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CHAPTER SEVEN
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The Power of Grace

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Any path of imbalance that weighs too much to the right or to the left of the scale of God’s Word will lead to destruction. The false doctrines of legalism and license are an example of this imbalance, and it is only as we counter error with the weight of truth that we bring the doctrine of salvation back to a proper balance. This was Luther's concern when he said:

It is not an easy matter to teach faith without works, and still to require works. Unless the ministers of Christ are wise in handling the mysteries of God and rightly divide the word, faith and good works may easily be confused. Both the doctrine of faith and the doctrine of good works must be diligently taught, and yet in such a way that both the doctrines stay within their God-given sphere. If we only teach works, as our opponents do, we shall lose the faith. If we only teach faith people will come to think that good works are superfluous.(1)

We must reconcile passages such as Titus 3:5, "...not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us," and 1 Cor. 6:9, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?" These two pieces must fit together to form a true picture of grace. It is a picture of God’s grace in all its beauty and majesty. If the two are not pieced together we come up with an abstract, distorted, and perverted picture of grace, and only the eyes of sinful flesh can see any beauty in it whatsoever.

The doctrines of legalism and license are simply man’s attempt in the flesh to apprehend spiritual truths. The natural man cannot understand the statement, "we are not saved by the keeping of the commandments, however, we are not saved if we do not keep the commandments." To the natural man it is a contradiction; it is foolishness. To the spiritual man it is in perfect harmony with God's Word. The missing link in the doctrines of Legalism and Antinomianism (optional obedience), which is essential to the saving of the soul, is the Spirit of God within the soul.

"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes. You will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezek. 36:37).

All those who have been justified by faith receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s work in the believer’s heart is the cause of his obedience. Therefore, we find that one is not justified by walking in His statutes, however the one justified, having the Spirit working within him, walks in His statutes.

Legalism and Antinomianism are simply two sides of the same coin. As James Thornwell once said:

"The Gospel, like its blessed Master, is always crucified between two thieves — legalist of all sorts on the one hand and Antinomians on the other; the former robbing the Savior of the glory of his work for us, and the other robbing him of the glory of his work within us."(2)

Jesus’ focus was not on individual acts of sin, but rather on the fountain out of which sin flows, that fountain being the heart. It was not prostitution that would condemn the prostitute, nor was it the drunk his drunkenness, nor even the Pharisee his self-righteousness. A sinful heart is what condemns them. He showed more contempt for the self-righteous that were outwardly doing "good" than he did for the overt sinner. The one who is more apt to recognize that he is a sinner is nearer the kingdom than that self-righteous one who believes he has no sin. We were born with a sinful heart and there is not one thing we can do to change it. We are entirely at the mercy of God. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23). We can be very diligent in our effort to clean up our outward conduct, but the heart remains the same; desperately wicked. Although the outward appearance and behavior of man varies from person to person, Scripture states that every individual has a filthy heart (Jer. 17:9). Christ’s concern was not in man’s outward performance, but rather in man’s inward character. Indeed, it has been the focus of salvation from the beginning.

"And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5) (italics added).

Jesus tells us in Matt. 15:19,

"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (italics added).

Salvation consists in saving man, not only from the consequences of the outward manifestations of his wicked heart, but from the bondage of sin to which it holds him.

Sadly, the doctrine of grace, the doctrine on which the Church stands or falls is, I believe, one of the most misunderstood doctrines in the professing church today. Most understand it simply as forgiveness of sin, when in fact forgiveness is only one aspect of grace. Grace procures for us forgiveness that we might be reconciled to God and be delivered from the slavery of sin. Spurgeon states:

"When we preach salvation to the vilest of men, some suppose we mean by that a mere deliverance from hell and an entrance into heaven. It includes all that, and results in that, but that is not what we mean. What we mean by salvation is this — deliverance from the love of sin, rescue from the habit of sin, setting free from the desire to sin. Now listen. If it be so, that that boon of deliverance from sin is the gift of divine grace, in what way will that gift, or the free distribution of it, produce sin? I fail to see any such danger. On the contrary, I say to the man who proclaims a gracious promise of victory over sin, "Make all speed: go up and down throughout the world, and tell the vilest of mankind that God is willing by his grace to set them free from the love of sin and to make new creatures of them." Suppose the salvation we preach be this: — you that have lived ungodly and wicked lives may enjoy your sins, and yet escape the penalty — that would be mischievous indeed; but if it be this, — you that live the most ungodly and wicked lives may yet by believing in the Lord Jesus be enabled to change those lives, so that you shall live unto God instead of serving sin and Satan, — what harm can come to the most prudish morals? Why, I say spread such a gospel, and let it circulate through every part of our vast empire, and let all men hear it, whether they rule in the House of Lords or suffer in the house of bondage. Tell them everywhere that God freely and of infinite grace is willing to renew men, and make them new creatures in Christ Jesus. Can any evil consequences come of the freest proclamation of this news? The worse men are, the more gladly would we see them embracing this truth, for these are they who most need it. I say to every one of you, whoever you may be, whatever your past condition, God can renew you according to the power of his grace; so that you who are to him like dead, dry bones, can be made to live by his Spirit. That renewal will be seen in holy thoughts, and pure words, and righteous acts to the glory of God. In great love he is prepared to work all these things in all who believe."(3)

Without forgiveness there can be no reconciliation, and without reconciliation there can be no deliverance. To be reconciled to God is the making of those who are "dead in their trespasses and sin," "alive unto God" (Eph. 2:1). The spirit of man is dead to spiritual truth as pertains to a living and vital relationship with its Creator. To be "dead in spirit" is to be "in the flesh." Legalism, in a word, are those in the flesh seeking to be justified by keeping a spiritual law. However, this is an impossible task.

