Christian Churches of God
No. 82z
Summary:
The Relationship Between
Salvation by Grace and the Law
(Edition 2.0 19941217-20000408)
The paper commences with the biblical position of God as the source of salvation. The position of the
law in relation to salvation by grace is discussed. The obligations under the law are discussed and it is
explained why Christians keep the law.
Christian Churches of God
PO Box 369, WODEN ACT 2606, AUSTRALIA
E-mail: secretary@ccg.org
(Copyright  1994, 2000 Wade Cox)
(Summary by Patti Gambier, Ed. Wade Cox)
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Summary: The Relationship Between Salvation by Grace and the Law
The Relationship Between Salvation by Grace and the Law
The argument that Grace has eliminated the
requirement to keep the law is very old. It is
based on false assumptions and distortion of
Scripture. This paper accompanies the paper on
Trinitarianism, which refutes these baseless and
distorted claims. The starting point is that God
the Father is the source of Salvation (Isa 12:2).
God (El Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary 410) is my
salvation .... YAH YHVH SHD 3050,
3068......has become salvation.
Christ taught mankind to keep God's law, as he
did.
Christ, under direction from God, was the
instrument of our salvation. Grace is undeserved
pardon and God gives this pardon to those He
calls, and hands to Christ for care and instruction.
There is no salvation, except in Christ, who was
given by God, so that sin might be forgiven (Acts
4:12).
Those who teach that will be least in the
Kingdom of God - after pagans, heathens,
atheists - they will be last. Doesn't this put fear
into their hearts, that God has said this is their
fate? Apparently not.
The gospel is the power of salvation, through
Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:14-17). God is worshipped
according to the Scriptures. Christ was the
intermediary, who gave the law to Moses, and
brought salvation, from God. But he was not the
One True God, and is not to be worshipped.
God brings us to repentance, which leads to
salvation (2Cor. 7:10). All Scripture instructs in
righteousness, and is able to instruct for salvation
through faith in Christ's sacrifice (2Tim.
3:15,16). Christ was offered as a sacrifice for our
sins, and becomes our propitiation, but this does
not mean we can go on breaking God's Law, until
Christ comes again (Heb. 9:28).
Revelation 22:18,19 says you can’t alter the
intention of Scripture. Those who most incur
Satan's wrath are those who are called saints and
keep the commandments of God (Rev. 12:17,
14:12, 22:14). These are they who have the right
to the tree of life - which should be the desired
aim of anyone claiming allegiance to God the
Father and having faith in the sacrifice of Christ.
In Matthew 5:18,19 and Luke 16:16,17 Christ
states that not the smallest part of the law will
pass away, until the plan of God is accomplished.
In John 7:19 Jesus berated the Jews who wanted
to kill him for not keeping the Law. Romans 8:7
says the carnal mind is enmity to God. Satan and
the Jews were condemned by the obedience of
Christ, as are the Christian structures of this
world condemned that proclaim the law to have
been done away.
The erroneous argument of grace eliminating the
law is based on "dead to the law" from Romans
7:4. Christ kept the law in the spirit, as we are
admonished to do, and it is impossible to keep a
law "spiritually" and not also do it "physically".
Christ also kept the law in the flesh, but raised
the whole intent of the law to a spiritual plane,
one that we must recognise and attain to, as we
are led by the Holy Spirit.
The law opens our minds to the knowledge of
Good and Evil, and without the Holy Spirit we
cannot keep the law (Rom. 7:5-7). The law is
holy, just and good (Rom. 7:12) and emanates
from the nature of God.
John 14:15 and John 15:10 tell us to keep the
commandments and then Christ and God will
abide in us.
In Matthew 19:17 Christ tells us to keep the
commandments if we would enter Life. Surely
that is the object of being a Christian?
So what was nailed to the stake in Colossians
2:14? Those who would eliminate the law, say it
was the law that was nailed.
