LESSON4

AREWESAVEDBYGRACEORTHEKEEPI
NGOFTHELAW?

Youar
ewelcometoanot
heredi
ti
onofI
nsight
sfr
om God'
sWord,aBibl
estudypr
ogr
ammet
hat
i
scommit
tedtoshar
ingGod'
sWordbyall
owingt
heBibl
etospeakf
oritsel
f.

Inthi
sedit
ion,wecont
inuewi t
hourser i
esonTheLawofGod.Thet opi
cforthi
sstudyis:Ar
ewe
savedbygraceorthekeepingofthelaw?Int hi
sstudyIwantustoconsi
dersomePaul i
ne
passagesthatdeal
withlawandgr ace.Par
ticul
arl
y,wearegoingt
oascertai
nfrom Scr
ipt
ure
whetherwearesavedbygr aceorthekeepingofthelaw.

Beloved,t
hesimpl
eteachingofScri
pturei
sthatwear esavedbygracethroughfai
thi
nChrist
Jesus.From t
heepi
stleoftheapost
lePaultothechurchatEphesus,wereadt hef
oll
owing
cl
earwor ds:
"8Forbygraceareyesav edt
hroughfai
th;andthatnotofyoursel
ves:
iti
sthegif
t
ofGod: 9Notofworks,l
estanymanshouldboast"(Ephesians2:8-
9).

Theapost l
ePaulal
somakesitcleari
nhislet
tertotheRomansthatnoonewillbej
usti
fi
edby
thekeepingoft
helaw.Romans3: 20br
ingsoutthiscl
earpoi
nt:
"Theref
orebythedeedsoft
he
l
awt hereshal
lnofl
eshbejust
if
iedinhissi
ght:forbythel
awistheknowledgeofsi
n."

Bel
oved,t
hekeepingoft hel
awofGoddoesnotsav eus.Itdoesnotevenjustif
yusbef orethe
Fat
her.Al
lourri
ghteousness,wearetol
dbytheprophetI
saiah,ar
easfil
thyrags( I
sai
ah64: 6)
.
Wit
hthisbackgr
ound, t
hemi l
l
iondoll
arquest
ionwhichnowbegsf oranansweri sthi
s:Ifthel
aw
ofGoddoesnotsav eorjust
if
yus,whatisit
susethenintheli
feoftheChri
stian?

Fri
ends, ev ent hought hekeepi ngoftheTenCommandmentl awdoesnotsav eorjusti
fyus,i
t
neverthelesspl ay sanimpor t
antrolei
nt hel i
feoft
hebeliev
erinChrist.From Romans3: 20,we
aretoldcl earlyt hatevent houghthelawdoesnotj ustif
yus,yetbyitist heknowledgeofsin.
From Romans7: 7,12,
theapost l
ePaul il
lustr
atesthi
spurposeofthel awasf oll
ows: "
7What
shallwesayt hen?I sthel awsin?Godf orbid.Nay,
Ihadnotknownsi n,butbythelaw: f
orIhad
notknownl ust, exceptthelawhadsai d,Thoushaltnotcovet.12Wher efor
ethelawi sholy,
and
thecommandmenthol y,andjust,
andgood. "

1
Friends, Paul'spointint heabov epassagei scl
ear.Thelawser vesasami rr
or ,reveal
i
ngunt ous
ourmi serablesinfulnat ure.Butj
ustast hemi r
rori
sunablet oremov eanydef ectsafter
revealingt hem, sodoest helawi snotabletohelpusaf t
erreveali
ngunt ousournegat i
vesinf
ul
situati
on.Thewor kthel awdoeshowev erhelpust oknowt hatwehav eapr oblem andt hatwe
needext ernalhelp.Fr i
ends, t
hisexter
nal hel
pthatweneedaf t
erwehav eknownourmi serabl
e
sinfulcondi ti
ont hrought helawi sJesus.Afterwehavecomet oknowoursi nfulcondit
ion
throught hel aw, wer unt otheOnewhocanshowusgr acebyf orgi
vingus,cleansingusand
sav i
ngusf rom thecondemnat i
onoft helaw,eventheMan, ChristJesus.From John1: 29,we
readt heassur i
ngwor ds:"BeholdtheLambofGod, whichtakethawayt hesinoft hewor ld.
"

Bel
ov ed,ther
eisnothi
ngwecandoaboutoursi nfulcondi
ti
onoursel
ves.Howmanyofushav e
notstruggledoverandov
eragai
n,tr
yingtoovercomet hesi
ninourli
ves,butworkedi
nv ai
n?I
t
i
sthest rengthgi
ventousfr
om abovethatenablesustoovercomesininourli
ves.I
tisnotby
works,lestanyofuscoul
dboast(Ephesi
ans2:8-9).

Fri
ends,eventhoughitisclearfr
om Script
urethati
tisfai
thi
nChristt
hatsavesus,theBibl
eis
quickt
oalsoaddt hat"fai
thwithoutworksisdead"(James2:26)
.Inrespectt
othissamepoi nt
,
theapostl
ePaul askstherhetori
calquesti
on:"
Dowet henmakevoidthelawthr
oughf ai
th?God
for
bid:y
ea, weestabl
ishthelaw"(Romans3: 31).