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:7, 8) (italics added).

It is not possible that a man who lives, thinks, and acts, according to the flesh, could please a spiritual God. Man in his flesh is capable of keeping the letter of the law, or the outward aspect of the law, but he cannot keep the law in its true spiritual nature. The apostle Paul says of himself as an unbeliever, "concerning the righteousness which is in the law," that he was blameless. The rich young ruler said, "I have kept these things (the commandments in the law) from my youth" (words in parenthesis added). The Pharisees were very strict in their outward observance of the law (Matt. 23:5-7).

Adam Clarke writes:

The Pharisees were exceedingly exact in observing all the washings and purifications prescribed by the law; but paid no attention to that inward purity which was typified by them. A man may appear clean without, who is unclean within; but outward purity will not avail in the sight of God, where inward holiness is wanting (or lacking).(4)

Matthew Henry comments on this passage:

Note, It is possible for those that have their hearts full of sin, to have their lives free from blame, and to appear very good. But what will it avail us, to have the good word of our fellow-servants, if our Master does not say, Well done? When all other graves are opened, these whited sepulchres will be looked into, and the dead men's bones, and all the uncleanness, shall be brought out, and be spread before all the host of heaven, Jer. 8:1, 2. For it is the day when God shall judge, not the shows, but the secrets, of men. And it will then be small comfort to them who shall have their portion with hypocrites, to remember how creditably and plausibly they went to hell, applauded by all their neighbours.(5)

These Pharisees were deceived, not in that they were not keeping the law, but rather in their ignorance of the true nature of God and the spirit of the law. So it is said, "My people perish for lack of knowledge" (Hos. 4:6)

Jesus when speaking to the legalistic Pharisees said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence" (Matt. 23:25). Jesus defines a hypocrite in this passage, not as one who speaks of doing good things while he himself practices evil, but rather one who outwardly does good things with impure and selfish motives. Jesus uses the analogy of a cup and dish to represent man. The outside of the cup and dish representing man’s behavior in relation to the law, the inside representing a man’s heart in its true character. Christ is describing the heart of a legalist. Legalism involves seeking to be justified by cleaning up our outward behavior while the heart remains "desperately wicked." One can go through the motions of obedience to the law while in his heart he remains in direct opposition to it. Jesus sought to expose this hypocrisy in the Sermon on the Mount:

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But, I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment." (Matt. 5:21).

The Pharisees were righteous to the extent that they were very exact in their outward duties. They had not unlawfully taken a man’s life, but they were full of hate and envy, as their part in the crucifixion of Christ clearly revealed. Indeed the outside of the cup appeared clean before men, but inwardly they were hypocrites.

The root cause of murder is inward rage and anger. No amount of outward piety can change this evil within a man’s heart. Jesus says to the Pharisees that to restrain from acting out the evil desires within, to appear righteous before men, is to be hypocritical. It is to clean up the outside while the inside remains filthy. This is where men deceive themselves more than at any other point. They deceive themselves concerning the condition of their own heart and seek to mask it with outward acts of righteousness. Even as Adam and Eve sought to cover their shame with fig leaves, even so the legalist seeks to cover his shame by outwardly keeping the law. Keeping the law, even as the fig leaves, might cover ones shame before men, but God looks at the heart and nothing can be hidden from His sight. Jesus exposes the hearts of the Pharisees as He says to them, "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous before men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matt. 23:28). So then, what is it that Jesus tells the Pharisees they are in need of? He says, "Blind Pharisee, first clean up the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also" (Matt. 23:26). This simple statement of Christ negates both legalism as well as Antinomianism. He does not tell them that they are simply in need of forgiveness, but inward cleansing. Not that they would simply be positionally righteous before God, but that the inward cleansing would have the result of the outside being clean as well. This is grace. It is nothing less than an inward cleansing of the heart resulting in a sincere desire to comply with the spirit of the law. Where this inward cleansing is lacking, all obedience is hypocrisy and legalistic. Likewise, Jesus clearly refutes the error of the doctrine that says one can clean up the inside, by receiving Christ, without the outside being clean as well.

So then, Scripture makes clear that outward acts of righteousness have no bearing on whether or not the heart is good, but a good heart bears the result of outward acts of righteousness. The former being legalism, the latter being grace. It is not the works that flow from this new heart that justifies a man, but rather the works are simply the result of the renewed heart given to the justified man. It is a gift of grace.