It was the "cheirographon" - the handwriting
against us that was nailed there. It was the
Summary: The Relationship Between Salvation by Grace and the Law
penalty, the price we had to pay for sinning.
Eternal death, the penalty for sin, was nailed
there. Christ paid the price, and his death and
resurrection opened the way for all to be
resurrected, each in his own order (1Cor.
15:22,23).
Matthew 22:36-40 details the two great
commandments on which hang all the law and
the prophets. The first great commandment is
towards the only True God. That is the test of the
last days – i.e. the Godhead, and the
understanding that there is only ONE True God.
The Churches of mainstream Christianity, which
proclaim a three in one God, and Christ as coequal and co-eternal with God, fail that test.
Romans 7:13 - The law does not cause death, but
sin, which is transgression of the law, brings
death (1John 3:4).
The argument that the law is not spiritual, and
hence not of the New Testament is false (Psa
119:1; Rom 7:22).
Romans 10:4 - for "Christ is the end of the law"
is falsely applied by the rebellious ones. The
"end" is the aim, the conclusion, the desired
objective, being the point, and certainly not the
cessation of the law.
Hebrews 8:10-13 - The law is written in the
minds and hearts of God's people by the Holy
Spirit. It is their responsibility then to live up to
the greater expectation, to improve their conduct,
their thinking, their way of life. They are judged
at a higher level.
Commandment keeping is a prerequisite to the
retention of the Holy Spirit (1Jn. 3:24; Acts
5:32).
Titus 2:10-13 shows that "the grace of God"
(Jesus Christ) appeared for the salvation of all
men, leading us to lead exemplary lives, as we
await His appearance, which is our hope.
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God is the Saviour of us. He calls, He leads us to
repentance, He gives us to Christ (see John 6:44).
Christ is the instrument of salvation. His sacrifice
covers all points of the sacrificial law, so that
there is now no need to kill an animal. That law
is suspended now, but will be re-instituted under
Christ's rule in the millennium.
Faith in this sacrifice is guarded by God for a
salvation to be revealed (1Pet. 1:5). The outcome
of faith is Salvation (1Pet. 9:10).
Sin reigned from Adam to Moses (Rom. 5:1214). Therefore the Law of God was extant from
creation. Moses received the written law. All
have sinned (Rom. 3:23). Because God has
redeemed men from sin, grace is exercised (Rom.
5:12-21). See Romans 8:1 - Those in Christ have
no condemnation (Rom. 8:1). We walk according
to the Spirit and are directed by the Holy Spirit
(Rom. 8:4-6). So the law cannot be eliminated by
grace, if the concept is you can only keep the law
with the Holy Spirit. It is by the Holy Spirit we
comprehend the extent and intent of the law.
The carnal mind is enmity to God, and does not
submit to His law (Rom. 8:7). Therefore anyone
teaching that grace eliminates the law, has an
unconverted, carnal mindset. We need the Holy
Spirit to keep the law in its full intent, and are
called the Sons of God, co-heirs with Christ, and
share in the resurrection etc. See Rom. 8:11-14,
15, 16; Jn. 1:17; Gal. 2:16, 20,21.
We become partakers of the divine nature (2Pet.
1:4). The law proceeds from the very nature of
God. As God does not pass away, neither does
His Law. We are obligated to keep it. Man's
traditions claim the law and commandments are
done away (Mat. 15:2-6; Mk. 7:3-13). We hold to
the law and not traditions of men.
The oral law of the Pharisees made the written
law of God a yoke and a burden to Judah. Be sure
we don't let the yoke and traditions of
Gnosticism, in the form of mainstream
Christianity govern our lives. This mystery of
lawlessness was operating in the church in Paul's
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Summary: The Relationship Between Salvation by Grace and the Law
time, and in John's (2Thes. 2:77-10; 1Jn. 2:3-5).
the elect (2Thes. 2:10).

The love of the truth is essential to the saving of