Indeed I am saved by grace. This is not a new concept that was prompted by the coming of Messiah. Salvation has always been understood by Israel to be a free gift. In fact, the concept of a Messiah is Hebraic as it was originally documented in the first book of Torah. Now whether people believe that Yeshua HaMashiach is the Messiah prophesied of in Torah is another issue altogether, but Torah is full of symbolic reference to our Messiah Yeshua - even in the very first sentence. However, I digress. Going back to my original topic of discussion, that of being saved by grace, I was inspired to write about our perception of grace and how this influences the manner in which we live our faith.
So firstly, I want to clarify that when we say "saved by grace", we are referring to God's grace. Okay so moving on, what is grace anyway? We know that it is something we did not earn, so when linked to salvation, we understand that we could never earn our salvation. Indeed our salvation was given to us freely out of love, which is what John 3:16 is all about. In essence, God extended mercy to us even though we were undeserving. Grace therefore could be defined as unmerited favour or mercy to the undeserving.
God saved us from death, which was the punishment for our sin. However, although we sinned (transgressed the law of God), we didn't reap what we had sown because of God's grace. Instead, Yeshua took our place for us and died on our behalf. As a result, we don't pay for our crimes, rather, we are set free and live! We were wretched and blind and it was in this state of unholiness that God chose to save us - truly an awesome picture of God's grace.
So the grace of God was an act bestowed upon us that led to our salvation. Yet, with this free gift, did we gain liberty from the laws of God, or was the liberty from the bondage of sin and the death sentence that accompanied it? In other words, did God's grace give us the permission to do as we please, or did it give us life by redeeming us from the spiritual death we would have brought on ourselves? God's grace paved the way for the forgiveness of sin through Messiah - it did not change what He defined as sin. When you get the revelation of the sacrifice God made for us to have eternal life in Him, there is no question that we owe Him our lives in return. Isn't this what is meant in scripture when it says that we are called to be "a living sacrifice" (Romans 12:1)? That is, out of our love for God, we nullify our personal will and selfish desires so that God can be glorified through us.
This leads me to ask another question: how is God glorified in our lives? Of course there are innumerable ways that the Father can be glorified, but generally speaking, we exemplify Him in our lives by becoming like Him. By conforming to His Holy standard, which is outlined in His Word, others will see Him through our lives. Therefore, while being obedient to His Holy standard (as defined in Torah) is not the means to salvation, it is a testament to the fact that we have become children of a Holy God (Lev. 20:7; Lev. 20:26; 1 Peter 1:16).
The process of separating yourself from the world's system and conforming to God's system is called sanctification, and this process begins after you've received salvation. This concept is explained in Exodus. The written Torah was given to Israel after God redeemed them from Egypt (i.e. bondage to sin). Remember, the blood of the Passover Lamb (which represented Yeshua) was shed and thus saved Israel from death. Following which, Israel was set free to enter into covenant relationship with God and then received his Torah. This event clearly displays that sanctification proceeds salvation. Sanctification is a requirement you are expected to uphold when you decide to serve God. As a result, being saved by grace, has nothing to do with your sanctification. Rather, sanctification is reflected in your lifestyle choices. And to know the standard of how to live, we have to refer to what God has defined as unholy or unlawful, which has not changed. What God defined as transgression in the beginning remains the same today. And transgression is as much an action of commission as it is an act of omission. If your desire is to emulate Messiah, then you have to embody the Word, for Messiah is the Word - the entire Word (John 1:1).
Many of us like to quote the first chapter of Psalms without being cognizant of the fact that King David is referring to Torah. However, if you don't feel the teachings and instructions found in Torah are relevant, then you shouldn't quote any scriptures in the book of Psalms or Proverbs for they are based upon Torah. There are too many scriptures to name where Yeshua emphasizes the fact the He and the Father are one and that He comes with no doctrine of His own, but simply the Words of the Father. In short, what is written in the renewed covenant is simply a reiteration of what was written previously in Torah and by the Prophets.
With this is mind, it is imperative that we understand that God's saving grace (as demonstrated through the death and resurrection of Yeshua) did not negate His Word. Sin and the penalty for it was taken on by Yeshua on the cross. Yeshua did not destroy His Word (Torah) when He died on the cross; such a notion is blasphemy for it suggests that God destroyed Himself. Rabbi Sha'ul reinforces that Torah is holy, just, and good (Rom. 7:12). Moreover, Torah is alive today for Yeshua HaMashiach, the Living Word, is alive. Therefore, in closing, let us not believe that Yeshua's act of redemption for man translates into a liberty to forsake or despise God's standard of holiness. Being saved by grace does not redefine what it means to be holy. In fact, at the point of my salvation, I demonstrate the sincerity of my repentance by my willingness to forsake my own ways and conform to His Word.
Shalom.