As an example, circumcision was to be a visible outward sign of that which had taken place invisibly within, namely circumcision of the heart (Rom. 2:28, 29). Man can circumcise himself outwardly, but it is God who circumcises the heart. To think that cutting off the foreskin of a man’s genitals would make him righteous, is as foolish as thinking that cutting off a woman’s hair would make her a man. It is no less foolish to believe that a man is baptized into Christ by the ceremony of dousing his head under water. It is even as those who make a ritual of going to church, thinking that it somehow makes them righteous before God irrespective of the thoughts and motives of their heart.

It is written, "Circumcision is nothing nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters" (1 Cor. 7:19). In other words, cutting off the foreskin of your genitals is to no avail, but receiving the circumcision not made with hands, walking according to the Spirit is what truly matters. "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love" (Gal 5:6). "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation" (Gal. 6:15). If a man’s heart is wicked, no amount of outward performance avails anything, but only that faith which works through love, the result of a new inward creation by God, which manifests itself in the keeping of the commandments in their true spiritual nature.

So then, even as good deeds do not make a man good, sinful acts do not make a man evil. Rather it is the consequence of an evil heart. A man will see himself as good if he controls his sinful desires, however, controlling his sinful desires does not change the evil within.

"O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things" (Matt. 12:34) (italics added).

And what is this good treasure that has such an effect in a man? It is "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this TREASURE in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and NOT OF US" (2 Cor. 4:6, 7) (emphasis added)..

For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone His light in our darkened hearts (2 Cor. 4:6) In the beginning of creation the Spirit of God hovered over the earth which was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and He spoke, "Let there be light and there was light." Even so the creation of a new principal of life begins as the Spirit of God hovers over the darkness of men’s hearts and says, "Let there be light", and so there is. So then, Christianity does not consist of what a man does, but what a man is. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus," not merely for forgiveness but, "for good works" (Eph. 2:10):

"But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned" (Matt. 12:37).

"But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:" (Matt. 15:18, 19).

Since words and actions are manifestations of the heart, what will be judged in the day of God’s judgment is the heart.

"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts..." (1 Cor. 4:5).

The heart of the Pharisee will not stand in the Day of Judgment nor will the heart of the hypocrite and false professor. For these are never purified in heart. The hypocrite and false professor may be very concerned about outward appearances, but only the true believer seeks diligently to purify the heart. The Christian continually cries out even as David, "Create in me a clean heart O’ God" (Ps. 51:10).

In Scripture, God’s grace is never detached from the necessity of practical holiness. When referring to the free grace of God, the Scriptures most frequently quoted are Eph. 2:8, 9, Titus 3:5, and Chapter 4 and 5 of Romans. Eph. 2:8, 9 states;

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift from God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

In the preceding verses, Paul says:

"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, just as others. But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (italics added).

We find in this passage that the conduct spoken of is in the past tense. It states that they once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. They once conducted themselves in the lusts of the flesh; they were sons of disobedience and children of wrath just as the others. In other words, Paul says, that is how you walked in time past, that was your course of conduct, but you do not walk in that way any longer. You were once sons of disobedience and children of wrath, but now you are sons of obedience and children of God. You no longer walk according to the course of this world, nor do you conduct yourselves in the serving of the lusts of the flesh. Why? What had transpired that would account for such a change of conduct and manner of living? Paul continues:

"God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Eph. 2:5) (italics added).

We notice the primary focus of God’s grace in these passages, is not the forgiveness of sin, but an inward change and deliverance from sin. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that saving grace changes ones entire course of life, turning one in a new direction. While being once dead and walking in disobedience, they were now alive unto God and walking in obedience. They were born again as new creatures in Christ. And then it follows with verse 10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

It says in Titus 3:5:

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing and regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit."

Again, in the preceding verses Paul speaks of the way in which they once conducted themselves in time past. He says in verse 3:

"For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another..."

Here again we see that they were once walking in disobedience and serving various lusts and pleasures, but something changed their whole course of conduct, and verse 4 and 5 tells us what had transpired to cause this transformation of character:

"…but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing and regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (italics added).

Again, the focus of His mercy is in the deliverance from sin. What a glorious and powerful grace it is that changes the heart of man from one of being hateful to that of love, from one of malice and envy, to that of kindness and goodwill towards men. It is this grace alone that is of such character as renders itself worthy of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. On the other hand, what a feeble, lifeless, pathetic grace it is that forgives a man and then leaves him to himself with a heart of bitterness and ill will, to wallow in the muck and mire of sin. Such a grace is of no more power than a religious myth. Therefore, the grace that says that a man can be saved and yet "reject the Lordship of Christ," is nothing more than the grace of the carnal mind. "There is no fear of God before their eyes" because there is no reason to fear such a God. This is the grace that Scripture speaks of in 2 Tim. 3:5, "having a form of godliness but denying its power." And what advice does Paul give us? "…from such people turn away!" It is important to note that both the doctrines of legalism and Antinomianism can be believed and followed without any involvement whatsoever of the supernatural power of God. In other words, as in any man made religion, both these doctrines remain viable in function and practice irrespective of whether or not God exists.