Beloved,t
hisisPaul'
sbasicmessageconcer ningthel awofGod.Ev enthought helawdoesnot
save,itpl
aysanimpor t
antrol
einthelif
eofthebel iever.Thel
awhel psust or unt oChr i
st,
the
Onewhocansav eusf r
om ourwretchedcondi ti
on.TheBi bl
ewantsust oviewGod' slawinthis
posit
iveli
ght.Unl
ikethePhari
seesinancientIsrael,wedonotkeept helawt ojustifyoursel
ves.
Howev er,
wekeepi tinlov
ingobediencetothewi ll
ofGod.I nfact
,Chr i
stplainlytoldHis
disci
ples:"
Ifyoul
ov eme,keepmycommandment s"(John14:15).

Itisinterest
ingtolear
nt hatthepeopl
eofGodwhowil
lbeli
vi
ngatt
hecl
oseoft
hisworl
d'
s
historywi l
lnotonl
yhav efait
hinGod,butt
heywi
ll
alsokeepHi
scommandment
s.Herei
sthe
scripturalevi
dence:

i
)"Andt
hedragonwaswrot
hwiththewoman(God'
schurch)
,andwentt
omakewarwit
hthe
r
emnantofherseed,
whi
chkeepthecommandmentsofGod,andhavet
het
est
imonyofJesus

2
Chr
ist
"(Rev
elat
ion12:
17)
.

i
i
)"Her
eisthepatienceofthesai
nts:
her
ear
etheyt
hatkeept
hecommandment
sofGod,
and
t
hefai
thofJesus"(Revel
ati
on14:12)
.

Beloved,greatheroesofthegospel inhistor yagreedt othebibli

calfactthatevent houghwear e
savedbygr ace, God'
sTenCommandmentl awi sstil
lrel
evantandbi ndinguponHi schildren.
Let'
sconsideronequot ef r
om JohnWesl ey :"Thehandwr it
ingofor di
nancesourLor ddidblot
out,t
akeaway ,andnailt
oHi scross(Colossi ans2: 14).Butthemor allawcontainedi ntheten
commandment s,andenforcedbyt hepr ophet s,Hedi dnott akeaway .
..Themor all
awst andson
anent i
rel
ydifferentf
oundat i
onf rom thecer emoni alorrit
ual l
aw..
.Everypartoft hi
slawmust
remaininforceuponmanki ndi nallages"( JOHNWESLEY, "SERMONSONSEVERAL
OCASSI ONS, 2NDEDI TI
ON, VOL1PAGES221- 222).

Beloved,
from whatwehav est
udiedfrom Scriptur
eandal
sofr
om JohnWesley '
sinsi
ghtf
rom
God'sWor d,i
tisver
ycleart
hatever
ypartoft heTenCommandmentl awwil
lremai ni
nfor
ce
uponmanki ndinall
ages.Andbeloved,t
hisincludest
hekeepi
ngoftheSev
ent h-
daySabbath,
thememor i
aloft
hecreati
vepowerofGod.

Exhortation:"11FORTHEGRACEOFGODTHATBRI NGETHSALVATI ONhathappearedtoall

men, 12Teachi ngust hat,denyi
ngungodli
nessandworldlyl
usts,
weshoul dli
vesoberl
y,
ri
ghteousl y,
andgodl y
, i
nthispresentworl
d;13Looki
ngf ort
hatblessedhope,andtheglor
ious
appearingoft hegreatGodandourSav i
ourJesusChri
st;14Whogav ehi
mselfforus,t
hathe
mightr edeem usf r
om allini
quit
y,andpuri
fyunt
ohimselfapeculi
arpeople,ZEALOUSOFGOOD
WORKS"( Ti
tus2:11-
14; Capit
alEmphasisAdded).

"Thi
sisthecov
enantthatIwil
lmakewi
tht
hem af
tert
hoseday
s,sai
ththeLord,
IwillputMY
LAWSi nt
othei
rhear
ts,andinthei
rmi
ndswi
ll
Iwri
tethem"(
Hebrews10:16;
Capital
Emphasis
Added).

Inoursubsequentst
udies,wearegoingtoconsi
dersomediffi
cultandoft
enmisinterpret
ed
Pauli
nepassagesinrelati
ontotheLawofGod.Bythet i
mewear et hr
oughwit
ht hesepassages,
Ibel
ievewewi l
lbeclearinourmindsaboutt
heperpetui
tyofGod'sholymoral
precept s.Our
nexttopi
ciscapti
oned: "
..
.Chri
sthat
hredeemedusf r
om thecurseofthelaw..
."
: anexposit
ion

3
onPaul'
swordsi nGalat
ians3:
10-14.TheBibleStudyr
eferencesforthi
sstudyar
eGal
ati
ans3:1-
5,Gal
ati
ans3:10-14,
Deut er
onomy10:5,Deuteronomy31:24-26andDeut er
onomy21:
23.Pl
ease
dowellt
ogot hroughthesepassagesbefor
et henextst
udyi srel
eased.

St
aybl
essedandkeepshi
ningf
orKi
ngJesus.

Mar
anat
ha!

Power
edbyWhi
teThr
oneMi
nist
ri
es