our study: The Mediator. It is filled with examples of Christ, all through the period called the Old Testament.

GRACE FOR OBEDIENCE

 

Romans 1:5 [Christ] “... through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for His name's sake” (NAS).

            “The obedience of faith” - What is that? What does that look like?

 

Abraham believed God (Rom 4:3). What did that lead him to do? Answer: It lead Abraham to DO what the LORD told Him to do. “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Gen 26:5). Abraham obeyed because he believed. He obeyed “by faith.” When the LORD told Abraham to send away Hagar, with her son - his son, Ishmael, Abraham complied (Gen 21:8-14). Though this act was unthinkable, within that ancient culture. And years later, when the LORD told Abraham to sacrifice his remaining son - his miracle son and only legacy, Abraham complied (Gen 22:2). THIS is obedience! THIS is faith! Yet today, folks cannot even honor the Sabbath day (Exo 20:8-11). They play computer games, or watch movies, or read novels, or talk fashion, or just gossip.

 

What is it that we obey, by faith? Answer: His Commands. The indwelling Spirit of Christ opens our eyes to the love of God. We respond by loving others - loving those whom God loves. God the Father, and His Son, who abide with us and in us, give us strength, and wisdom to obey Their commands (Jn 14:23, 1Jn 2:24).

 

1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

THE NEW COVENANT

            Do you know where the New Covenant is found in the Scriptures?

      Do you know what the New Covenant says? What are the terms of this covenant?

 

Hebrews 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people” (NET).

 

Jeremiah 31:31-33 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, . . . 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (ESV).

            What “law” do you suppose, Jeremiah believed the LORD would write on their hearts?

      Answer: The Ten Commandments. Of course!

 

I’ve heard many Christians say, “That covenant is only for Israel, so that’s only for Jews.”

      Is that right? No!

 

According to Paul, non-Hebrew believers in Yeshua, are “grafted in” to the Olive Tree (Romans Chapter 11). The LORD called Israel’s name “Green Olive Tree” (Jeremiah 11:16). Non-Hebrew believers become citizens of “the commonwealth of Israel,” by faith (Ephesians Chapter 2).

 

Unrepentant, unbelieving Hebrews (once part of Israel) are “broken off” from that Tree because of their unbelief (Romans 11:20). They are “cut off” from Israel.

                                                                                                                                                         

 

That is why Paul could write, “and thus all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). Everyone who is still attached to the Olive Tree, who is drawing life from its holy “root” - Yeshua Messiah, will be saved. It’s not about DNA. It’s about faith - real faith - faith that obeys.

            There is no gate into the New Jerusalem, labeled “Gentiles Enter Here.”

We pray this study will prove a blessing.

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