We see the power of God’s grace again in 1 Cor. 6:9, 10. In verse 9 Paul says:

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."

Paul then follows in verse 10 with the words:

"And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (italics added).

Paul says some of you were of such character. Some of you once walked in such a way, in the practice of sins such as these, But you were washed, but you were sanctified..." It is clear from these passages that when one comes to Christ, the fruit of that union is a complete change in the way he conducts his life. He no longer walks after the dictates of the flesh or "according to the flesh" but "according to the Spirit." And it is equally clear that it is not by what he himself chooses to do in his own power by means of moral reformation, but rather by the grace of God, by "the washing and regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" which is the effectual cause of the believers obedience.

Romans chapter 4 and 5 speak of the free gift of justification through faith alone, yet, immediately after expounding this great truth, Paul says in Rom. 6:1:

"What shall we say then, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?"

We find the answer in verse 2,

"Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin continue any longer in it?"

Martin Lloyd Jones referring to this expression "Certainly not!" (God forbid! as it is rendered in the King James) says:

"What it really means is ‘by no means’, ‘let it not be’, ‘it is unthinkable’, ‘it should never even be suggested’...Why does the Apostle put it as strongly as that? Clearly for this reason, that to put that question, or to raise that matter at all, simply shows a complete failure to understand everything that he has been saying about justification by faith only. If a man raises this question about continuing in sin, it means that so far he has not grasped what the Apostle has been saying in chapters 1 to 5. That is why it is unthinkable, that is why it should not be mentioned for a moment. Such a man has not only misunderstood justification, he has entirely misunderstood the doctrine of our union with the Lord Jesus Christ. ...What is the business of grace? Is it to allow us to continue in sin? No! It is to deliver us from the bondage and the reign of sin, and to put us under the reign of grace. ...But I want to put it more strongly. A man who is justified, and who is under the reign of grace, cannot think like that, still less act like that."(6)

Jones states that whenever justification by faith alone is preached there will be this misunderstanding, that a man can be justified by faith and yet continue in his sin. He says, "I say therefore that if our preaching does not expose us to that charge and to that misunderstanding, it is because we are not preaching the gospel." It is important to bear in mind however, that Paul foreseeing this misunderstanding, seeks immediately to clear it up.

James Thornwell, regarding Antinomianism, wrote:

"The term Antinomianism is employed to denote a system of doctrine which naturally leads to licentiousness of life...The Scriptures are so pointed and explicit in pressing upon believers that ‘denying ungodliness and worldly lusts they should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, ’ that it becomes a matter of no little interest, even to the speculative inquirer, to account for the origin of Antinomianism. We must not confound the origin of the ‘word’ with the origin of the thing. The latter existed long before a single term expressive of its true character was applied to it. The word was coined in the sixteenth century to denote the peculiar opinions of John Agricola and his followers in regard to the Law. Agricola was a native of Aisleben, and, until he began to propagate his extravagant opinions in the year 1538, a friend and abettor of Luther. The thing existed as far back certainly as the days of Paul and James. That the preaching of the ‘Word of the truth of the Gospel’ should have been attended with Antinomian consequences upon any mind, however illiterate, can be accounted for only by the singular tendency of man to oscillate, in his opinions and practices, from one extreme to another...Many, no doubt, received opinions in the head which found no entrance in the heart, and confounding the important distinction between justification and sanctification, and willfully misled by the incautious statements of true disciples, pretended to receive Christ; but it was a divided Christ, so that they might freely indulge the lascivious propensities of the carnal mind. These are the men whom Jude and Peter denounce, and whose monstrous opinions James refutes."(7)

Jesus said, You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32) And what is this freedom that Christ has granted to those who know this truth? Christ says in John 8:34,

"Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin" [italics added].

Then in v. 36,

"Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

The word commits in John 8:34 is the Greek word poieo. The use of the present tense indicates the meaning of does as a continuous action or practice. It is the same word John uses in 1 John 3:9. “He who is born of God does (poieo) not sin...” Likewise it is the word used in Matthew 7:24, “He who hears these sayings of Mine and does (poieo) them….” The Greek word poieo occurs 11 times in Matthew 7(words translated poieo are in italics).

Matthew 7:12 — “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

v. 17-19 “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

v. 21-22 “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'”

v. 24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:”

v. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:”

Ten of the eleven times, in Matthew 7, the verb is in the present tense, signifying a repeated or continuous action, i.e., continues to do or keeps on doing. This implies that the doing or poieo is a manner of life or practice rather than an isolated act. The one time the word is used in the aorist tense is in verse 22 when those who say Lord, Lord speak of the many deeds they had done. Edward Fudge points out that,

John himself sometimes uses poieo to describe a regular practice or repeated act. On the other hand, New Testament writers sometimes use prasso to speak of a one-time deed (Lk. 22:23; 23:15, 41; Acts 3:17; 5:35; 16:28; 19:36; 25:11, 25)….John simply has a preference for the word poieo (153 of this word's 576 New Testament occurrences occur in John's writings). He uses prasso>> only twice (John 3:20; 5:29), and he never uses pragma, praxis, pragmateia or pragmateuomai, all cognates of prasso. In Romans 7:15, Paul uses poieo and prasso side by side — where they mean exactly the same thing. No wonder that A Greek-English Lexicon of the NT and Other Christian Literature, by Arndt and Gingrich, begins its discussion of prasso by saying that this word is often used without distinction between itself and poieo. The Greek tenses, not the specific vocabulary words used, provide our best clue whether a specific passage refers to one-time action or continual action. The translators of the New American Standard Bible knew this, of course, and that is why they translated poieo with "practice" throughout most of First John.

