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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Grace—Replaces the Law or Replaces Righteous Behavior?
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8)
Christian theology frequently is built on a false premise. The false premise is that Divine grace replaces the need for righteous behavior. This is not what Paul taught. Paul taught that Divine grace replaces the Law of Moses. The misunderstanding of what grace is intended to replace has produced multitudes of believers who are babies in the ability to distinguish between good and evil, and in the willingness and strength to choose the good and reject the evil.
God's desire for man is best summed up in the following passage:
Who is the man that does good? The man who:
Practices righteousness.
Loves mercy.
Walks humbly with God.
God's will for man never changes—not under the Adamic, Abrahamic, or Mosaic covenants, the new covenant, or any other covenant. God always loves and approves of the person who practices righteousness, loves mercy, and walks humbly with God.
Who would deny this? The answer is, no one.
But religious people always are able to find a way to evade the need to practice righteousness, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.
The Jews were able to evade Micah 6:8 by worshiping the Torah instead of God, and by devising an endless amount of statutes whose purpose is to interpret the Torah, the Law, so that it governs every aspect of daily life. The Orthodox have fastened and still fasten on the letter of the Talmud, and sometimes are unmerciful and as proud and arrogant as it is possible for a human being to be. They do not always walk humbly with God.
The devout Jews often look down to the Torah instead of up to God!
The Christians have fared no better. They have used and yet are using the writings of the Apostle Paul to prove beyond doubt we are "saved" by a sovereign, supreme, unconditional grace whether or not we practice righteousness, love mercy, or walk humbly with God. Those who follow this line of teaching often do not practice righteousness, love mercy, or walk humbly with God.
The purpose of this short essay is to clarify the purpose of Divine grace—that it is not intended to replace righteous behavior but to replace the Law of Moses, in the hope that righteous behavior, mercy, and humility, which sometimes were not produced by the Law, will result.
God's desire always and eternally is that people practice righteousness, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. God never has and never will provide a covenant that replaces the need for righteous behavior in human beings.
The Goal of Redemption Is Righteousness.
All his life the Apostle Paul sought righteousness. The devout Jew places righteousness above all other values, all other goals, even when he does not understand how God views righteousness.
When Paul was studying under Gamaliel he was seeking righteousness. When Paul put Christians in jail he was seeking righteousness under the Law, for the Law teaches we are to put to death those who would attempt to turn us away from the true God.
To be continued.