Law vs. Grace
The reason we have disease, suffering and death is that we have violated the law of God. But there is another extreme besides law breaking that also
brings death.
Some believe that their law keeping is what saves them, and they forget the importance of what happened at the cross. And therefore when they look at the law of God, they don’t see any love in it. They don’t see God’s compassion for our needs and infirmities, and His interest in our health and wellbeing. They don’t see His health principles as a merciful message of hope that can be brought to those who are suffering from disease. They only see in them a set of rules that they must keep in order to merit God’s favor and avoid suffering. Thus, when teaching them to others, they teach a set of rules that must be kept at all costs, and they leave out the goodness and grace of God in giving these laws, and the necessity of trusting in a kind Heavenly Father to bless you with health and to do for you what you cannot do for yourself.
Likewise, many have come to believe that God’s law and His grace are not complementary parts of the gospel of Christ, but are in opposition to one another. Many feel that the law condemns them, and like Adam and Eve, they are stricken with fear when they hear God’s voice. They are afraid to reveal their sinful condition to God, so they seek to cover up their sins and to run and hide in the bushes. (Gen 3:10)
When we walk contrary to the law, it cannot speak life, because “sin is transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4) and sin brings death (Rom 6:23). So when a person is in a state of sin and only sees the law, they are left hopeless. Therefore they don’t want to know more of God, nor do they want to hear His word. They do not understand that God has given them salvation if they will accept the gift of His only begotten Son, who took their condemnation Himself (Gen 3:15). They will not pick up their Bibles that they might hear His lovely voice and His promise of salvation. All they hear is the thundering of the law.
Satan would love to keep us blind to the grace of God and the glorious good news of the gospel, since the love of God is revealed by His grace and the fact that He gave His only begotten son to die for sin. Those who are blinded by Satan to see only a law that brings condemnation against their actions, fail of knowing their Father and receiving His help and blessing, which He is so eager to give them.
Now before I go too far, it is important to understand that in the writings of Paul, which contain many important statements on the relation of law and grace, there are some things “hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16) Therefore take care in how you interpret the verses I am about to share with you in the following pages.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.”
Many will not see the truth of the Gospel because they “love…not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”(2 Thess 2:10, 12) “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” (Romans 8:9) The heart has yet to be renewed and willing that “the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.” (Romans 8:4)
“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:3)
The Blessing of Abraham
There is a blessing that Abraham and his seed were to receive and also to give. This blessing was given to Adam in the beginning (Gen 1:28).
Genesis 12:2-3 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
We are told in Galatians chapter three that “the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” (Galatians 3:8, 9)
So the blessing is given to Abraham and his seed through faith. And the only way to be a child of Abraham is through faith; it is written that “they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” (Gal 3:7) So we who have faith are the seed of Abraham, and the blessing is ours by faith.
How do we obtain this faith?
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Many today confess to be Abraham’s seed. So did the Pharisees; however, there was something wrong with their confession. Jesus said to them: “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.” (John 8:39)
What are the works of Abraham? What did Abraham do that was blessed?
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Abraham “obeyed” the word of God “by faith.” When he trusted the word of God alone, he received the blessing. What else did Abraham do?
Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Abraham obeyed God’s commandments, statutes, and laws by faith; he kept the word of God. As it is written:
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Psalms 119:1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
The blessing of Abraham is to those who do the works of Abraham and are his children. That is, those who obey the word of God by faith, and will “do his commandments” and “who walk in the law of the Lord.”
The Covenant Never Changed
It is written in Galatians 3:17 that “the covenant (with Abraham, see Genesis 12) that was con-firmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after (given at Mount Sinai), cannot disannul (that is, change the covenant with Abraham).” (Parentheses added for clarification.)
Since the covenant with Abraham was not changed at Sinai, the Israelites were offered the covenant given to Abraham (see Exodus 6:1-8). This would imply that the commandments, statutes, and laws that were given at Sinai were the same law that Abraham “obeyed.”