Vine and Unger state,

The Apostle's use of the present tense of poieo, "to do," virtually expresses the meaning of prasso, "to practice," which John does not use (it is not infrequent in this sense in Paul's Epp., e.g., Romans 1:32, RV; 2:1; Galatians 5:21; Philippians 4:9). 1 Peter 4:1 (singular in the best texts), lit., "has been made to cease from sin," i.e., as a result of suffering in the flesh, the mortifying of our members, and of obedience to a Savior who suffered in flesh. Such no longer lives in the flesh, "to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." Sometimes the word is used as virtually equivalent to a condition of "sin," e.g., John 1:29, "the sin (not sins) of the world," 1 Corinthians 15:17, or a course of "sin," characterized by continuous acts, e.g. 1 Thessalonians 2:16. In 1 John 5:16 (2nd part) the RV marg., is probably to be preferred, "there is sin unto death," not a special act of "sin," but the state or condition producing acts. In 1 John 5:17, "all unrighteousness is sin" is not a definition of "sin" (as in 1 John 3:4), it gives a specification of the term in its generic sense.

So then, he who is born of God has been set free from practicing or serving sin as a master. By the grace of God he is no longer a servant of “various lusts and pleasures” (Titus 3:3). “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life” (Rom. 6:22). We have been set free that we might seek the precepts of God, rather than be enslaved by them. “And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.” (Ps 119:45)

Those who come to Christ are those who are seeking, not only forgiveness of sin, but freedom from sin. However, those who love their sin, and seek to hold onto their sin, reject Him. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Those who would prefer the lordship of sin to the lordship of Christ, and are unwilling to divorce themselves from a life of sin, will have no part in the marriage supper of the lamb.

Jesus states in Matt. 5:20, "For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Jesus is not speaking here of a positional righteousness; an imputed righteousness. He is speaking of a righteousness that is practiced as we live in this world. The NIDNTT states:

"The follower of Christ is not called to lawlessness but to a superior righteousness, the foundation of which is the law and Christ’s interpretation of it. This is why, after His resurrection, this interpretation must be passed on by teaching (Matt. 28:20)."(8)

God’s will is the law as interpreted by Christ. To do God’s will is to observe all things that Jesus commanded. To "observe" is to recognize the teachings of Christ as authoritative and binding upon our hearts, receiving them as that by which we rule and conduct our lives. "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:19).

God says in Exodus 20:5,

"For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children...of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments"

It is plain according to this verse that God’s mercy is only to those who love and obey Him. Again, we understand that love and obedience always go hand in hand. God’s mercy and grace are always linked with the keeping of the law. When He speaks of having mercy on the obedient here, it implies that the obedience referred to is an imperfect obedience.

God’s law reveals His heart. His heart reveals His character and person. To reject the commandments of God is to reject God Himself. To rebel against God’s law is hatred toward God, to keep God’s law is to love Him. Jesus says, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is He who loves Me" (John 14:21) He is referring to that love which is the outworking of inward grace.

"And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul that you may live...and you will again obey the voice of the Lord and do all His commandments which I command you today" (Deut. 30:6) (italics added).

This circumcision of the heart, by which we love God, obey His voice, and do all His commandments, is the grace we find in the New Testament.

"For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit" (Phil. 3:3)

"But he is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter" (Rom. 2:29)

"In Him you were circumcised with the circumcision not made with hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ (Col. 2:11) (all italics added)."

The circumcised in heart are those born of the Spirit. What is the result of this circumcision? Love for God and obedience to His word. If this inward circumcision is by grace, then so is obedience. If the unsaved are the uncircumcised in heart, then likewise, those who do not love the Lord and obey His voice in the keeping of His commandments are not saved.

"He who is born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9) (italics added).

