A Mixture of Law and Grace
Clay Curtis

Acts 11: 1: And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the Word of God. 2: And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, 3: Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.

Here the apostle Peter stands before his own brethren who contended with him because he ate meat forbidden by God in the law with Gentiles. They did not rejoice in God's grace or in the fact that Christ was exalted; they did not rejoice in the fact that sinners were saved. Their minds were fixed in the opposite direction, on Peter and the letter of the law. That is the result of turning from Christ to the law.

Wherever the law is mixed with grace, men focus on the law; men focus on their imaginary obedience to the law; the congregation examines one another, but no one looks to Christ alone. That is why when Paul was confronted by men who insisted that just one law was yet necessary for believer's salvation he refused. Pay attention to the reason he gave, "that the truth of the gospel might continue with you." (Galatians 2: 5)

When men are turned to the law as a means of sanctification or as a means for righteousness or justification or as way to gain rewards in heaven then the truth of the gospel ceases. If the law is used as motivation to make men obedient or moral then the truth of the gospel ceases. If the observance of a day or abstinence from certain meats is preached as a requirement by God the truth of the gospel ceases. There are many other reasons men give to constrain sinners with the law but the truth of the gospel ceases because that is simply not the truth of the gospel.

Look up the following scriptures in the book of Galatians. This is why the gospel of grace ceases when even just one law is made a must.

Gal. 2: 18: It makes men transgressors against God.

Gal. 2: 21: It counts the death of Christ vanity.

Gal. 3: 3: It makes men think they are made perfect by the work of their flesh.

Gal. 3: 10: It binds men under the curse of the law.

Gal. 3: 18: It claims God's salvation to be by law instead of by promise.

Gal. 3: 24: It claims justification to be by law instead of faith.

Gal. 3: 27-29: It divides men against men so that they can never be one with the brethren in Christ and heirs of God's salvation.

Gal. 4: 9, 10: It turns men back to the weak and soul-distressing elements of bondage.

Gal. 4: 11: It counts the work of God's true messenger's vanity.

Gal. 4: 17: It zealously affects men in a wrong way causing them to exclude men who teach salvation by God's free grace in Christ.

Gal. 4: 22-25: It makes men count themselves sons of the bondwoman, born of the flesh, servants of Mt. Sinai, bound by law.

Gal. 4: 29: It makes men persecutors against believers who are born of the Holy Spirit.

Gal. 5: 2-4: It makes Christ of no effect unto men.

Gal. 5: 11: It makes the offense of the cross to cease.

Gal. 5: 15: It makes men bite and devour one another.

Gal. 5: 18: It leaves men under the law, led by their flesh, instead of the Holy Spirit.

Gal. 5: 24-25: It makes men unable to crucify the flesh, leaving them vain, combative, and envious.

Gal. 6: 3: It puffs men up in self-righteousness when in reality they are nothing and self-deceived.

Gal 6: 7, 8: It makes men mockers of God.

Gal 6: 13: It causes men to force others to walk after the law so that they can glory in what they constrain other men to do in the flesh.

Gal. 6: 14: It makes men to glory in their work instead of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Gal 6: 15: It makes men believe that even just one act of law-obedience will profit them something before God.

The truth is that Christ is the believers All--all Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption (I Cor. 1: 30-31.) Believers are complete in Christ--perfected forever (Col 2:10; Heb 10: 14.) God remembers their sins no more so there is nothing else for the believer to offer. (Heb 10: 17, 18.) It is King Jesus who gave the law that leads the believer, not by sinful carnal rules and reprimands, but by the Holy Spirit of grace and love.