Is there law in the covenant of grace ?

Is there law in the covenant of grace?
I will say 'yes', because this world cannot exist or move without any law. There is the law of gravity, the law of nature, the law of supply and demand, the law of sowing and reaping, the law of relativity, the law of the universe, the law of good and evil, the law of the Spirit, and the law of God.  Similarly, the kingdom of God cannot exist without God's law.

No more under the law does not mean no more law
Of course, Paul did not want the Jews to be under the law. He wanted them to reject the law so that they will accept Jesus and will be under grace. However, he did not say that, therefore, there would be no more law. Hence, no more under the law must not be mistaken as no more law. 

The sinners of the world are under sin; not under the law of Moses (or 'the law')
However, the confusion comes when the radical grace preachers start to preach a 'radical grace' or a 'law' which has 'no more law'. They would give sinners the wrong impression that Jesus, the Apostles, and the Spirit of God are against all the people who are under any law, under God's law, under the country's laws, under the moral law, under the legal law, under religious law, or any kinds of laws. They claimed that all these laws will produce 'law-consciousness' and 'self-effort' which is against the Spirit of God. Hence, they preach violently against all the laws, law-consciousness, and self-effort; but purposely left out the preaching against sins.  However, I have big question mark on their definition of the laws, law-consciousness, or self-effort because I cannot find clear Bible verses against any laws, any law-consciousness, or any self-effort. Hence, it could be just their fictitious argument, self-interpretation, or distraction to preach something else. For example, they could just tell the people to repent from the law, from self-effort, from law-consciousness, from doubts, from unbelief, from anxiety, from fear, and etc. Yes, they can say that they have 'repented', 'metanoia', or changed their minds from all many things; however, they have not repent from sin yet.  In another word, they have not done any true repentance yet.

Hence, I have great doubt on the motives of the preachers who always preach against the law to the sinners or churches. What is the rationale behind preaching against 'the law' when the sinners and the churches can never be under the law of Moses (or 'the law') ? Are they preaching it so that the sinners will just need to repent from the law and forget about repentance from their sin ? Or are they preaching it so that the whole world will reject all God's laws in the last days in 'lawless revolution' ? I will tell them, Please state your motives or intentions clearly if you are truly sincere about your intention to preach God's word and commandment clearly to the people; otherwise you can never argue yourselves convincingly with your evasive word and doctrine. Don't turn into a 'ding dong bell' preacher or oxymoron preacher who will confuse everybody including yourselves.

Repentance from 'the law' is probably preached deceitfully as rejection of all God's law
I have heard from many radical grace preachers who preached violently against the law or Mr. law (with the impression that all the law or God's law is Mr.Law, the devil, or the accuser). They said, "Mr law is good. Mr. law is holy. but he cannot save you. He will accuse and kill. He is the ministry of death. He will bring the curse of the law. He is the accuser .. Hence, .. you can never lose your salvation if you do not keep the law or any God's law .."
I will ask them, That sounds fantastic to all the sinners and lawless believers. But do you know that the serpent could have labelled God's law as Mr.Law too. The preaching against the Mr.Law could be a direct rehearsal from the garden of Eden when the serpent could have preached persuasively to Eve too. He had probably said, "God's law was good, God's law was holy.. but God's law cannot save. God's law had lied, God's law would deprive you of the goodness of God, the ability to be like God, and the knowledge of good and evil .. Hence, ..  you will not surely die if you do not keep the command .."

• Gen 2:16-17 KJV  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  (17)  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die ...
  Gen 3:1-5 KJV  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  (2)  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  (3)  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  (4)  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:  (5)  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Today, the serpent will still preach against God's law and use many Bible verses to persuade the sinners and believers to reject God's warning and God's law. Of course, if the serpent could use God's word or God's command in the garden of Eden to deceive Eve, he can use any Bible verses from the New covenant to deceive the believers too.

• Rom 7:4 KJV  Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Of course, when Satan preaches to the churches today, he will not come as the serpent and preach direct lawlessness again; he will come as the 'good' preacher dressed in sexy appealing clothing, who will promise through the New covenant now. He will probably ask you to be dead to all God's laws, 'divorce' Mr.Law, and 'marry' him as your Mr.NiceGuy or Mr.Grace; however, he is definitely not Jesus Christ. He is actually Mr.Lawlessness, in disguise, who would appear as Mr.NiceGuy to everybody in the last days:

• 2Co 11:3-4 KJV  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  (4)  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
• 2Co 11:13-16 KJV  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  (14)  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  (15)  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.  (16)  I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.