Whatever one might interpret the seed to be in this passage — the seed of the Spirit, the seed of faith, or the seed of the word — they are all inseparably linked. They are all bound up in a single word, that word being love. It is the love of God in the soul. His seed produces a "Faith working through love" (Gal. 5:6). It is the seed that keeps us from a life of lawlessness or lovelessness. It is a seed "rooted and grounded in love" (Eph. 3:17). "Love your neighbor as yourself" is the royal law (James 2:8). Those who live contrary to this principal practice sin and "sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4). The Christian loves, "Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible..." (1 Pet. 1:23). It is not a self-centered love, but a God centered love. Because His seed remains in us, taking root deep within the soil of our soul, growing, maturing, bearing the fruit of the Spirit, the first being love out of which all the others flow. As the seed matures, the deeds of the body are increasingly choked out and put to death (Rom. 8:13). God works in us for His good pleasure and His good pleasure is that we walk in His will. What is His will? To love God and our neighbor as ourselves. It is not the love we conjure up in our own imagination but the love that is in conformity to His word. It is not some high standard that we can simply disregard, but rather the standard by which we are to conduct our lives. This is what is required of us. It is to be to all men, and not only to those who love us. We are to love the unlovable, even as God loved us when we were yet unlovable. And it is not merely an outward love but from that of a pure heart.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing" (1 Cor. 13:1-3).

What is Paul saying other than, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20). He says, "though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains" but if it is not coupled with love, i.e. the keeping of the commandments(1 John 5:2), his faith is to no avail. It is a not a saving faith. He says we can be very gifted, have great knowledge and understanding, very busy in the things of God, doing many "good" deeds, and making great sacrifices, but if it is not out of a heart of love it is all for nothing. It is worthless. All your energies are wasted. And what kind of love is Paul referring to but that which he defines in the verses that immediately follow in 1 Cor. 13:4-7,

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Now if loving in this way is the fulfillment of the law, then not loving in this way is to be lawless. He who does not love practices lawlessness. Is this not what Jesus says in Matt. 7:23? Listen to His words:

"Many will say to Me on that day ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And I will declare to them I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"

What was the cause of their demise? They had the gift of prophesy, they claimed to have faith, they may have spoken with the tongues of angels; they may have given all they had to feed the poor. They did many wonders in His name; however, it profited them nothing. They were not practicing that which fulfills the law, but lawlessness. They walked not in the Spirit, but in the flesh. For the fruit of the Spirit is love. Why does Christ say I never knew you? Because as John says in 1 John 4:8, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." They are not of His sheep. For He says, "I KNOW MY SHEEP and am known by My own" (John 10:14). And who are His sheep? "My sheep hear My voice and I KNOW THEM and they follow Me" (John 10:27) (emphasis added). And what does He say of those who follow Him? By this all will know that you are My disciples (My sheep) if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). How do we know if we love the brethren? "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments" (1 John 5:2). He who says Lord, Lord, or as John states it, "He who says ‘I know Him’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:3). In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, NOR IS HE WHO DOES NOT LOVE HIS BROTHER" (1 John 3:10) (emphasis added). He who does not love does not manifest that he is living a sub-standard Christian life, but that he is a child of the devil. He is walking according to the dictates of the flesh and not according to the Spirit. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God these (and these alone), are the sons of God." "For this is the love of God, that you keep His commandments and His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3). To keep His commandments is to guard them, to count them as precious, holding fast to them, walking in them. We by no means keep them perfectly, but it is the longing of our heart to do so.

For the saint, God has written His law on the heart — on the center of his will and affections (Heb. 8:9). They are not burdensome for they are established in our hearts out of a love for God and neighbor. We understand them not as a burden placed upon us, but rather a gift given to us for our highest good and for the good of the people.

"Oh that they had such a heart in them that would fear Me and always keep My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their Children forever!" (Deut. 5:29) (italics added).

Do you hear how lovingly he speaks? "That it might be well with them." Should we not then continually pray that we might have such a heart to please Him who so lovingly looks out for His own?

The overriding principle of one's heart will be, "Thy will be done" or "my will be done." If it is "my will be done" we have a perverted love for self, for it is self-destructive. We make ourselves an enemy of God. We can profess what we will, we can claim Him as Lord, but if we are not doing, habitually practicing, the will of God we will not enter the kingdom (Matt. 7:21). We have no faith in Him. We do not love Him.

Again, 1 John 2:4 states:

"He who says he knows Him, and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him" (italics added).

Who are those who know Him? 1 John 4:6 says:

"We are of God. He who knows God hears us: He who is not of God does not hear us" (italics added).

The statement "He who knows God" is contrasted with the words "He who is not of God." Only those who are "of God" "know God." In 1 Thess. 4:5 Paul speaks of the gentiles who walk in the passion of lust as those who do not know God. In Gal. 4:8, 9 Paul says, "But then (when under the law) indeed, when you did not know God..." and then in verse 9 Paul speaks of the "sons of God" as those who have known God. However, in 1 Thess. 1:8 we find that God will judge," in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God." It is clear from these passages that all true children of God, are described as those who know God.

It states in 1 John 4:8, "He who does not love does not know God."

1 John 4:20 says, "If someone says ‘I love God’, and hates his brother he is a liar," And in 1 John 3:14, "We know we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren." Again, how do we know if we love the brethren? "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments" (1 John 5:2). "He who does not love his brother abides in death" (1 John 3:14).

If to love the brethren is to keep the commandments, and those who do not love, do not know God and abide in death, then he who does not keep the commandments does not know God and abides in death.

John speaks of those who do not love the brethren as those who:

  • are in darkness (1 John 2:8)

  • who abide in death (1 John 3:14)

  • who are liars (1 John 4:20)

  • murderers (1 John 3:15)

  • as those who do not know God (1 John 4:8)

  • and as those who are children of the devil (1 John 3:10).

