There seems to be a good deal of confusion on the subject of law versus grace. In Romans 11:6 there is a very definite statement that touches directly on this: “And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be by works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work”.
The title above is from II Corinthians 3:6. Here I will quote the entire verse: “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life”. In this verse we have the doctrine or the teaching. In II Corinthians 6:4 we have the application: “In all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God—“. Another verse just as specific is Romans 11:6 is John 1:17: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ”.
We see in these passages that the law was specifically for Israel and only for them. The argument is that we obey the law even today. We do not think it right to kill, steal, etc. I think we must understand that there are universal laws, which are always applicable. The law of the death penalty for murder was given to Noah, over 800 years before the ten commandments were given to Israel. There are road signs in many countries but I only obey those in my own country. Perhaps we under stand it better if we see there really is a third party besides Israel and the New Testament Church. There are the Gentiles who are neither; Romans 2:15 and 16. While Israel has been given the law; the church, free from the law is under grace, the Gentiles are guided by conscience. This does not mean that each Gentile lives by his own rules but by the laws of his particular society. The youth are raised to obey their particular laws. As they grow their conscience is developed. The guiding principle for each group of people is conscience. Now, if God gave the law and also gave a conscience, it would not be too surprising that there were many similarities. As an example, in the western world our code is based on the Judeo Christian ethic; surely the best of all. Therefore when the Bible is put out of the schools we are of all societies the worst. Our youth are raised without moral guidance and with an undeveloped conscience.
We have then the three steps: the first step is that of the gentiles who live by conscience. That, according to Galatians 3:19 was insufficient, We read: “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions”. Conscience did not go far enough. It would tell a man that he must not steal from his neighbor but the law told him to have the same care for his neighbor’s goods as for his own, even if he did not like the man. See Exodus 2:4 and 5. The new covenant goes even further. In Galatians 5:23 we read “against such there is no law”.
We can look at this same picture in another way. While the Gentiles were given a conscience, Israel was given the law, the church lives by faith. Or we could say the old covenant was the covenant of works, the new covenant is the covenant of grace or based on faith.
The question then is, as all three obey some of the same basic laws, what does it mean that we live by faith? Where does works enter in?
As far as our eternal destiny or our salvation is concerned there is only one action I must take. I must, by faith, receive God’s free offer of salvation. I can no more save myself than can a drowning man. He can only cry for help or grasp the hand that reaches out to him. He does not afterward boast of his part in his salvation. Left to himself he would have drowned. Simply put this is how I am saved and enter the kingdom of heaven. Remember, there is one thing the man in the water can do. He can drown. In theological terms, it is the same but the man is lost and that is far more tragic, Just one text for this is Ephesians 1:13: “In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth “ I think the ark would be one of the best illustrations of this There is only one thing the man can do to be saved from drowning and that is to walk through the door of the ark. It is the ark that saves him from a watery grave. He comes into the ark because he cannot save himself. The ark is his only hope. Once he is in the ark there is nothing more he needs to do or can do to save himself. A verse that fits this perfectly is I Peter 1:5: “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”.
We could mention two things here:
1-The only act of faith was to walk into the ark=Ephesians 1: 13a
2-Inside the ark he lived the life of faith. God Himself had laid out the blueprint. It would not sink. Also, God himself had shut the door. He could not get out. God Himself would bring him safely to journeys end. Again see I Peter 1:5 for the NT doctrine.
Ephesians 1:13b tells the believers of Ephesus that “after that” they had believed they were sealed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives to me the Mind of Christ=I Corinthians 2:16. Compare Romans 7:18 and 23 with Ephesians 2:3. For the unbeliever their is no conflict. The Bible is given to me so I know the will of God. My goal is to come to Galatians 5:22 and 23 in full experience.
One more passage: James 2:17 and 26: Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.—so faith without works is dead also”.
There are two examples in this passage. There is the example of Rahab. She was told by the two spies that if she would hang a scarlet thread where they could see it, they would guarantee her safety. When the Israelites came into Jericho destroying everything and everyone in their path, their was nothing Rahab or her family could do to save themselves. Their only hope was in the word of the two men. Her faith was well placed and she was saved. But her part was to hang out the scarlet cord believing that the men would protect her.
Abraham’s example is a bit different. Where Rahab’s act of faith saved her, in Abraham’s case it came afterwards (the original example in Abraham’s case is found in Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:1-3). In James the reference is to the sacrifice of Isaac, going back to the story in Genesis 23 which happened many years later. Abraham, in Genesis was told by God to sacrifice Isaac. Where did faith come in? What did he believe? We see the answer in Hebrews 11:17-19. God had promised that the blessing of Abraham would be through Isaac. Therefore he believed that God could and would raise Isaac from the dead. How was Abraham’s faith made perfect=James 2:22? Simply by trusting and obeying God. This was something he perhaps could not have done 40 or so years before. This act proved that not only had he grown in faith (Romans 1:17=from faith to faith), But also it gave proof of his original faith as in James 2:22: “by works was faith made perfect”.

