The Law Versus the Grace of God

One "Word" Thoughts is a page that will take a word from scripture that is used traditionally in a literal and theological realm, and expand the possibilities of understanding that will bring Life, Love, and Light to the scriptures. It will be up to you to allow the Holy Spirit to bring forth understanding to the things of God that are foolishness to the natural mind's understanding.

The Law versus the Grace of God

The ministry of the Apostle Paul was different from the religion that was preached by the Jewish men who were presenting the law. There is a vast difference in Old Testament concept of Judaism and the New Testament understanding of grace.

Paul sends a letter to the Galatians saying, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Gal. 1:5-6) KJV

The Galatians were turning to Judaism which was being taught after Paul had presented grace. They were being told by Jewish Christians that they needed law along with grace to enter into the Kingdom of God. They were perverting the gospel of Christ. The gospel of Christ is a gospel of Grace. It is a gospel where God first comes to you; as you fellowship and receive God you find out that He is in you; then as you realize that He is in you, the revelation of His identity and nature will be manifested out of you. This is the gospel of Christ.

There is no place in this message of grace for man to do anything. It is an unveiling and a revealing the heart of Father God that was placed in each of us when man was created in His image. The Father loves each of us with an unconditional love. He provided a way of life into His presence that is not by a performance or code of ethics. Christ in us has already fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law setting us free from the bondage of the law.

The gospel of Grace does not say that we can live any way we want to, but that as the veil is pulled back and grace is manifested; our desires are transformed into His calling on our lives. There is nothing lawless about the gospel of Grace, yet at the same time, we can not think that there are certain things or ways that we must act or feel in order to come into His presence. The gospel of Christ forms the very nature and heart of God within our conscious. It becomes manifested by faith, not works.

Grace is God's life in us, being formed in us, and coming to maturity in us so that when others see us, they see the Father of all. Grace is a divine enabler with no requirements to our flesh. We were crucified with him, and today we live by faith in the grace of Christ.

Grace produces God's seed of unconditional love, His life, His nature in you.

The Law produces the carnal nature of good and evil. The law was given to carnal men to restrain the natural man's flesh.

Grace replaces the law. Grace is the Melchizedek priesthood bringing to us the bread of His word and the wine of His enjoyment. As we are able to receive grace, it must be given away. That is all part of our God identity of unconditional love. The process of giving will cause trials and tribulations within us and around us where the law will try to intervene and take control.

Grace brings gifts to us without making demands on us. God knows what gifts He has bestowed on each of us, and how He wants those gifts to be manifested. It is not up to us to force ourselves to be a certain way as a Christian because of what religion says. When we receive the peace of who we are in Christ we will respond to our identity we have in Him. Unconditional love draws us to the Father with a hunger for a closer relationship to Him.

The law produces good and evil out of our carnal nature. It causes us to choose good or evil. If we choose well we expect a blessing. If we choose evil then our conscious will challenge us. The law never stops putting demands on us to where we will never feel good enough or holy enough. We will always feel we need to try and be a better person by striving to do things right according to what the church believes.

Grace says that you are already a spiritual being with the same nature and character as your heavenly Father. Grace produces a dependence on God for everything. The law tries to justify a "buddy" system with God. In our being is the fullness of all that God is. Everything that we need will come to us because the essence of who He is already is within us.

The law produces a self dependence. You must do it. You must make a choice to be saved; to be a better person; to go to heaven. Grace says you already have it all. In His timing according to the wholeness of His creation the Holy Spirit will remove the veil of our spiritual understanding that has been blinded by our carnal mind.

When Christians judge others for not keeping the dos and don'ts that have been established in the church they create a modern day Pharisee among themselves. They think because they were able to live a certain life of self control that everyone else should be able to also. When others are not able to, they are looked down upon as not being good enough for the Kingdom of God.

Grace produces a dependence on God for everything. We don't need a good self image of our natural man, but a good understanding of our God identity that is within us. Once the essence of His life begins to flow in us, we can't be anything but the manifestation of who He has created.