    • John makes it emphatically clear that he who does not love the brethren does not have eternal life, he is not of God nor does he know Him. Therefore, we can come to only one conclusion, the true child of God, loves God, loves the children of God, and keeps the commandments of God. The sum of it is this:

  • to know God is to keep His commandments (1 John 3:2).

  • To love God is to keep His commandments (John 14:21).

  • To love the brethren is to keep His commandments (1 John 5:2).

    • "Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him and He in him" (1 John 3:24). Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God, God abides in him, and he in God" (1 John 4:15).

    Therefore, whosoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God (every believer), keeps God’s commandments. He who says he is a Christian and does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. They have not received the circumcision of the heart.

    "...the law is not made for the righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust (1 Tim. 1:9-11).

    The man, who is under the law, shows that he is a sinner by the very fact that he must be kept under the law. The sinner has need of the law to restrain him from fulfilling the rebelliousness of his own heart. Only those who have a heart of covetousness need a law that tells them not to covet. Who is it that needs a law telling him not to lie if not a liar? The law is not made for a righteous man, for it is only the man whose hearts desire it is to do evil that is in need of a law telling him "thou shalt not.

    If a man desires to lie, cheat, steal, kill, lust, and covet, and only restrains himself in fear of the criminal or social consequences of breaking the law, would we think him a good man? No matter how far a man goes in restraining himself under the law, there can be no progression in righteousness until he is set free from the law by grace. In contrast, those under grace are those who have received a new heart, a new spirit, with new desires and therefore no longer walk according to the flesh, under the letter of the law, but are led by the Spirit and the law or principal of love. The man who loves his brother has no need of a law telling him not to lie, cheat, or steal from him. He does not need a law telling him not to seek his brother's wife, for these are contrary to love.

    It is said that true liberty is "living as we should, not as we please." However, this more appropriately defines bondage rather than liberty. True liberty is when doing what we please, is doing what we should.

    "So shall I keep Your law continually, forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty. For I seek Your precepts" (Ps. 119:44, 45) (italics added).

    It is the one who seeks His precepts that walks in liberty. As one has said, "The Christian can sin to his heart’s content, for his heart is no longer content with sin." Only those who desire to keep the law, who delight in the law, experience true liberty. If we delight in sin, we are slaves to sin and the law. If we delight in the law, we are servants of God and His righteousness.

    A servant is one whose occupation it is to serve their master. The one who occupies his life with serving his sinful propensities and lusts is the one enslaved to laws that are contrary to those lusts. On the other hand, to the one who is occupied with serving God, his desires agree with the Law and therefore experiences liberty and freedom from the regiment of the Law. It is impossible that a man can be occupied with serving both God and sin, for no man can serve two masters. If he loves the one he will hate the other (Matt. 6:24).

    The gift of grace is the indwelling Spirit and "Where the spirit is there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17). "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes." However, where the Spirit is absent, there is bondage to sin, whether it is legalism or license.

    Peter speaking of the false teachers says, "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption" (2 Pet. 2:19). Peter here contrasts "liberty" with being "slaves of corruption." It is the slave of corruption that is in need of the law, but the slave of righteousness is set free from its tyranny.

    Christ came to set the captives free:

    "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me, to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound (Isa. 61:1).

    It is those held captive in the prison of sinful flesh, behind the bars of the law that are set at liberty by the Spirit of the Lord. Set free from serving or walking according to the flesh, restrained by the law, that they might serve God in the Spirit, their only restraint being that of love.

    So then, we have been set free, not that we would be left without a master, but that we would serve a new master, that Master being Christ and His righteousness. Therefore, when the question is asked, "What shall we say then, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound" (Rom. 6:1). The answer is, God forbid! For nothing could be more contrary to grace. To say that we can receive grace and yet continue to live according to the flesh is contrary to God’s entire purpose in salvation. Luther states:

    Satan likes to turn this liberty which Christ has gotten for us into licentiousness. Already the Apostle Jude complained in his day: "There are certain men crept in unawares...turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness." (Jude 4.) The flesh reasons: ‘If we are without the law, we may as well indulge ourselves. Why do good, why give alms, why suffer evil when there is no law to force us to do so?"

    This attitude is common enough. People talk about Christian liberty and then go and cater to the desires of covetousness, pleasure, pride, envy, and other vices. Nobody wants to fulfill his duties. Nobody wants to help out a brother in distress. This sort of thing makes me so impatient at times that I wish the swine who trampled precious pearls under foot were back once again under the tyranny of the Pope. You cannot wake up the people of Gomorrah with the gospel of peace.(9)

    We see therefore the foolishness of man in that he seeks to be justified by being under the law, when in truth, the very fact that he must be kept under the restraints of the law reveals the wickedness of his own heart. You see then, keeping the law does not make a man righteous, but it is the righteous man that keeps the law.

