I Get a Kick Out of Grace Matthew 5:17-18 I think that besides Jesus (of course) no one understood the "Law of Moses" and the "Grace of God" better than the apostle Paul. Most people think that in Romans chapter 7 Paul is fighting a battle of good over evil, right vs. wrong, sin vs. righteousness and what have you. But if the chapters in Romans are read in context and the before and after chapters are also read in context, then we will see that Paul is dealing with the issue of "Grace vs. Law". On the one hand Paul loved the law, but that which he loved so much became death to him. Then on the other hand, towards the end of chapter 7 and into Romans chapter 8 Paul falls in love with the grace of God. (Read 2 Cor. chapter 3 on how the law kills). Every now and then someone says..."But who do you trust more when it comes to the understanding of the law, Christ or Paul?" The reason this question often comes up is because of what we read in Matthew 5:17-18..."Think not that I am (Jesus) come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Then I get something like..."You see brother, these passages prove here in Matthew that the law has not been totally done away with, and it will not happen until heaven and earth are no longer." (The law is good only if one keeps it entirely, but it becomes wrath if not kept to the "T") Now, here are a few questions I like to ask you to think about. "What is the difference between fulfilling something and destroying (abolished as Paul put it in Eph. 2:15, in 2nd Cor. 3 he used the words "done away", not to forget what we read in verse 21 of Rom. chapter 3 where Paul talked about"righteousness without the law" ) something ?" Friends, if our understanding of Matthew 5 along with Romans chapter 13 is that we are still under the law and that there are some parts of the law that we are still obligated and commanded to keep, then what do we do with James chapter 2 verse 10..."For whosoever shall keep (trust in) the whole law, and yet offend in ONE point, (not two or three) he is guilty of all." The question is..."If something is fulfilled by someone, what is there left for another to fulfill?" It’s either ALL or none. If our understanding of Matthew leaves us with the assumption that we are still obligated to the law in order to remain righteous before God, then Paul lied when he said..."For I am dead to the law that I might live unto God" Galatians 2:19. (The law demanded nothing less than absolute perfection) In addition that would also mean that Paul is very much alive to the law and not crucified with Christ.Gal 2:20. That he is still frustrating the grace of God and that righteousness is still being attained through the law. Gal. 2:21. For those who are still under the religious notion that the law is yet (somewhere in the future) to be fulfilled and that there are parts of the law that we are still obligated to keep through our own self-righteous religious performances... good luck! Friends, we can't be eating out of two tables. We can't be serving two masters. We can't be married to Christ and adulterating ourselves with the Law of Moses. It’s either one or the other. God gave the law to them that asked for it to show them that they wouldn't be able to keep it so that they would turn back to being thankful for His goodness, mercy and love. If those under the law (religious performance) couldn't keep to it, what makes us think we can? No wonder Paul went off and said..."O foolish Galatians (Christians, Puerto Ricans, Religious World) who hath bewitched you, (Peter James and John, that's who) that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This ONLY would I learn from you, Received ye the Spirit (made alive in Christ) by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" "Are ye so foolish? (ignorant, stupid) having begun in the Spirit, (the Spirit of God) are ye now made perfect by the flesh ? (law). Man!, this makes me want to turn Pentecostal and jump, shout, sing and praise God with all of the kitchen pots, pans and spoons. It doesn't get any better than this. (Read the entire letter to the Galatians.) "I fought the law and the law won. I fought the law and the law won." Thank God that Jesus did once and for all fulfill the law, the prophets (there are no more prophets today, only people trying to make a PROFIT with their religious lies at your expense) and the psalms. The next time you find yourself being led by some preacher, telling you that you are saved by grace but kept by law, just tell him... "I fought the law, and the law won, but now I serve Christ and the law is dead." Friends, I don't think that Jesus would spend so much time with Paul teaching him the Gospel of God's grace and then Paul would turn around and teach something difference. If we put it all in context, Jesus and Paul were saying the same exact thing. They both said..."Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law." Rom. 13:10. Halelullahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ! The law will kick your you-know-what
around if you keep trying to serve it. So why not let the Grace of God
heal you where the law has kicked you? Remember, there's only been one
that has ever been able to fight the law and win against it... "JESUS",
and He won it for you and the whole world. I get a kick out of Grace :)
and no longer a boot out of law. :( |