Once upon a time there was a husband and wife who didn't really love each other. The husband was very demanding, and he prepared a list of rules and regulations for his wife to follow. He insisted that she read them over every day and obey them to the letter.

Among other things, his list dictated when his wife should get up in the morning, the exact time his breakfast should be served, and how the housework should be completed.

After several long years, the husband died.

Time passed, and eventually the woman fell in love with another man, who dearly loved her. Soon they were married. This husband did everything he could to make his new wife happy, continually showering her with tokens of his appreciation.

One day as she was cleaning house, she found tucked away in a drawer the list of commands her first husband had written. As she looked it over, it dawned on her that even though her present husband hadn't given her any kind of list, she was doing everything her first husband's list had required, without even thinking about it.

The wife was so swept away by how much her new husband loved her, and adored him so much that her deepest desire was to please him out of love, not obligation.< [show less]

PARADOX
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin paradoxum, from Greek paradoxon, from neuter of paradoxos contrary to expectation, from para- + dokein to think, seem

1 : a tenet contrary to received opinion
2 a : a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true
2 b : a self-contradictory statement that at first seems true
2 c : an argument that apparently derives self-contradictory conclusions by valid deduction from acceptable premises
3 : one (as a person, situation, or action) having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases

Christian faith is full of paradoxes. It’s packed with apparently conflicting ideas. It gets people all wrapped in circles, wishing it was just a bit more simple.

But hey, mathematicians, and scientists, and doctors – all know that the best discoveries are the ones you have to wrap your brain around to figure them out. In faith, somehow, apparently conflicting concepts are held to be true, in spite of the apparent logical contradiction.

Want examples?
- God is one, yet He is three.
- The holy bible was written by human authors, yet it is the inspired Word of God.
- Jesus became human, yet He remained divine and supernatural.

So don’t be worried at the next paradox: the apparent conflict between law and grace. This seems complicated at first:
(a) God wants me to keep his law; it is a condition for my salvation;
(b) salvation is only received through grace; it is free and cannot be earned by anything I do or say or accomplish.

Confused yet? Don’t be, just look closer.

The Good Role of Rules
Do you instinctively flinch from being confronted with laws you have to obey? Most people do. Laws and rules come with the connotation of coercion, fines, police, lawyers, even punishment and prison. People in many societies today face a wide variety of legal restrictions, which either come from Brussels or from our national or local government. We must reckon with all kinds of laws at work and even at home!

Laws can be frustrating. Ever feel like some law is keeping you from what you’d really like to do? Like those rules just exist to challenge your freedom?

But you can accept that laws aren’t entirely negative, right? Laws of nature give order and structure to the environment, to the functioning of the universe and even the human body.

Laws of government help you stay safe from burglary, rape and murder – at least they are supposed to. And fortunately, only a few believe in total anarchism—in a world without any law, except the ‘laws’ of the jungle. Anarchy, played out in reality, becomes pure survival of the strongest, with plenty of oppression for the weak to go around.

Maybe you don’t love all the laws of your land, and maybe you think there are too many rules or too few. But most agree that some system of order must be maintained. Sure, laws bring restrictions, but they also provide protection.

Rules & Religion
Lots of people think of religious “laws” the same way. Religious “rules” equal inconvenient restraint. Ever heard someone say, “Oh, she can’t do that, her religion doesn’t allow it!”

Of course, it depends on the type of religion too. Some faiths seem very strict and emphasise the requirement to scrupulously keep God’s law in order to be saved. These types are often labeled legalists. For many onlookers that’s practically a dirty word.

But the holy bible uses the ‘law’ many different ways. In some writings of the Apostle Paul, ‘law’ is used in a sort of generic sense, referring to the entire complexity of legal instititution that was given to the people of Israel 1500 years before Christ. In that sense, the law may be said to precede Jesus Christ and to have been abrogated when He completed his ministry by dying on the cross.

Therefore, people who follow Christ are ‘no longer subject to the law’, but ‘are free by God’s grace’ (Romans 6:14). The apostle Paul graphically describes this Old Testament system of law as ‘our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came’ (Galatians 3:24).

Shades of Ancient Law
So this means you get to ignore every rule in the Bible now, right? Jesus came thousands of years ago, and fulfilled the law of ancient Israel. So now we’re exempt from all obedience!

Oops. Sorry. Doesn’t work that way.

Sure, there are some aspects of the ancient laws that have totally lost their immediate application. Take the ceremonial laws for example. These laws regulated the services in the tabernacle and temples of the Israelite people. We can learn a lot about God’s ways of dealing with evil, but these laws lost their teeth when that temple curtain was ripped down the middle at the moment that Jesus died on the cross. (See Matthew 27:51)

Other ancient rules were civil laws. These governed ancient Israel as a nation. And yes, they can still inspire us with basic principles of fairness and justice and care for the poor and weak. But again, their practical use word-for-word doesn’t really apply today.