    The Apostle Paul says:

    "I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness, unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet’ (Rom. 7:7)

    Paul is saying I would not have known the sin of my own heart if not for being under the law, in that it reveals the wickedness of the heart. The law came that it might reveal to the sinner that his heart is at enmity toward God. The law came, not that we might be justified by the keeping of it, but rather so that sin, through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful (Rom. 7:13). The law then is our tutor or schoolmaster which leads us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. "But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor" (Gal. 3:24, 25).

    "Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law" (Rom 3:31)

    Christ came, not that he might do away with the law, but the exact opposite. By fulfilling the Law He made it possible for the law to be established in our hearts, that it might be fulfilled in us who receive Him by faith, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:4). It is a faith which works through love (Gal. 5:6). Love is the fulfillment of the law. So then, the Christian is to grow, not in the knowledge of the law, as one under the law, but in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. To grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord is to grow in the knowledge of perfect love.

    Again, "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, NOR IS HE WHO DOES NOT LOVE HIS BROTHER" (1 John 3:10). "We know we have passed from death to life BECAUSE WE LOVE THE BRETHREN" (1 John 3:14) (emphasis added). Christ, although born under the law, had no need of the law to restrain Him from doing evil. It was not a burden for Him to keep the law in that it was fulfilled by the very essence of His being; that essence being perfect love, that love which fulfills the law. "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even as this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Gal. 5:14).

    The fruit of the indwelling Spirit is love; "against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22). There is no law against love, therefore, "...if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law" (Gal. 5:18). However, the man not led by the Spirit is in need of the law to lead him. So then, it is only those that are led by the Spirit, guiding us in the true essence of the law and not the letter (i.e., love) who are said to be no longer under the law, but alive in the spirit. Luther speaking of Gal. 5:22 states:

    There is a law, of course, but it does not apply to those who bear these fruits of the Spirit. The Law is not given for the righteous man. A true Christian conducts himself in such a way that he does not need any law to warn or to restrain him. He obeys the Law without compulsion. The Law does not concern him. As far as he is concerned there would not have to be any Law.(10)

    Those who have witnessed riots or catastrophic events in large cities have seen an example of this principal. When the law cannot be enforced, many that are "law abiding citizens" are seen looting, carrying merchandise out of department stores. Those who may never have stolen anything in their lives are exposed as thieves. Such thievery of the heart needs to be under the restraints of the law. In other words, they abide in the law because of the law, and not because of any righteousness within themselves. Therefore they are, in actuality, law despisers in the true state of their heart. And what would God say to these law-abiding citizens? Hypocrites! You kept the outside of the cup and dish clean but inside you are filthy. However, the pure in heart, cleansed by grace, led by the Spirit, are obedient because the doing of what is right is their delight. "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart" (Ps. 40:8). Therefore, we see that it is not possible that a man could be justified by the keeping of the law, while at the same time it is not possible that a justified man, now regenerated, does not keep the law. He is not under the law but transcends it. As one has said,

    "To run and work the law commands
    Yet gives me neither feet nor hands;
    But better news the gospel brings;
    It bids me fly and gives me wings" (italics added).

    Therefore, unless our righteousness exceeds that of the mere outward keeping of the law, we will by no means enter the kingdom of God. If we clean the outside of the cup without first receiving an inward cleansing by grace, we will most certainly perish (Matt. 5:20).

    The law is holy and the commandment holy, and just, and good (Rom. 7:12). However, man under the law is unholy, unjust, and evil. So then, the lawful use of the law (1 Tim. 1:9) is to cause men to see their need for a Savior, and not as a savior itself. For the law is not made for a righteous man, a man who walks according to its spirit, but for the sinner who walks according to its letter, while remaining in utter rebellion towards it in spirit. We see then that legalism is commanding men to do what is contrary to their will, while grace is the cause of them doing that with which their will agrees and delights in.

    However, in all this, the flesh, that which seeks its own, that which is contrary to love, remains as an antagonist against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and therefore we continue in our struggle with sin. As Luther says:

    "The real doers of the Law are the true believers. The Holy Spirit enables them to love God and their neighbor. But because we have only the first- fruits of the Spirit and not the tenth-fruits, we do not observe the Law perfectly. This imperfection of ours, however, is not imputed to us, for Christ’s sake."(11)

    “Do not be astonished about this, for the time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have practiced evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28, 29)


    1. Luther’s Commentary on Galatians 5:14

    2. James Henely Thornwell, Antinomianism

    3. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Sermon (No. 1735), Delivered on Lord’s Day Morning, August 19th, 1883, At Exeter-Hall.

    4. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

    5. (from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, PC Study Bible Formatted Electronic Database Copyright © 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All Rights reserved.)

    6. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Romans 6 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973)p. 9

    7. James Henely Thornwell, Antinomianism

    8. New International Dictionary of N.T. Theology, Edited by Colin Brown ( Zondervan: 1986)

    9. Luther’s Commentary on Galatians 5:13

    10. Luther’s Commentary on Galatians

    11. Luther’s Commentary on Galatians Chapter 3



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    the belief that Christians are freed from the moral law by the virtue of God’s grace.