Somehow it seems most Christian movements either:
i) love the Law and fear (cheap) Grace
ii) love Grace and fear (legalistic) Law
Is there a third way [Read More] that embraces both?
i) love the Law and fear (cheap) Grace
ii) love Grace and fear (legalistic) Law
Is there a third way [Read More] that embraces both?
Many Christian movements are defined either by their emphasis on Grace, or their emphasis on Law. Yet, are these two really doomed to be in conflict, with one or the other having to win?
Like male and female, yin and yang, sine and cosine, I believe Law and Grace are both equally valuable, and find their true purpose in serving each other:
Law brings us to appreciate Grace
Grace brings us to enjoy the Law
That is, neither is sufficient unto itself. By itself, Law merely brings death; the best it can do is help us realize our need for Grace. Yet, Grace divorced from Law is pointless; Grace exists not for its own sake, but to bring us closer to God (in both character and relationship) — by empowering behaviors demanded by the Law.
Isn’t that obvious? Isn’t that why Paul honored both — why the Psalmist loved the Law and praised Mercy? Isn’t that in fact the only way it could be?
