MR. LAW AND MR.GRACE, PART II.

March 27, 2008


For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace, Rom. 6:14.
(It is highly recommended to carefully read Rom. chapter 7.)

Rom. 7:1-6 compares and explains the above concept in the context of marriage.
Verse 7-13 explains the virtues of the law and its effect on mankind, exposing sin for what it is, an unholy force in man that produces rebellion against God and results in death and damnation for the sinner.
Verse 14-24 is a narrative of the woman mentioned in the beginning of the chapter, when she, with the best of intentions sets out to please her new husband and finds herself to be an utter failure in that well intentioned endeavor.
Verse 25 displays that from this situation also, only Jesus can set us free.
So, let’s pick up where we left off in Part I.

The joy of being born again now that she has accepted Jesus and the thrill of being united with Him is absolutely overwhelming for the woman.
Her past life of sin and failures were put to death and buried with her old (former) nature, (Eph.4 calls that the “old man”) and she enjoys truly a completely new beginning.
“…….Old things have past away, all things have become new…..II Cor. 5:17”.
And…. the woman determines, this time it is going to be different.
This time she will redouble her efforts to please her new husband, Mr. Grace. She mistakenly believes that he would place similar demands on her like Mr. Law once did.
And she is sure that Mr. Grace will help her to meet His demands, all she needs to do is ask Him.
It does not take all that long for her to experience great conflict, so well expressed in verse 18 and 19 of this chapter: “For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. For what I do is not the good that I want to do, no, the evil that I do not want to do, this I keep on doing”.
The woman’s re-created spirit urges her to do good, but her un-regenerated mind makes her question whether what the Spirit urges, is the best for her in the situation. And her self-sufficient mind and flesh usually win.
In her immaturity and self-sufficiency she presumes that what pleased Mr. Law, will also please Mr. Grace. And fails all the time in her effort to avoid evil and to do good.
Except, this new husband does not reprimand her or threaten her like Mr. Law did.
Mr. Grace is infinitely patient and waits for the day when the woman reaches the point of despair, vs. 24. This whole scenario is described in Rom.7:13-24.

Few Christians reach the point of despair. Most believe that their God is a god of compromise and that He would be satisfied with their best efforts.
There is no Scriptural basis for this way of thinking at all.

And what happens to the woman when she has come to loath herself because of her failure, her inability to live the Christian life ”properly”?
In her anguish she turns to Mr. Grace and pours out her anxious heart, vs. 25.
And to her great surprise, He is not upset or angry with her.
To the contrary, He is delighted that she has returned to Him and that she has ended her adulterous relationship with her former husband, Mr. Law, ( Isaiah 51:11).
What she did was looking to Mr.Law trying to obey the law to please Mr Grace.
And Mr.Law did nothing to help her, he just laid more commandments on her.
As it is, Mr Grace receives her in his arms and consoles her.
.
(On a personal note, anyone who would suggest that the foregoing is just conjecture, may I respectfully suggest that such a person has not yet experienced the sorrow of vs. 24 and is still in an unholy relationship with Mr. Law.)
Rest in me, says Mr. Grace, and I will do in you all that needs to be done so that you may experience my joy, my peace and my righteousness.
Rest in me, everything that you believe you need to do and be for me, I would be so happy to do in you, believe me, I love you with an everlasting love.
All I ask of you that you yield yourself to me, to allow me to renew your mind as I have already renewed your spirit, Rom.12:2.
My grace is sufficient for you, you already are what you so desperately want to be, loved and accepted by me, except you have been trying to achieve all that by your own effort, by your attempt to gain my favor by being obedient.
Any attempt by you to assist me in any way at all will obscure what I wish to accomplish in you. In submission and surrender to me is your victory secured.

And so ends the story of the woman who was once married to Mr. Law.
She was aware with her mind of her being united with Mr. Grace, her new husband, but now she knows it in her inner being. The joy of the Lord is now no longer a concept, it is a daily reality in her life.
Of a truth it may be said, they lived happily ever after.

Many are the Christians who consent to Rom.7:14-23.
Yes, they say, that is how it is, falling and getting up again, of a certainty, we will never be perfect. We have to take up our cross and keep on trying.
Few are the Christians who identify with this passage of Scripture to the point of vs.24,
O wretched person that I am, who is going to deliver me …….?
These are those for whom a whole new way of living is prepared.
It is a way of living of taking up one’s cross and following Jesus in abandonment to Him.
Their new way of living will be characterized this way: “Not I , but Christ”.
They have passed through the spiritual desert of the self-life and now they are entering the promised land of Spirit led Christ life.

But how do we enter this new way of living that is to be vastly preferred over the present condition so many Christians find themselves in, whether they realize it or not.
How do we come to the truth of Rom.7:24, not just intellectually, but, even more so, spiritually, emotionally, with our whole being?
That will be the subject of our next issue of Reflections.

St.Thomas, Sept. ’07.