In the New Testament there are 162 Scriptures that mention the law in completely different contexts, and a superficial examination might lead to the conclusion that there are contradictions. However, that is not the case: Everything is written where it belongs. The same applies to grace as well.

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (Jn. 1:17).

Our Lord said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Mt. 5:17-18).

Paul wrote: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Rom. 10:4). In the Greek language, the word telos is found here, which translates to goal: Christ has set a goal for the law, an ultimate goal, namely grace and truth.

In Rom. 3:20 it is written: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

We would not know at all what transgression, what sin – such as a lie, adultery, or murder – means if God would not have told us with the law.

Therefore, there is the following explanation: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” (Rom. 7:7).

Without the law, there would not have been any transgressions and hence no judgment. Without the law, the Holy Spirit could not have convicted of sin. Without the conviction by the law, grace and the divine forgiveness could not have taken place at all.

At our conversion, we receive forgiveness for absolutely all sins and all transgressions of the law. Through faith in the completed work of redemption, we are granted full justification. “… Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” (Rom. 4:7-8). At the same time, we are given the strength to live according to the Word and Will of God.

We are not only redeemed from sins and transgressions, but also from the curse: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree …” (Gal.3:13).

Although Christ has fully redeemed us, He never gave us permission to do things during the time of grace that are considered to be transgressions or even are under the curse; on the contrary, one of the Ten Commandments states: “Thou shalt not kill.” The Lord Jesus, however, said in this regard, “… whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment … but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Mt. 5:21-22).

When the Lord said in the law, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” and “… thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife,” then He did not annul that for the time of grace; instead, he tightened it even more by saying, “… whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Mt. 5:28). We can likewise refer to Dt. 24, where the husband was permitted to give his wife a writ of divorcement: “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” (Mt. 5:32).

Paul let us know the ultimate goal of his apostleship: “… we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name …” (Rom. 1:5). He showed how the life of the true believers should be: “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Gal. 2:19-21).

Nevertheless, he also referred to the Ten Commandments, for instance, when He urged the children to be obedient to their parents: “Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise …” (Eph. 6:1-2). As a Jew who had been instructed in the Scriptures, he further knew about the twelve curses recorded in Dt. 27, where it states, among other things, “Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother.” Therefore, whoever dishonors even just one of his parents is under the curse – no matter how piously that individual speaks of grace.

In regard to the case reported in 1. Cor. 5, Paul, who was living in grace, had to say,“To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (v. 5). He undoubtedly had Dt. 27:20 in mind: “Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife; because he uncovereth his father’s skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen. So be it.”

What God said in the law is equally valid for the time of grace: “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.” (Jas. 2:11).

Paul earnestly admonished the Church: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (1. Cor. 6:9-10).

Grace means to actually live the Word, the commandments. By our everyday lives we testify whether we are under the blessing or under the curse. When someone truly lives in grace, that person really lives the entire Word of God. Every country on earth has its own laws, but under normal circumstances, we do not come into conflict with the law in our lifetime. That is how it is with the real believers, the true children of God: They live in grace and never come into conflict with the law of God, let alone any judgment. And should it yet happen once, then we have Jesus Christ as an advocate Who intercedes for us (1. Jn. 2:1).

He Himself told us how we can fulfill His law in its entirety: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Mt. 22:37‑40). Amen! The pardoned ones live it without any effort of their own because the love toward God and toward their brothers and sisters is poured out into their hearts.

Paul wrote to the Romans: “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. … Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Rom. 13:8-10). Whoever loves his neighbour does not take anything away from him, does no harm to him, only does good unto him and thereby automatically meets all of God’s demands. Therefore, it also states in Gal. 5:14: “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Blessed are all those in whom God is well pleased and to whom this truly applies: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1-4).

In the New Testament there are 162 Scriptures that mention the law in completely different contexts, and a superficial examination might lead to the conclusion that there are contradictions. However, that is not the case: Everything is written where it belongs. The same applies to grace as well.

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (Jn. 1:17).

Our Lord said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Mt. 5:17-18).

Paul wrote: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Rom. 10:4). In the Greek language, the word telos is found here, which translates to goal: Christ has set a goal for the law, an ultimate goal, namely grace and truth.

In Rom. 3:20 it is written: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

We would not know at all what transgression, what sin – such as a lie, adultery, or murder – means if God would not have told us with the law.

Therefore, there is the following explanation: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” (Rom. 7:7).

Without the law, there would not have been any transgressions and hence no judgment. Without the law, the Holy Spirit could not have convicted of sin. Without the conviction by the law, grace and the divine forgiveness could not have taken place at all.

At our conversion, we receive forgiveness for absolutely all sins and all transgressions of the law. Through faith in the completed work of redemption, we are granted full justification. “… Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” (Rom. 4:7-8). At the same time, we are given the strength to live according to the Word and Will of God.

We are not only redeemed from sins and transgressions, but also from the curse: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree …” (Gal.  3:13).

Although Christ has fully redeemed us, He never gave us permission to do things during the time of grace that are considered to be transgressions or even are under the curse; on the contrary, one of the Ten Commandments states: “Thou shalt not kill.” The Lord Jesus, however, said in this regard, “… whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment … but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Mt. 5:21-22).

When the Lord said in the law, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” and “… thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife,” then He did not annul that for the time of grace; instead, he tightened it even more by saying, “… whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Mt. 5:28). We can likewise refer to Dt. 24, where the husband was permitted to give his wife a writ of divorcement: “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” (Mt. 5:32).

Paul let us know the ultimate goal of his apostleship: “… we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name …” (Rom. 1:5). He showed how the life of the true believers should be: “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Gal. 2:19-21).

Nevertheless, he also referred to the Ten Commandments, for instance, when He urged the children to be obedient to their parents: “Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise …” (Eph. 6:1-2). As a Jew who had been instructed in the Scriptures, he further knew about the twelve curses recorded in Dt. 27, where it states, among other things, “Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother.” Therefore, whoever dishonors even just one of his parents is under the curse – no matter how piously that individual speaks of grace.

In regard to the case reported in 1. Cor. 5, Paul, who was living in grace, had to say,  “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (v. 5). He undoubtedly had Dt. 27:20 in mind: “Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife; because he uncovereth his father’s skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen. So be it.”

What God said in the law is equally valid for the time of grace: “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.” (Jas. 2:11).

Paul earnestly admonished the Church: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (1. Cor. 6:9-10).

Grace means to actually live the Word, the commandments. By our everyday lives we testify whether we are under the blessing or under the curse. When someone truly lives in grace, that person really lives the entire Word of God. Every country on earth has its own laws, but under normal circumstances, we do not come into conflict with the law in our lifetime. That is how it is with the real believers, the true children of God: They live in grace and never come into conflict with the law of God, let alone any judgment. And should it yet happen once, then we have Jesus Christ as an advocate Who intercedes for us (1. Jn. 2:1).

He Himself told us how we can fulfill His law in its entirety: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Mt. 22:37‑40). Amen! The pardoned ones live it without any effort of their own because the love toward God and toward their brothers and sisters is poured out into their hearts.

Paul wrote to the Romans: “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. … Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Rom. 13:8-10). Whoever loves his neighbour does not take anything away from him, does no harm to him, only does good unto him and thereby automatically meets all of God’s demands. Therefore, it also states in Gal. 5:14: “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Blessed are all those in whom God is well pleased and to whom this truly applies: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1-4).