Law or Grace?

I love grace. I love the fact that God is not just a God of grace but He is grace.

I know that without God’s grace I have no chance. I am hopeless without grace.

In Galatians 4:21-31 salvation and a relationship with God based in grace is contrasted with salvation and a relationship with God based in the law.

Galatians 4:21

Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says?

Paul asks those people who want to try to experience salvation and relate to God based in law if they know what the law says.

The law cannot bring salvation because you have to keep the law perfectly and do it all the time to fulfill the law for it to effectively provide you with salvation. No mere human being has ever done that.

The law cannot establish a relationship with God because God does not relate to His human creation based on rules and regulation.

Paul asks these law-based people this question because, if they really knew and understood the law, they would not expect it to do what it cannot do.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is not looking to the law for salvation or relationship.

Galatians 4:22-23

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but the son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.

Abraham had two sons:

Ishmael by the slave Hagar

Isaac by the free woman Sarah

Ishmael was born in an ordinary way, just like everybody else.

Isaac was born as a result of God’s promise, in a supernatural way.

The contrast:

Depend on the ordinary human way by trying based on what you can do or depend on the supernatural way based on what God can do.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Wall is depending on what God can do.

Galatians 4:24-25

These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: That is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem because she is in slavery with her children.

The slave woman, Hagar, represents a covenant based on the law and leads to slavery.

When you try to depend on the law for salvation and relationship it will not provide what you are looking for. It will lead to the slavery of trying to earn salvation and be worthy of the relationship. The truth is that neither are possible. You will be a slave.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is not living in the slavery of trying to be good enough.

Galatians 4:26-27

But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written: “Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.”

A truth is revealed that there is another Jerusalem other than the earthly one. There is a heavenly Jerusalem.

Then in verse 27 Paul quotes Isaiah 54:1.

The barren woman who has had no children is to rejoice because she had no children. The truth is there are more children produced by the desolate or slave woman than the woman who has a husband or the free woman. It is easier to depend on the law than to depend on grace for salvation and relationship.

The reason is simple: We like to earn things for ourselves. We don’t like to depend on anybody or anything else because we don’t like to feel that we owe anyone else. That is called pride.

Pride is about “I”.

I did it.

I achieved it.

I am capable and don’t need your help.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is letting God remove the pride and humbly accepting God’s grace.

Galatians 4:28-31

Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does the Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but the free woman.

Paul says that when we depend on grace and the law, there are three things true about us:

We are children of the promise – we can live depending on the promises of God.

We are children of the inheritance – we have an eternal inheritance based in Jesus.

We are children of freedom – we are not enslaved but free to be who God created us to be.

The law was given to make us aware of sin and our inability to fulfill the law.

Grace was given so we could experience the freedom of depending on Jesus and His grace. 

Why would I want to place myself under the law and try to earn my salvation and relate to God by trying to fulfill the law?

I have no clue!

Law = Slavery & Death

Grace = Freedom & Life

As a Child of the Free Woman Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                     Joe