It’s Not “Just Grace Now”: Understanding the Law, Grace, and the Believer

Matthew 5:17–19 (KJV)
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil…”
There is a growing misunderstanding in the Church today that the Old Testament no longer matters—that the law is irrelevant, outdated, or even abolished. Many have adopted the mindset that because we are “under grace,” God no longer has a standard for how we live.
But Jesus Himself directly addresses this thinking—and corrects it.

The Law Was Never the Problem
The law of God is not flawed. It is not unjust. It is not something God regrets giving.
Scripture is clear:
Romans 7:12 (KJV)
“Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”
God’s law reveals His nature. It shows us what righteousness looks like. It defines sin and exposes what is contrary to His will.

So if the law is perfect—what was the issue?
The issue was never the law. The issue was man.
Man’s Inability Without Christ
The law set the standard, but it also exposed our inability to meet that standard in our own strength.

Romans 3:20 (KJV)
“…by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
The law was never given as a means for man to justify himself before God—it was given to reveal sin and point us to our need for a Savior.

Galatians 3:24 (KJV)
“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
The law leads us to Jesus.
Jesus Did Not Abolish the Law—He Fulfilled It
Jesus made it clear: He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17).
What does that mean?
He perfectly lived it.
He satisfied its requirements.
He fulfilled what we never could.

Romans 8:3–4 (KJV)
“…what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son… that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Jesus didn’t remove the standard—He made a way for that standard to be fulfilled in us.
Grace Is Not Permission—It Is Power
One of the most dangerous errors in modern Christianity is treating grace as permission to live however we want.
That is not biblical grace.

Titus 2:11–12 (KJV)
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly…”
Grace teaches us to say no to sin—not ignore it.
Grace empowers obedience—it does not excuse disobedience.

The Spirit Within: The Key to Walking in Righteousness
Under the Old Covenant, the law was written on tablets of stone.
Under the New Covenant, it is written on our hearts.

Hebrews 10:16 (KJV)
“I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.”
Now, through the Holy Spirit, we have the ability to walk in what God requires.

Ezekiel 36:27 (KJV)
“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes…”

This is the difference:

• Before Christ: Command without power
• After Christ: Command with power

We are no longer trying to obey God in our own strength—we are empowered by His Spirit.

The Right Response: Live What He Has Made Possible
We do not pursue righteousness to earn salvation.
We pursue righteousness because we have been saved.

John 14:15 (KJV)
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
Obedience is not legalism—it is love in action.

Final Thought
God did not lower His standard.
He fulfilled it through Jesus
and now empowers us to walk in it through His Spirit.
The law is still holy.

God’s standard is still right.
But now, in Christ, we are no longer powerless.
We are equipped.
We are empowered.
We are without excuse.

So let’s stop using grace as a cover for compromise—and start walking in the righteousness Jesus died to give us.
Walk in holiness.
Walk in freedom.
Walk in the Spirit.
#bethechurch