Sometimes I wonder about us as Christians—how we approach those who are most struggling with sin. The remedy we so often give is to suggest that all they need to do is be a little more disciplined, have a few more restraints on their behavior, come to understand more fully God’s disapproval of sin—essentially to tacitly or not so tacitly say that they need just a little more law. I marvel at this! With Paul I want to ask, “Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to law? If the Law which is “holy, righteous and good,” is unable to bring us to a better life, a more righteous life, why do we think that the prescriptions of our own making will be more successful?

Actually, I find shocking truths about the purpose of law: the Law reveals our sin (Rom. 3:20); the Law came so that “transgression would increase” (Rom. 5:20); the Law arouses sinful passions (Rom. 7:5); the Law pronounces the sentence of death with sin being the cause (Rom 7:10; 2 Cor. 3:7); the Law make sin “utterly sinful” (Rom. 7:13). So if I come to you with some form of law—whether some part of God’s holy Law or one of our wholly inadequate, fence laws, a prescription of our own making—I will simply be making you further aware that you are a miserable sinner. I will guarantee that you will be pushed further into the very behavior I’m trying to get you to stop. Like muzzling a vicious dog, your desire for the sin will only increase. Through all of this you’ll experience the most exquisite sense of self-condemnation. The very sin that I’ve tried to help you with will so take over your life, you’ll end up completely in its clutches—your sin utterly sinful. If that’s true of God’s “holy, righteous, and good” Law—-what about the rules of our own making? Are they really able to make a person better?

I think of the woman at the well. Jesus did speak truth to her about her condition, but what He gave her was a revelation of Himself. To the demoniac in the Gerresenes who begged to follow Jesus—-to be His disciple—-Jesus said a shocking, “no”! Rather, “go and tell your people what great things the Lord has done for you.” To to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you; go and leave your life of sin.” In every occasion Jesus gave grace to the sinner not law. His most harsh words were given to the scribes and Pharisees for NOT giving grace.

In Titus 2:11-12, I find the exalted, risen Jesus speaking through Paul proclaiming this remarkable truth:

“For the grace of God has appeared … instructing us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldy passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives. . . .”

So grace teaches us to say “no” to sin—not Law; so grace teaches us how to live rightly with God—not Law—and if not God’s law then certainly not the rules of our own making.

Do you know grace? Have you met Him? Do you have a sin problem? Then you need to know more of the tender grace of Jesus! The effective prescription we could be giving as our usual custom I find on Peter’s lips, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Grow in the grace of Jesus by getting to know Him better.

What is grace? Not just unmerited favor for that describes only an attitude of God’s heart. No, grace is the unmerited, undeserved, kind action and power of God to forgive, save, and transform forever broken and sinful lives. When we prescribe grace, we prescribe the power of the One through whom all things were made, in whom all things are held together. We prescribe Jesus.