But there are other aspects of ancient divine law that didn’t come with an expiration date. Why would health principles given to humans in the Old Testament suddenly become obsolete? Why should we ignore the rules against having indiscriminate sex with our in-laws, or our children, or other people to whom I’m not married?

Most important is the core of this divine legal system known as the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20) These 10 principles have always been valid and continue apply to human life today. They provided a basis for a well-oiled society, in which human rights are protected and God is acknowledged.

Of course, these ten rules must, of course, be ‘translated’ for every generation, to speak to constantly changing situations. After all, when one of the commandments tells me not to ‘covet’ my neighbour’s donkey (Exodus 20:17), you can translate it to mean:
Be happy to drive your Citroen Picasso and not ‘covet’ the Lexus LS 460 that your neighbor drives!

Once you ‘translate’ the 10 Commandments, it’s pretty easy to start applying them to daily life. They offer protection and security.

Grace=Your Ultimate Second Chance
So, when the holy bible states that you don’t live ‘under the law’ anymore, but instead you are now‘under grace’— can it honestly mean you get a free pass to ignore God’s ten laws?

How ludicrous is it to suggest that these principles for human behavior have suddenly ceased to apply as a governing code for today’s generation! Jesus stated that He had come to give us a perfect example how this divine law should be observed. He is also adamant that He didn’t come ‘to abolish the law of Moses’ (Matthew 5:17). In fact, He underlined that ‘even the smallest detail of God’s law will remain until its purpose is achieved’ (vs. 18).

So where does grace fit into the picture?

Okay, God’s law has a two-part purpose:
1) It is a measuring stick to help us evaluate our conduct.
2) It offers a guideline for living in a way that honors God and shows the world what faith can accomplish in making a human being kind, loving, and good. (James 2:18)
Apostle Paul said: ‘It was the law that showed me my sin’ (Romans 7:7). His context is pretty clear that he’s talking about the 10 Commandments. Maybe it helps to think of this law as the moral constitution for humans. This means that God’s law is still a vital aspect of having faith. But here lies the paradox: Salvation is totally out of reach when we depend on keeping the law or anything we do.

Salvation completely depends on grace. ‘God saved you by his special favour when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God’ (Ephesians 2:8).

The word ‘grace’ derives from the Latin ‘gratia’, which means ‘free’. This is a rich meaning. Unfortunately that richness has got cheapened by secular inflation.

Nowadays, when people say ‘good grace’ to voice their surprise, or ask for a ‘period of grace’ before an assignment is due, they fail to recognize the true meaning of the word. And ‘grace’ isn’t just a little prayer you chant before eating. ‘Grace’ is infinitely more.

Grace is God’s face turned towards the world. It’s a new way of life.

One author tried to capture the essence of grace in words, and struggled to express it. ‘Money cannot buy it, intellect cannot grasp it, power cannot command it; but to all who will accept it, God's glorious grace is freely given. But men may feel their need, and, renouncing all self-dependence, accept salvation as a gift. Those who enter heaven will not scale its walls by their own righteousness, nor will its gates be opened to them for costly offerings of gold or silver, but they will gain an entrance to the many mansions of the Father's house through the merits of the cross of Christ.’*

Expensive But FREE
Grace is free. But it isn’t cheap.

Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined the term ‘cheap grace’ to refer to the kind of easy grace that simply takes things for granted. True grace, he says, is ‘costly’.

Real grace actually cost the life of Someone.

Here’s an exercise for a rainy day: take a bible concordance and look at all the New Testament references to ‘grace’. You’ll find that grace is most often directly connected with the name of Jesus. He is grace personified.

Grace is a gift. It’s God’s gift. To you. It isn’t forced on you. You have to want it. You have to realize that you need it. Then you have to accept it.

Then you have to ask God for extra grace to live gracefully: that is, to channel your life by translating ancient divine principles into what you need to obey today. That gets sticky sometimes. But then, this God is all about second chances…

But then, what else is faith but a journey? [show less]

When you were a child, did you appreciate rules? Has that changed now that you are an adult?

What are some paradoxes you see when you think about God? How have you been able to understand them?

What are your feelings about the idea of grace being free, but not cheap? Does it affect your picture of salvation at all?

How can laws be good for grown people? What kind of laws do you wish there were in your area, and if they were created, would you obey them? Why not? [show less]

What will you do about this new knowledge of the importance of God’s law? What will you choose?

God,
Thank you for the gift of a law which enables us to see our need of Jesus. And for your amazing grace in loving us so much that Jesus came to die to take away my sins. Help me to learn to love you and obey your law because of that love. Amen.

The ideas that Jesus came to fulfill and complete the law was echoed by Apostle John, the author of the fourth gospel: ‘For the law was given through Moses; God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ’ (John 1:17).

‘God in his gracious kindness declared us not guilty. He his done this through Jesus Christ, who has freed us by taking away our sins’ (Romans 3:24). [show less]

re:tell: Author Unknown. http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/g/grace.htm. 12 April 2006. (Adapted by Sarah K. Asaftei.)