Today most sinners would only want to repent from 'the law'
If you read the Bible, you will know that Paul had been preaching against the Jewish law, not God's law.
Eph 6:1-3 KJV  Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.  (2)  Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)  (3)  That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
But, the sinners who are ignorant and are under sin would welcome the preaching against the law or any law so that they will not need to think about repentance from any sin. Of course, for them, it is easier:

1. to repent from a Jewish law or the law of Moses which is unknown to them than 
2. to repent from a sin which they have been practising for years 

The sinners must repent from their sins (from being under sin) to be under grace
In the last days, the sinners of the world would turn around and accuse the churches for being under the law. They would gang up with their favourite preachers to boast about how much they have known God's grace and how they have been delivered from the law of God or the law of the churches. Yes, they are already not under the law (which requires no effort), but unknown to them, they are still under sin and under lawlessness. Hence, it is absurd to think that they are now under grace just because they do not think about any law or any God's laws. No, Jesus said, They must repent from sin to be under grace; otherwise:

• Luk 13:2-3 KJV  And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?  (3)  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
• Luk 13:4-5 KJV  Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?  (5)  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
• Jon 3:4-10 KJV  And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.  (5)  So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. ..  (10)  And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. ...  Mat 12:39-42 KJV But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: .. (41)  The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.. (Jesus said that the people of Nineveh repented not because they believed only; but because they did more than that. They did much effort to turn from their evil way. The unrepentant generation today will ask for some other sign too, but Jesus will still tell them that there is no other sign, except the same sign for them: To Repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ through His resurrection) 

The Pharisees and the Jews must still repent from their sins (from being under sin) to be under grace, even though they had been under the law
We know that the Pharisees and the Jews have received the Old covenant or the law of Moses. Since they have the law, they must move away from the law and come under the new covenant with repentance to be under grace too; whilst, the sinners who have never received any covenant from God will just need to repent from their sins. However, radical grace preachers could have created a great confusion or a false repentance to encourage the sinners to just repent from the Jewish law or anything which is meaningless to them.


But many people today do not want to repent; they just want to believe 
It could be difficult for God's preachers to preach repentance to the sinners today because of the erroneous revolution to repent from 'the law', from law-consciousness, from self-effort, from stress, from fear, from anxiety, from poverty, or from anything under the sun, ...   except from their sins and lawlessness before God. 


Sinners today may have become more religious; but not more repentant
Why do I think so ? It's because radical grace has emphasized more on the power of the blood without repentance from sin and change of heart. Of course, we do believe in the power of the blood, so do the Jews and the Pharisees too. In fact, the Pharisees had so much faith in the blood of their sacrifices that they would never be bothered about the poor and the widows. They thought having strong faith in the things of God will please God. They thought their righteousness is just based on how much they believed God, gave to God, and confessed the law of God. They had so much faith in the works of the law that they considered themselves as righteous even if they did immoral activities and had no love for others.
Similarly, radical grace people who believe God, gave to God, and confess the grace of God could stress so much on grace that they consider themselves as without sin or without condemnation even if they sin. They may think that this is grace. However, like the Pharisees who boast about the blood covenant of Abraham, they could have abuse the blood covenant of the Son too. Paul had said in Heb 10:26-29 that both the believers and the Pharisees who are under the New covenant or under the law could abuse the blood by sinning wilfully. If we read the warnings again, we will understand that Paul had used the example of the Old covenant believers to warn us. How can we say that this Bible verse is not for us ? Why should we be so defensive or so afraid to be warned about the possibility ?


I don't think that denying or rejecting EVERY warning as soon as we find it in our Bible is the solution. It is like putting our head into the sand. If God's warning is for us, it is for us; it will judge us no matter how we dig a hole to hide ourselves.

• Heb 10:26-29 KJV  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,  (27)  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.  (28)  He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:  (29)  Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Can you see the two group of believers under God's covenant:

1. Those who have received the knowledge of the truth and
2. Those who have received Moses' law

I will tell radical grace preachers, I don't care if they are true believers or false believers; if they

1. have received the knowledge of the truth, 
2. trodden under foot the Son of God, 
3. counted the blood of the covenant an unholy thing, and
4. done despite unto the Spirit of Grace

.. they could be in our churches and we should warn the people in the churches too. I believe that Paul had written all these because he wanted to warn the Hebrew believers too.

