John 1:17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
I have seen many disputes concerning the nature of the law and the nature of grace. It seems that some believe they are competitive, as in "The Law Vs. Grace".
It seems some feel they are mutually exclusive, as in "if we are under law we are not under grace, and if we are under grace we are under no law".
In what i see from scripture i believe there is a better view, which i will present as the law of "Law AND Grace".
I am a gentile grafted into the House of Israel, which IS the church of God and are the children of God, after all, the church is nothing more than a sect of the Jew, and it is from this unique position that i have observed this within the church...
Having attended several denominational and nondenominational churches, as well as having the pleasure of studying the Tenach and the Torah from a Jewish perspective at times, i have noted that Some within the denominational churches snub their noses at the law, claiming "i am not under the law because i am under grace". On the flip side i have seen some imply there was no grace before and during the Law.
I wish to show that from Adam til now, there has always been law and there has always been grace, and that Yeshuah is the fulfillment of both.
i will try to be brief so as to not make this a book
Adam - Adam was under the law of "Thou shalt not eat of this tree". We know that Adam ate of the tree following his wife.
Adam in reality was the only man that ever lived, who was in the position of playing the role played by Yeshuah Himself, as Savior of the world. We know though that when he fell, he doomed all mankind, and no one but the man, our God, Lord and Saviour Yeshuah Mashiach could now play this part for us. Before his fall though Adam could very well have gone straight to God and said "Lord, my wife has eaten of the fruit... i KNOW your law says she must die. She is my gift to me from you though, and i love her... PLEASE... let her live and take my life as a ransom for hers and let me pay her price... Would God have accepted this? Adam was perfect, sinless, and qualified as her sacrifice, but alas he ate too and eliminated all mankind, neccessitating that God Himself would pay the price if we were to be saved at all.
We see though that God had grace on Adam in spite of Adam's failure. We see the sacrifice instituted and God made them clothing.
So Adam was under a law... and in failure of the law, he experienced the Grace of God by way of the sacrifice and more.
Cain and Abel - These brothers were under a law of sacrifice. Cain fell miserably, offering an evil sacrifice, but God did not strike Cain down... Instead, He had grace on Can and He asked Cain, "Why are you so down and angry Cain? If youll only do good in your sacrifice you will be accepted". So Cain was under law, and yet he received grace, with God even pleading with him to do right... He received further grace by being banished to Nod rather than being destroyed for the murder of his brother Abel.
Noah - Noah performed sacrifice under law. Yet we read the words "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." So then added to the sacrifice, was a new law... "Thou shalt build an Arc", and through this arc, God's law brought about destruction on the wicked allowing more grace for all mankind through Noah's obedience.
Lot - We see that God in wrath destroyed the cities in the plains, and yet had grace on Lot, either for Lot's sake or Abraham's.
All through time we see man under law, and we see God's grace shed on man. The fact that Yeshuah even came to this world as our sacrifice of course, being His greatest demonstration of grace toward us.
Now we are in the age of grace as it is called. Many say we are no longer under the law. This i find to be in error. No the law cannot save us, but the law does direct us.
Though we are under grace, murderers, adulterers and such STILL shall not inheirit the kingdom if they remain unrepentant. "Thou shalt not kill" is STILL a good and valid law, as are all the laws of Moses. If we break the law we are still guilty whether we take the name of Yeshuah or not.
We are not saved by the law, but rather, all stand condemned when they break it. And it is GRACE that saves us from the law IF we repent and turn from our evil and conform to 'thou shalt not kill' and 'repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'.
So we see indeed that we are now under a law of salvation. Just as there was once the law of "Thou shalt not eat of this tree, or thou shalt surely die", the law now stands "Repent and believe, and thou shalt surely live"
The law demonstrates what we do and dont do to our neighbor if we love them, and how we respond to God if we love HIM. Repentance in itself is a law which opens the door to receive this grace personally.
Law and grace are simply 2 sides to the same coin, and we cannot have one without the other and still have justice and goodness in God.
It isnt a matter of law OR grace...
...it is a matter of law AND grace, and from Adam to now they have both operated for our benefit.