One year, I was teaching a witnessing class after church each Sabbath. Since Jesus asked us as Christians to spread the Gospel message, I wanted the members of the class to have a good basic Gospel outline that could give definition to their sharing. The outline that I feel best captures the Gospel message is: SALVATION by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS. They could begin at any one of these points and expound upon it as the situation warranted.

I was once asked about my reference to the text in Matthew 15:9 and its relation to the day of worship. In a way, I am glad to hear that many do not feel that Sunday worship is an obligation. Many Protestant denominations have begun to follow the lead of the Catholic church in proclaiming Sunday as an obligatory "sabbath" of rest and worship. That is why I cited that text. I agree that Jesus frequently criticized the Pharisees for their legalism. In this particular case, though, he was admonishing them for mandating a tradition established by men while paying lip service to the commandments of God. See the context of Matthew 15:1-9. There is actually a more complete account of the same incident in Mark 7:1-13. Jesus draws the contrast between the ceremonial washings mandated by the Pharisees (which were not directed by God in either the Ten Commandments or the Mosaic ordinances) and the fifth commandment to "honor thy father and mother" which they were breaking. The seventh day Sabbath was set aside and sanctified by God at creation and its observance was reconsecrated in the Ten Commandments. Sunday worship is a manmade tradition. One of the following situations must then exist: either 1) grace did in fact eliminate the Ten Commandments and then there is no obligatory weekly day of worship, or 2) the Ten Commandments are still valid and include the observance of the seventh day Sabbath. If you believe that the Ten Commandments were eliminated by grace then you are absolutely right in worshiping in any way and at any time you care to. I too believe that worship of God is a continual attitude that you should maintain all throughout the week. Paul says to "pray without ceasing" and to be in earnest prayer at all times.

The Law vs. Grace question is one that has been debated since Jesus' time. Much of what we believe comes from how we interpret what Paul has written in his letters. Peter even acknowledges that much of what Paul wrote was confusing.(See 2 Pet 3:15) I do not claim to have any monopoly on the truth so I cannot say that either one of us is right or wrong. I would like to share with you, however, the conclusions that I have drawn on my study of law and grace.

Let me start by saying that any study on the law is inherently confusing. This is because references to the law in scripture can mean several different things. The "law" can refer to just the Ten Commandment law, just the Mosaic ordinances, both of these taken together, or to the first five books of the Bible taken as a whole. The particular reference depends mostly on the context but also on the underlying Greek and Hebrew words. You can use the definitions in your Strong's concordance to help out with this. The same thing is true of the synonyms of "law" such as "commandments" and "ordinances". However, even considering these difficulties, if you compare scripture against scripture to see what the whole Bible teaches on the subject, much of the confusion disappears.

First, consider what Jesus taught about the law. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His followers, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill."For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches {them,} he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses {that} of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:17-20 (NAS). Jesus said that the Law would stand as valid until heaven and earth pass away. He also said that He did not come to abolish the Law. Yet Paul tells the Colossians, "having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he [Jesus] took it away, nailing it to the cross." Col 2:14 (NIV) Paul also told the Ephesians, "by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, {which is} the Law of commandments {contained} in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, {thus} establishing peace," Eph 2:15 (NAS) Obviously Paul and Jesus are not talking about the same "law". I would submit to you that Jesus was talking about the Ten Commandment Law and that Paul was talking about the Mosaic ordinances that governed the sanctuary service. Paul speaks of "ordinances". Certainly these ordinances were eliminated at the cross. The whole sanctuary service pointed to Jesus and his sacrifice and ministry on our behalf. The book of Hebrews makes this very clear. John the Baptist called Jesus, "the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." When Jesus breathed His last breath on the cross, the veil in the temple was supernaturally torn in half, signifying the end of the sanctuary services. (See Matt 27:51)

Notice that Jesus told His followers that their "righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and the Pharisees". In fact, Jesus never condemned the Pharisees for keeping the Law. He only criticized them for thinking that by keeping the Law they were righteous. When in truth, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Rom 3:23. "There is not one righteous, no not one." Rom 3:10. Jesus also admonished the Pharisees for placing heavy burdens upon the backs of the people by instituting additional laws that God had not commanded. Taking the Sabbath as an example, by Jesus' time, the Pharisees had instituted SEVERAL HUNDRED laws that directed exactly how the Sabbath was to be kept holy. Finally, Jesus admonished the Pharisees for placing great weight on their own laws while paying lip service to the God's laws. I already gave one example of this in Matthew 15 and Mark 7. Another is: "But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every {kind of} garden herb, and {yet} disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. Luke 11:42 (NAS)

(As an aside, tithe is an interesting subject. Almost every Christian denomination and independent church teach tithing, even though the practice is only mentioned 11 times in the whole Bible. It is mentioned only twice in the New Testament - the same event in two different Gospels - and even then it is mentioned only in passing. This is less than virtually any other doctrinal teaching - such as the Ten Commandments or Righteousness by Faith. Yet virtually every church teaches tithing as an obligation. Wasn't this part of the old Jewish law that was thrown out at the cross? The truth is I tithe for the same reason that you do - not to earn salvation, or even to get blessings from God. Rather, we tithe because we love Jesus and seek to do His will - and there is good evidence that He has asked us to do so.)

