Paul and Luther on Law vs. Grace!

Luther ( 16th Century Monk) seemed to have started good on his initial teachings, even though he was off in many concepts compared to Pauline viewpoint, one of them being law vs. grace, which he said it was either or, not both together. Luther missed it when he said that the law was now abolished. But we know from the gospels that Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets, not to abolish it, even though He showed grace ( unmerited mercy) all during His ministry. “ Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5: 17. It appears that Luther became bipolar in his later years and probably at that time there was no medicine available to take care of it, and so reason for his way off reasoning !

As for the apostle Paul, in Romans 6: 1-2 it says: “ What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!” In a personal note, back in April, I was renting out rooms to a mother and her son: well, this young man shot my dog and pointed at me because I corrected him in a moral point! He is in prison for 4 years! I believe God makes us pay for our deeds, because on my own strength I probably would have said, “’ I can’t have you in my house anymore. I forgive you!” I know I went through big trauma for about a month, and God knows why the law is around and this goes along with the few judgments imposed to the Gentiles : “ abstain from blood!” Acts 15: 20.

Of course Romans 8: 1,4 talks about grace: “ there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death…who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” So we are to walk in newness of life as we have been baptized by the Holy Spirit! We are to walk according to the Spirit not to the flesh! But we have to continuously ask the Holy Spirit to refill us as we get drained in our daily walk! Because there are consequences to those who sin due to walking by the flesh! Of course, there is the whole dimension of repentance and forgiveness amongst brethren and between us and God! Brethren is to live in unity of Spirit! This is where we find the grace of God! I know this young man had to repent and forgive, I had to repent and forgive and God had to forgive and maybe the young man had to forgive God!

Still, these Scriptures show that grace and law go together hand in hand! The Spirit gives us the grace to walk without sinning! Luther missed it in many theological points though his justification by faith brought the reformation ( Protestanism) with the concept of conversion. Paul is still the winner even though his writings came earlier and he corrects many of the flaws brought by Luther when illuminated by the Holy Spirit! The Lord is righteous but He operates always in a spirit of mercy towards us!