The biggest problem in the Christian world is not knowing the difference between Grace and Law. Many believers think that the entire Bible is God’s word that is applicable to us. But they don’t understand that there are two opposing covenants in the Bible that cannot be mixed.

They think that there is Grace in the Old Covenant and that there is Law in the New Covenant.

They think that there is faith in the Law and that there is Law in the Faith.

The truth is that the Law is the Old Covenant and that Grace through Faith is the New Covenant.

The truth is that we can never mix Law and Grace. We can never mix Faith and the Law.

The Law was the old covenant. It was the covenant of works where God commanded man to be righteous by doing ALL the ten commandments, circumcision and the 603 ordinances.

Deuteronomy 6 “²⁴ The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. ²⁵ And if we are careful to obey ALL this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.””

There was no grace under the law because it demanded perfection.

Deuteronomy 27 “²⁶ “Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.””

James 2 “¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking ALL of it. “

Why did God do this? He wanted to show man that nobody can be righteous by their works and to make people conscious of their sins. It was to stop man boasting in his works.

Romans 2-3 “¹² All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³ For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. ……Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin…There is no one righteous not even one….¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰ Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.”

The law did not have any grace. There was no mercy in the law.

But grace came through Jesus Christ. The truth that saves us the grace of God in Jesus and not the law of works.

John 1 ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

What is the Grace of God?

Jesus obeyed the law as the only one who is Righteous. He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead so that all believers are made righteous without works!

Romans 3 “21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.”

Nobody deserves to be righteous by their works because ALL have sinned in their works.

Therefore the only way to receive the Righteousness of God is the FREE GIFT of GRACE by FAITH in JESUS and not works!!

That is why we are RIGHTEOUS, FORGIVEN ALL SINS by Faith in Jesus without doing any works!

The Law is all about man’s works while Grace is all about the finished work of Jesus Christ.

You see how the Law and Grace cannot be mixed.

Romans 11 ” ⁶ And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”

The Law is all about man’s works but Faith is believing in Christ’s finished work. Therefore we cannot mix Law and Faith.

Galatians 3 “¹⁰ For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” ¹¹ Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” ¹² The law is not based on faith;”

Jesus came to end the law(works) so that Righteousness is given freely as the GIFT received by faith.

Romans 10 “⁴ Christ is the culmination (END) of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

Romans 5 ” ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man(Adam), death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of GRACE and of the GIFT of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!……¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man(Adam) the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man(Jesus) the many will be made righteous.“

Romans 5 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand”

The law brings wrath because it demands perfect works from imperfect people! It is impossible to be righteous by the law. Therefore how can God give us His Righteousness? It has to be by Faith so that it is guaranteed by grace!

Romans 4 ” ¹³ It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. ¹⁴ For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, ¹⁵ because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. ¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed “

The Law and ALL commands of works ended on the cross so that we are righteous by faith in Jesus.

Galatians 3 “²³ Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. ²⁴ So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian (law). ²⁶ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,”

Ephesians 2 “¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations….through the cross,….⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Colossians 2 “¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness (law), which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”

All the commands of works was the Law: Do the works to be righteous! There is no grace under law. There is no faith under the law. That is why the ten commandment was the ministry of death and condemnation.

2 Corinthians 3 “⁷ Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone,…..that brought condemnation”

In Grace, there is only one command: BELIEVE in Jesus Christ to be Righteous! There are no works or laws under grace!

Law was all about man’s imperfect works but Grace is all about the perfect death and resurrection of Jesus.

We cannot mix human works with the Cross of Jesus.

We cannot mix poison (law) and milk (grace). We cannot mix death (law) and life (grace).

The Cross of Jesus is the END of all our works.

When a person trust in their works they receive the WAGES / REWARD which is death.

Romans 6 “²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

But when a person does not work but BELIEVES in Jesus they receive the FREE GIFT of the Righteousness of God without works!

Romans 4 “⁴ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. ⁵ However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. ⁶ David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: ⁷ “Blessed are those    whose transgressions are forgiven,    whose sins are covered. ⁸ Blessed is the one    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”……………………God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.“

Every command of works in the Bible is law. The only thing to do in Grace is to BELIEVE in Jesus.

So you see it is impossible to mix Law(works) and Grace.

It is impossible to mix Law(works) and Faith.

It is impossible to mix our works and the Finished Work of Jesus on the Cross.

We have a choice:

Do you rely on your works OR is do you solely believe in Jesus Christ? You cannot trust in both. You can only choose one!

Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead, so that everyone who believes in Jesus is forgiven all sins and has the righteousness of God freely by grace and not our works!