The law and the promises did not change at Sinai. The change that occurred at Sinai was with “them” (the Israelites) and their “promises” (Heb 8:6-8). The Israelites were not ready to receive the covenant with Abraham.
The Curse
In Galatians chapter three, we find the following text regarding the curse:
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Abraham was “blessed,” not “cursed.” So did Abraham continue in all things that God commanded? He did, by faith.
Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
The law is “ordained to life” (Rom 7:10) and as Jesus said, “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”(Matt 19:17). The law points us to the standard at which we may have life, instead of sin which brings death.
Yet the law could not give life itself. It could not fulfil this purpose. This is because the blessing of Abraham is not by works of the law, but by faith. It was only by faith in what God could do that Abraham obeyed the commandments, statutes, and laws. And Abraham did this continually. To keep the commandments by faith is life. To break the commandments is death.
Now we have seen that “it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”(Matthew 4:4) And that good health is promised to them who will “diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes.” (Exodus 15:26) Is it any wonder then that Christianity today has the same cancer rates as the world?
Sin brings cancer. Sin brings disease. (Exodus 15:26) It might not always be the case that we have brought disease upon ourselves; disease is sometimes caused by the sins of family members or parents. Perhaps you were afflicted by the habits of your mother while in the womb, or inherited maladies that result from sin.
Exodus 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
By Works or By Faith
The issue of the book of Galatians is not whether or not the commandments of God are to be kept, but rather how they are to be kept. Are they to be kept by working at it and trying as hard as we can, or by accepting the word of God just as it reads and knowing that its promises are good, and that God’s promises will enable us to do all things? Do we allow God to write His law, not on dead stones, but on the living stones that make up His church? Do we realize that He intends to write it on our heart, which is the ark of the most holy place of His temple? “Ye are the temple of God.” (1 Corinthians 3:16)
If this is all true, we merely need to agree with our Father and accept all that His word says.
2 Peter1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
A Blessing to Keep All Things Written in the Book of the Law
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Some will take Galatians 3:10 to mean that it is a curse to obey the law and that we have been freed from “that curse of obedience.” Therefore they believe we are no longer obliged to obey, for this would bring a curse. This is a deadly and terrible deception swallowed up by most of Christianity today. Consider this verse carefully. The curse is actually for disobedience to the law. What does the book of the law say?
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
The blessing is to those who do the law. The curse is to those who break it. Is it any wonder that people are sick? It is because they refuse to become partakers of Christ’s offer of righteousness, life and health, and instead go about to establish their own righteousness. They don’t realize that God has laid out a perfect health plan for them.
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
People are sometimes told by numerous doctors that they cannot be healed, that they will be on medication for the rest of their life. So when they are told of the possibility of healing, it sounds foolish to them. You will normally hear a reply such as “Yeah right” from such individuals. And some even become rather annoyed that you believe you know more than the medical establishment. Some of these sufferers have exhausted numerous avenues and received treatment from the best doctors, taken the best prescriptions, etc. So they question, “Who are you to tell me that you know what’s wrong with me?” To the natural man the things of God are foolishness.
But there is a blessing to those who walk in the law of Jehovah. Has God changed? Anyone who carefully reads the Bible can see that God does not change. What brought a curse four thousand years ago will bring a curse today. And although Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Gal 3:13), He has not redeemed us so that we can continue to disobey the law.
Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Imagine being put in jail for killing a man and waiting on death row for your execution. Then a stranger steps in and says, “I will take that man’s penalty so he can go free.” He took your curse for breaking the law. Then after you are set free, would this mean that you are free to go and kill others now? Is this what you were freed from? Obeying the law? Wouldn’t you agree that this idea is nonsense? Yet it is believed by millions of Christians today that this is what Christ died to free us from. They believe that we are cursed if we keep the law.
So understanding this, ask yourself the question: how can God set you free from the curse of all those sugary foods if you won’t cooperate with Him, and continue to dump sugar into your system even after being healed from its damaging effects?
The curse for violating those things written in the book of the law is unchangeable. If it wasn’t, then Christ would not have needed to die to redeem us from
it.
