It’s Not All Grace

because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight   Romans 3:20

Works – Most Christians believe that the Law has no place in the process of salvation.  It is grace alone that brings us into fellowship with the Father.  There is little doubt that God’s action towards us, and not our attempt to appease Him, is the true foundation of our redemption.  But is that the end of the story?  Is there no further obligation on our part once God has gifted us with restoration to His company?

Verses like this one might be understood in a way that would confirm that the Law no longer has a place in the life of a believer.  Nothing could be more mistaken!  Paul was Jewish, in thought and expression.  What he means in this verse is not in conflict with the rest of the Bible, and the rest of the Bible, including the words of the Son, and follows that path of Deuteronomy 30:11.  God saves us in order that we might obey His commandments, not so that we might ignore them.  In fact, He tells us that what He asks is not too difficult for us to do.  It is expected!  Keeping the commandments will not save us.  The Law leads us to the saving work of Jesus.  But once we have been adopted into the family, we are obligated, and expected, to live according to the commands of the paterfamilias, God the Father.  In fact, if our actions do not display evidence of a commitment and willingness to obey Him, it just might be the case that we were never adopted.

The Greek word here is erga.  It is “work, task, occupation, enterprise.”  But Paul is not thinking Greek.  Paul is thinking Hebrew.  What he means is that a slavish, mechanical, legalistic observance of the rules of religion in order to obligate God to perform is useless misunderstanding of the Law.  It is work, not life!  Without a heart devoted to the author of the Law, all rule-keeping is worthless.  God wants circumcised hearts, not regulated hands.  Christianity is a religion of volunteers, not rules for conscripts.  What Paul means, from a Jewish perspective, is that a legalistic application of the Law justifies no one.  Such an application is a mistake.  The Law is a contract for enjoying life, not a set of rules for controlling behavior.   That is why God can expect His children to keep His commandments, joyfully!

Am I supposed to follow the Law of God?  Of course I am!  God redeems me so that I can become part of His great family of those who are devoted to Him.  And if I am devoted to Him, I will rejoice in His commands.  They are an expression of the character of our Father, an expression that I can imitate.  No Christ-follower sees the Law as a means of earning God’s favor, but no Christ-follower sets aside the Law as a means of displaying devotion to the Lord.  The Law helps me understand the nature of the God I serve.  I keep it because I love Him.  It is not a yoke around my neck.  It is liberty in my heart.

Is the Law for me?  You bet!  God asks me to observe it, empowers me to observe it and delights in me when I observe it.  Keeping the Law because I am devoted to Him is my way of saying, “Thank You, Father, for rescuing me.”