Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 

                                                                                                                   John 5:45 

Today: Read John 5

In today’s passage, Jesus is engaging the first century Jews who were unbelieving and were speaking words of opposition towards Him. They viewed Jesus as a lawbreaker because He was healing on the Sabbath. They also could not accept His claims of equality with God (John 5:18). So He addresses them. He correctly identifies them as those who were of Moses (referencing Mount Sinai and the giving of the Law) and consequently those who “had set their hope in the Law.” It’s the worst thing any of us could do, setting our hope for eternity on the Law.

But this mindset exists even today. It is a dependence on the Law as a means for which eternal life is found. This faulty concept often has its roots in statements from Christ such as, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets…(Matthew 5:17a). And the truth is, He hasn’t! Every ounce of the Law is still in full force and will continue to be until Christ returns. The problem is that the above declaration from Jesus is just half of His message. The complete statement is, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). The Law accuses, condemns, and kills (Romans 5:20, 2 Corinthians 3:6). Our inability to keep God’s Law is what precipitates our need for a Savior. We needed someone to come and fulfill the requirements of the Law for us. And that is exactly what Jesus did on the cross:

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.  

                                                                                                                 Romans 5:18 

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.

                                                                                                                 Galatians 2:21 

For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

                                                                                                                 Romans 8:3-4 

As believers, it was Jesus’ one act of righteousness on the cross that brings our justification. If there was a possibility of being saved through the Law of Moses (and there isn’t), then Christ died needlessly. And for us who are in Christ Jesus, there is now no condemnation because the requirements of the Law are fulfilled in us because of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

So the question always arises: Should Christians be obedient to the Law? Of course the answer is “yes.” Born again believers should act as the “called out ones”, people who desire to please God rather than themselves or the world. However (and this is big), good moral behavior comes as a result of salvation not as a means of obtaining salvation. In other words, we act appropriately because we are saved, not so that we can become saved. If we believe that our eternal security is based on our moral performance than we are, in effect, rejecting the finished work of the cross done on our behalf. In essence, we are attempting to add or “help” God in accomplishing our right standing with Him.

Paul had to deal with this same mindset as he dealt with the early Christian church:

And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

                                                                                                               Galatians 5:3-4 

The warning from Paul is twofold. First, by entertaining any portion of the Law (circumcision in this case) as a means of being right with God, that person is placing himself/herself under obligation to keep the whole Law. James reminds us that if we do indeed keep the whole Law yet stumble in just one part, we become guilty of the whole thing (James 2:10). In other words, if we are determined to try and access eternal life and acceptance by God through law keeping, we better keep the whole thing and keep it perfectly.

Secondly, when we reject our eternal security by faith, we are effectively severed from Christ. At that point we have fallen from grace. I like to think of Law and grace as a trapeze. In order to grab hold of one we must be willing to let go of the other. It is in that moment of releasing the Law in order to embrace grace that we might feel apprehensive. Just like the trapeze artist who, for a split second, is in mid-air, but then grabs hold of the other bar and swings to safety. Letting go of trying to earn God’s grace and just receiving it by faith allows us to enter into spiritual security and when we leave this earth, that faith in Christ will allow us to “swing home” to safety.

Christians are saved by God’s grace through faith. Our faith is in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. The presence of the Holy Spirit gives us the power to say no to sin but even when we fall, the forgiveness, redemption, and grace of God are still there for us to claim and enjoy.

Here are two passages of scripture to meditate upon that can assist us in guarding our hearts and minds from the temptation of believing that works play a role in our salvation and redemption. Enjoy some time with the Savior today as you reflect on each one! 

Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

                                                                                                           Galatians 3:21-22 

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 

                                                                                                            Romans 3:28