We see in the Bible a perfect balance. We also see this in the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus. The Bible, written to fallen man emphasizes two things. They are God’s hatred for sin and at the same time His love for fallen man. It seems that Jesus’ denunciation was primarily for the leaders. The concern He seemed to feel was towards the common people, even those who were led astray by false teaching. The same thing was true of Paul and the other apostles. Here we must be careful not to excuse the laity, (so called). This is what the Bible is for, written very simply, (the common people “heard Him gladly”; the same people who were “baptized of John”) but often confused by the hierarchy. Remember the illustration of the blind leading the blind. They didn’t have to follow, you know.
When confronted by the religious leaders, Jesus told them that He had not come to call the righteous but sinners. He told the woman in John 8: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more”, On the other hand Jesus told the leaders that not only did they not enter the Kingdom of heaven themselves but also kept their followers out:
Matthew 23:13. We must remember that the followers went to the same hell that the leaders did, but the heaviest punishment is on the leaders.
There is another example in Galatians 1:8 and 9. Here Paul pronounces a curse on the one who brings in the false doctrine. The curse is not on the one who believes it. If one has sincerely received Christ he is not necessarily lost because he adds on some false teaching, but the teacher is denounced. He is causing much harm even to the point of causing some to be lost. Another passage along the same line is in Revelation 3:1-6. This is about the church in Sardis which had “a name that thou livest, and art dead”. There was much activity but no spiritual life. But “even in Sardis” there were those who had “not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white”. They did not follow the blind.

In John 16:14 Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “ He shall glorify Me for He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you”.
It is surprising how often we will see something new in a passage we have known all our lives and have read often. This is, of course the work of the Spirit. He teaches us many things, but His primary work is to show us who Jesus is.
I suppose that I had always thought that whatever Jesus did, He did with the purpose of teaching or demonstrating some truth. In other Words He did it on purpose, with conscious forethought. I think John 11:35 shows something different.
In the verses before this Mary had just come to Jesus. She fell at His feet and told Jesus that if He had been there, her brother would not have died. Then she broke down and started to cry. In verse 33 we read, “When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, He groaned in His Spirit and was troubled”. Jesus did not cry because He decided to, but because He could not keep from it. In verse 34 He asks, “Where have ye laid Him”? It seems He is trying to control his emotions (and therefore asks where the tomb is) but is simply unable to do so.
What does this show us of Jesus? His perfect and complete humanity. These were close friends of His. He was no different than anyone else. When someone very close to us cries and for good reason, it is difficult and sometimes impossible not to cry also. It’s catching. Jesus was deeply sensitive and sympathetic. When Mary cried He was unable to keep from crying, also.
Jesus was a Perfect man. As far as sin was concerned He could not be tempted; He was in complete control. No sin could touch Him. He was God but He was also Complete Man. If He could refrain from weeping at a time like this there would have been something lacking in His humanity.
I think we need to understand His complete humanity to really know the heart of God. The heart of God is not cold but warm and responsive. I have seen little children do things that made me laugh. I didn’t decide to; I simply could not help but laugh. We need to understand that if Jesus were there the same would have been true of Him.

In Proverbs 27:7we read “The full soul loatheth an honey comb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet”.
Many things in the Bible are sweet as honey because it is written by a God of infinite love and mercy. But, because it is written to a fallen race with a constant tendency to sin, there are many warnings of judgment. These are the bitter things.
There is a picture of this in Ezekiel 2:7-3:7. Also in Revelation 10 John is told to eat such a book. It was sweet as honey in his mouth, but bitter in his stomach.
This all seems quite theoretical but a great of harm is being done because the Word is being used for secondary purposes. The church today is enjoying the honey but wishes to skip the bitterness. A few decades ago someone pointed out to me the proliferation of seminars and books on marriage. This was all based on Scripture but it resulted in an increase in divorces. While in South Africa a man by the name of Andy Demos told me that his son who was a minister of a church there spent most of his time counseling the people. Andy felt that if his son would just preach on the judgments of God as well as His mercy he would not have to spend so much time counseling.
I believe this is what Paul is talking about in II Corinthians 4:2 where he writes about “handling the Word of God deceitfully”. The Bible is given to us for the purpose of bringing to God a redeemed race, redeemed from the penalty of sin and victorious over it’s power. “That I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings”: Philippians 3:10.
The purpose of God’s redemptive plan is a called out people saved to fellowship with Him for eternity. There will be many blessings in this life for those who follow the Lamb and obey His Word and His Words. These blessings will not only be spiritual but also material, emotional and physical. But if we use the Scriptures to gain these things we will do more harm than good. We will lose the central message and the Word will have no power in our lives. We will gain the blessings of this life only if we live for the life to come. We will gain happiness only if we strive for holiness; if we will take the bitter with the sweet.