In 2016, I attended a pastors’ conference with a theme on holiness. One of the speakers commented that helping people understand the relationship between Law and Grace is one of the hardest things a pastor must do. By Law, he meant God’s standards of righteousness communicated throughout the entire Bible, but especially in the books of the Law. Grace points to God’s undeserved favor expressed by forgiving those who have transgressed His righteousness. Although this truth is also found throughout the Bible, it is seen most clearly in the person and work of Jesus Christ described in the gospels and explained in the epistles of the New Testament.

If we are not careful, we wrongly divorce Law and Grace from one another. We do this with statements like God is a of justice in the Old Testament but a God of grace in the New Testament. We almost act as if there are two gods in the Bible, the wrathful God of the Old Testament and the loving God of the New Testament.

This polarization often shows up in our approach to the Christian life. On one hand, there is the antinomian. This is a fancy word that describes those who say God does not care how someone lives after salvation. His grace places no demands upon us. He is just happy we looked to Christ for salvation.

On the other hand, there is the legalist. They prefer the Law of God. They create checklists of rules, then gauge their own godliness and everyone else’s based upon their capacity to keep the rules. In this system, it is common for people to think that God favors the rule followers over those who struggle with sin.

Both the antinomian and the legalist misunderstand the relationship between law and grace. One says it doesn’t matter how I live; God’s grace covers it all. The other says I must make myself acceptable to God through my actions. Most of us have a propensity in one direction or the other. Churches also tend to lean in one direction or the other.

But there is a third, biblical approach to the Christian life. It is a way that does not see law and grace as opponents, but as partners. God’s grace is sufficient for all our sin. We do not earn our standing before God; we receive it through the mediation of Christ. Yet God cares how His people live. He commands us to be holy because He, our God is holy. Therefore, His grace remains operative in us after salvation, enabling us to live a life of holiness. Learning to cooperate with God’s ongoing work of grace in our life is key to spiritual growth. 

This is why I am recommending Kevin DeYoung’s book The Hole in our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness as November’s book of the month. DeYoung is a skillful writer who has the ability to make big concepts understandable. This book is easy to read, practical, and most importantly, saturated with Scripture.  It captures well the tension found in Philippians 2:12-13, where we are commanded to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. But we do so with the knowledge that it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.