The Relationship of Law and Grace

Introduction: 
  • The concepts of law and grace are among some of the most important in the Bible. A misunderstanding in this area of truth will cause confusion in many other areas of life.
  • While the term "law" is quite synonymous with divine revelation here we are using the more strict sense of — the divine demand for man. And, while "grace" is associated with all that God does here the usage has to do with the divine provision of redemption.
  • Strictly speaking the law is defined in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were given a precept (Do not eat of the tree), with a stated penalty (If you do you will die). To summarize the content of the law, it would be, the demand of perfect obedience.
  • While the Mosaic law is a revelational unit, it is helpful to recognize that it may be divided into Civil Law (regulation of persons), Ceremonial Law (Levitical Order), and the Moral Law (Decalogue).