The law produces a selfish/self centered love. "I will love you if you love me." "I love you because you are good to me." However, the very moment you do something against me, my love becomes critical towards you. God's love enables us to love those that are not easy to love without expecting love in return.

Grace produces a godly image…law produces a good self image.

The more we experience His love, the more His love will flow from our being to others. Being in the Kingdom of God allows us to love without a selfish motive. We already have all that we need when we know that we are today in the presence of God. A Melchizadek priest doesn't require love from anyone, but can give love unconditionally. They have everything they need, the source of all life flowing through them.

The law can only produce sin and death stirring up the carnal man to be something that he isn't. Grace reveals to us that His law is in us; we are saved by His life that arises in us. There is no salvation in the mind of the carnal man. It is within our spirit that must come forth crucifying our mind that tries to control with legal understanding.

Grace produces the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Gal. 5:22-23). With these fruits there is no law. Grace allows us to live a life that is totally controlled by the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled and moved by Him. The law controls us by religious spirits.

One of the big issues that Martin Luther had with the Catholic Church was the selling of indulgence to buy people out of purgatory. If you paid the priest you could buy time for your relatives to be out of hell. Today, we don't call it selling of indulgence, but many ministries are practicing the same concept. They approach the body of Christ by stirring their emotions to obtain financial involvement. Many times people feel guilty if they don't send money for something.

Then if something happens to them personally, they believe it is because they didn't give to a ministry.

Christian telethons call it sowing into seed faith offering. When we believe that it takes a certain pastor to pray for us to receive a blessing because that person has a greater anointing, then we are being trapped into a legalist realm of good and evil instead of grace.

All of us are one with the same anointing from the same Holy Spirit. Grace produces one new man on this earth. There is nothing we can do to bring the Kingdom of God. Jesus finished it all at Calvary over 2000 years ago. Our responsibility is to share the good news that the Kingdom of God is here now within you.

A corporate man is coming forth in the body of Christ as one new man. We live by God from the enjoyment of God that came through Jesus Christ. The law came through Moses, but grace (enjoyment) came through Jesus. As the one new man is growing in consciousness on this earth we realize we have the same Father and the same life. We condemn no man, and only judge with a righteous judgment desiring to release all of creation from the bondage of corruption. This is happening today being manifested in every man according to God's timing in each of our lives.

Grace produces the one new man growing and coming to maturity in our earthly bodies. It doesn't matter that we may be Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, etc. We can analyze our differences and see that those things really don't matter in the eyes of God. That what is important is that we come together in the unity of faith in Jesus Christ who is Lord over all.

The law produces division in the body of Christ. It is what creates all the different denominations and doctrines that separate and divide God's people.

They believe that serving God is doing things right according to their interpretation and understanding of scripture.

If we will focus on the oneness of divine grace living as Jesus lived, we will see the manifestation of the sons of God on this earth. Jesus is the vine and we are the branch. He is our source of all. Law is the creator of all division, but grace is the life that produces fruit as the Holy Spirit flows from the vine to the branches.

It is Christ in YOU, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). The only things that will bring recognition is the oneness in us with the Father. The substance of who others are is the same as what we are. Each of us has Christ within us, the essence of the Father; His DNA. The first Adam had it, but denied its existence. The last Adam, Jesus Christ, restored by reconciliation our true identity in HIM. "Ye are of God, little children…God is love…as he is, so are we in this world" (I John 4: 4a, 16b, 17b).

When we understand that our true nature and the nature of others is Spirit, we cannot steal from them, do harm against them, or hurt them in any way. To do so would be to do it against God our Father. The godly decision you make for yourself will not only be the best for you, but for your family, friends, and those that come across your path each day. A godly decision that is best for you is one that is based on grace and unconditional love from the Father. When we live in this realm for ourselves, then those around us will receive grace and unconditional love from us.

Grace represents Christ…Law represents the old, carnal man. Law produces mystery Babylon. Grace produces the New Jerusalem…the city of God that is among us now.

Notes taken from Gary Sigler's teaching "Christ vs. Religion," Sigler Ministries, PO Box 26695, Winston Salem, NC 27114-6695.