Now I understand that some of my readers might be thinking I went too far in what I’ve said about the medical community and how I’ve spoken against the good doctor. You might be thinking, “Here he goes speaking against my good minister as well?” Well, this isn’t about a minister, or a doctor; this is about principle. Ministers and doctors can be ignorant just like anyone else. However, there is a cause for ignorance and it is time to come into more light, and not persist in willful ignorance. Why keep suffering when you can be free?
Why did Christ die? Why was He made a curse for us, if the law is just a collection of the Father’s arbitrary, changeable rules? If the law of God could have been changed or cast aside entirely, then Christ would not have had to take upon Himself the curse of breaking it. Oh what a terrible deception for those who see our Father in this light. What a terrible picture has been drawn of our Heavenly Father. God is ever the same today, yesterday, and forever, and what brought the curse of death in the days of ancient Israel will just as surely bring a curse today.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Blessed are they that keep the commandments. Cursed are they that break them. It was of these same commandments that God said:
Deuteronomy 30:10-19 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law… I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Do you want long life, abundant life, eternal life? The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance (Eph 1:13, 14), the power by which the law can be kept. When we have this Spirit, the law is written on the heart. Therefore the law does not witness against those who have the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23).
The promise to Abraham in Genesis chapter twelve is mentioned in several other places. It is written that “now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” (Heb 11:16) The promise of entrance to the heavenly city is for those who keep all the words in the book of the law; not just keep them from the book, but in their heart; not just sometimes, but always, that it might be well with us and our children FOREVER. (Deu 30:6, 14)
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
This commandment was not written on stones. It was written in the book alone. If we fail to teach these words of life to our children, what will we bring upon them? A blessing or a curse? Are we Abraham’s seed?
Gen_18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
What did God want to bring upon Abraham? A blessing. The only way to receive the blessing of Abraham is to keep the law. Blessed are they who do His commandments; cursed are they who continue not in all the things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Deuteronomy 11:19-28 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children…Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
“But wait,” you say, “it is impossible to keep the law!” Ah yes “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26). Where is our faith invested? In what man can or can’t do? Or in what God will do? We must cease from working at it, and accept the promises of God by faith. God calls us to walk in the sphere of knowledge that we have and obey our conscience.
Our Thoughts Bear Record on Judgment Day
Romans 2:13-15 For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.
God calls us to accountability for all the light that He has given us. The light on the law is not, “You must keep the law to be saved.” It is rather, “You must be saved to keep the law.” God can only make a man good if that man is willing to be made good, and will trust the Father to work mightily in him above all that a man can ask or think (Eph 3:20). God will give you His thoughts. All you have to do is accept that His thoughts are better than yours. It is faith alone that will do the law.
The Law of Moses and the Curse
Some have thought that the law of God is only the moral law, while the law of Moses refers to the ceremonial law.
However the term “law of Moses” is not used in the first five books of the Bible. Those books include both moral and ceremonial law. The moral part of the law pointed out man’s duty to God; the ceremonial part pointed to the remedy for breaking the moral law. The prophets when using the term “law of Moses” often referred back to the first five books of the Bible. Notice the following:
Luke 2:22-24 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
You’ll notice that the term “law of Moses” is used in this passage, but you will also notice that it is interchanged with the term “law of the Lord”. The term “law of the Lord” is actually used to refer to the ceremonial law. Many today teach that the term “law of the Lord” is used only for the moral law, and the term “law of Moses” is used only for ceremonial law. But this idea is not found in the Bible, as demonstrated above.
Regarding the “law of God” which is sometimes referred to as the “law of Moses” we read the following:
Malachi 4:4-6 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
The curse is written in the law, and the curse comes upon the one who “continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”(Gal 3:10) Diseases are a curse, and the curse has a cause. The cause is a violation of God’s law, which is sin. And “sin is transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), and “the wages of sin is death”, and disease leads to death. All disease is the result of sin.
Chapter 1 – The Curse of Disease
Chapter 2 – Created to Give Glory
Chapter 3 – The Glorious Diet of God