But back to what Jesus taught about the Ten Commandments. Immediately after Jesus made that statement during His Sermon on the Mount, he gave several examples of what He meant. He expanded the letter of the law to include the spirit of the law by equating hatred with murder, lust with adultery, etc. But by expanding the Ten Commandments, did he do away with the letter of the commandments? If it is indeed a sin to hate, is murder now alright? If it is a sin to lust, is it now okay to commit adultery?

What else did Jesus say about the Ten Commandment law? Notice what Jesus told the rich young ruler . - And behold, one came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is {only} One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not commit murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself."The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?"Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go {and} sell your possessions and give to {the} poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." Matt 19:16-21 (NAS) - - Jesus told him to keep the Ten Commandments.

When the Pharisees asked Jesus about the Ten Commandment law Jesus summarized them in this way: "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him,"' You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." Matt 22:36-40 (NAS) Note that Love to God is the subject of the first four commandments and love to your fellow man is the subject of the last six commandments. Note also that Jesus did not come up with these two ideas at this point in time. He was merely quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.

Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. Rom 3:31(NAS)

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." Rom 7:7 (NAS)

because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law {comes} the knowledge of sin. Rom 3:20 (NAS)

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness [transgression of the law]. I Jn 3:4 (NAS)

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin [transgress the law] that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Rom 6:1-2 (NAS)

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin [transgress the law] because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Rom 6:14-15 (NAS)

"But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! Gal 2:17 (NAS)

and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. I Jn 3:22 (NAS)

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one {point,} he has become guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by {the} law of liberty. James 2:10-12 (NAS)

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for {once} he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the {law} of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does. James 1:23-25 (NAS)

The conclusion, when all has been heard, {is:} fear God and keep His commandments, because this {applies to} every person. Eccl 12:13 (NAS)

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:15 (NAS) (If not the Ten Commandments, then which ones?)

And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; I Jn 2:3-4 (NAS)

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. I Jn 5:2-3 (NAS)

"He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him." John 14:21

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. John 15:10 (NAS)

Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but {what matters is} the keeping of the commandments of God. 1 Cor 7:19 (NAS)

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Rev 12:17

Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. Rev 14:12 (NAS) (Note that these last two texts - in context - identify the ones who will inherit the kingdom of God as being commandment keeping people.)

Paul says, " For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, {it is} the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast." (NAS) Eph 2:8-9

James says, "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone. For just as the body without {the} spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." James 2:24, 26 (NAS)

In context, they both even use the same example - Abraham - to prove their point. So which one is right? Are both men inspired by God or is one a fraud? They are both right!!

The problem is, most people misunderstand the idea of SALVATION. Most people think that Jesus came to save us from death. JESUS CAME TO SAVE US FROM SIN. Death is just a byproduct of sin. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom 6:23. Jesus did come to pay the penalty for our sins, but that is not all. The process of salvation is three fold. 1) JUSTIFICATION - forgiveness of the guilt of sins already committed. 2) CHRISTIAN GROWTH - the process of becoming more Christ-like - victory over the power of sin 3)GLORIFICATION - Jesus finally removes us from the presence of sin in our bodies and in the world at His second coming. The whole process of salvation includes all three. Justification, sanctification, and glorification. Jesus delivers us from the guilt, the power, and the presence of sin.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; Rom 3:23-24 (NAS)

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Rom 3:28 (NAS)

nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified. Gal 2:16 (NAS)

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that [the faith] not of yourselves, it [the faith] is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. Eph 2:8-9 (NAS)

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Rom 5:10 (NAS)

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the {life} which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. Gal 2:20 (NAS)

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for {His} good pleasure. Phil 2:12-13 (NAS)

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Phil 4:13 (NAS) (Even keep the Ten Commandment Law)

{For I am} confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:6 (NAS)

For just as the body without {the} spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. James 2:26

During this time, there are two natures within us that are competing for our obedience - a sinful nature of the flesh, and a spiritual nature of Christ's righteousness. See Paul's discourse on this in Romans 7:14-25. Se also the book of 1 John - the whole book deals with the power of God to overcome sin in our lives and the Grace of God to forgive us when we fail.

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of {the} archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord." 1Thes 4:13-17

"Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory. "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 1 Cor 15:51-55

"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is." I Jn 3:2

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. Phil 3:20-21

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable {body} it is raised an imperishable {body} it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual {body.}1 Cor 15:42-44 (NAS)

And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Rev 20:10

And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. Rev 20:14

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer {any} sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be {any} death; there shall no longer be {any} mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." Rev 21:1-5

and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. Rev 21:27

The Ten Commandment Law is still valid. Without the law there would be no sin because sin is the transgression of the law. Thus there would be no need of a Savior. The Law identifies our sin. We then come to Jesus for forgiveness (Justification). He not only forgives us, but empowers us to overcome the sin in our lives (Sanctification). We do not keep his commandments in order to be saved, but as a result of our love for Him. (We don't tithe in order to be blessed by Him, but because we love Him and want to do what He asks us to do.) When Jesus returns, our salvation will be complete as He gives us glorified bodies and recreates the world without sin (Glorification). All three aspects of salvation are totally due to God's grace - not due to our strength. To deal with the sin problem, Jesus didn't abolish His eternal law - He could have done that without ever dying on the cross. Instead, He maintained His law, and offered to pay the penalty for our transgression, to live within us and enable us to overcome the power of sin in our lives, and eventually to transform our sinful nature and our sinful world into ones of righteousness. All He asks us to do is accept His offer through faith in His word. That is the full plan of salvation with the perfect mix of justice and mercy.

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