'Lawless' people are always bold enough to reject all God's commands
Of course, 'lawless' people are not limited to criminals who do lawless deeds; we will include Adam, the agnostics, and all the sinners who have rejected God's laws too. Please think, Will you consider those who have Christ and God's law in their heart and mind as the 'lawless' people? Of course, they can never be the lawless people unless they behave lawlessly or preach lawless doctrine. If they don't have God's laws and commandments in their heart and mind, they would be so bold that they will do the one (or all) of the followings:

1. Reject all God's laws
2. Interpret all the Lord's teaching without any God's laws
3. Reject all the Lord's teaching as under the law
4. Interpret all God's laws and the Lord's teaching as not applicable to us

That's why I have great doubts on their sincerity when they claimed that they have high regard for God's laws. They could have preached lawless doctrine which tells people to do one of the above to promote their radical grace philosophies and then hide their lawless motives by preaching God's law (eg. Psalm 1 or Joshua 1:8) just for meditation and prosperity. By doing this, they may think that nobody can discern and condemn their lawless motive, lawless teaching, or lawless gospel.

Freedom in Christ does not mean radical freedom from any God's laws and commandments
However, they have miscalculated, to me, they are all behaving like the small ignorant children who put both of their fingers into their ears and cried, "No, no. There is no more law, no more judgement, no more condemnation, no more repentance from sins, and no more .. All the teaching about God's laws and commandments is no more applicable to us.. We are the highly favoured, deeply loved, and greatly blessed people.. If God is for us, who can be against us.. We are beyond condemnation.. we are free in Christ.. we have radical freedom in Christ.."
I will tell them, If you like to preach freedom from any God's law or any law, please do not do it radically like the ignorant and the rebellious. Freedom in Christ is not any freedom from doing anything or any God's law; it is only freedom from lawlessness. Yes, we are free from lawlessness, but we are still bound to do God's law and God's righteousness:

• Rom 6:15-20 KJV  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  (16)  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  (17)  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  (18)  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.  (19)  I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.  (20)  For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

I will tell them, How can the teaching of the Lord be obsolete or be under the law? If you want to reject all the teaching of the Lord, please find a more logical excuse. It is so clear that when you preach that the teaching and commandments of the Lord is no more applicable, you are trying to show your followers indirectly that your words, you 'laws', your 'grace teaching', or your revolution has become more applicable to them. Do you think that your so-called 'now word' or prophecies can replace the commandment of God? Probably you have thought so when you tell people that Jesus has changed His commandment to the disciples to preach more on grace instead of repentance.

Freedom in Christ is not free from your obligation to your loved ones too
I will tell them, Yes, you may think that Jesus has better basis to preach only grace to the sinners because everyone love grace. You may think that Jesus has told you or given you a new command to preach grace. However, I cannot find it in my Bible. If I cannot find it my Bible, I will think that you have given your own commandment. You have changed the Lord's commandment to call sinners to repentance to your own commandment to preach grace. I don't think I have judged you wrongly if you have behaved like the Pharisees, who changed God's commandment to their Corban law:

• Mar 7:9-16 KJV  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.  (10)  For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:  (11)  But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.  (12)  And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;  (13)  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.  (14)  And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:  (15)  There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.  (16)  If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

Freedom in Christ must start from the heart and mind
Are we therefore really free or can therefore relax and do nothing? No, it is a lie. No one can be really free (or radically free from all God's law). Only the devils, Satan, and his followers will relax and do nothing. They will tell you to be radically free. They can even convince that if the gospel is not preached radically free, radically good, and radically gracious, it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. I will them, How can it be, if God's law and commandment is still in your heart when it is still guarding your heart and mind with the word of God and the Spirit of Christ:

• Psa 119:9-16 KJV  BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.  (10)  With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.  (11)  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  (12)  Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.  (13)  With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.  (14)  I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.  (15)  I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.  (16)  I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
• Heb 10:15-29 KJV  Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,  (16)  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;  (17)  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. ...  (26)  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,  (27)  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.  (28)  He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:  (29)  Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Can you find the similarity between Psalm 119:9-16 and Heb 10:15-29? God's people will always have God's law in their heart and mind. God's people do not sin, do not love sin, or do not justify sin. They have the will and determination to put away sin. How will they do it? The Bible verses above have shown us clearly that they will start from their mind and heart with God's law. There is no mistake about it; I don't think anyone of us can miss it.   
 
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