Grace.

That word is one of the most important words in our faith. We know that we are saved by the grace of God, through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and not by works. There is debate, though, as to how far the grace extends and how much of the Law we are still required to keep. This argument has divided churches and is one of the reasons we have different denominations in Christianity. The purpose of this writing is to explore this subject and reach a possible conclusion. As you read, I ask that you keep an open mind and search the scriptures yourself. I consider myself a layman and in no way claim to be an expert.

Our search must begin where it all began, with Adam and Eve. God created both and placed them in the paradise Garden of Eden. They were perfect in every way and given dominion over everything on Earth. They were sinless. They could do anything they wanted, EXCEPT one thing. The Bible tells us God planted a tree in the garden that was called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve were told they were permitted to eat of every tree in the garden EXCEPT that one tree. If they ate from it, they would die. That was the first Law, a rule with a punishment for breaking the rule. After being tempted by satan in the form of a serpent, both exercised their free will and disobeyed God. From this act, mankind turned their backs on God and gave control of the world to the devil.

God made humankind creatures of free will, the ability and right to choose whether or not they wanted a relationship with Him. This due to the fact that a relationship is more meaningful if the individual chooses the relationship, rather than being forced. Adam and Eve chose to disobey. From this act, all their descendants, meaning every human ever born, is born imperfect. we are all born with a sinful nature, and thus under a death sentence.

When Adam and Eve sinned, God drove them from the garden and pronounced punishment, including the death penalty, upon them. However, God is a God of love and mercy. He is also a God of Justice. God is perfect. Being perfect, He is perfect Love and Mercy, AND perfect Justice. If He is perfect, then he is perfect in all his attributes.

Perfect justice demands that once a rule is broken, there must be a punishment. In the case of Adam and Eve, God killed a lamb to clothe them. Since this lamb had done no wrong, God was able to transfer his wrath to this animal and forgive the transgression. "And according to the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission."(Hebrews 9:22). However, mankind had started down the road to disobedience. It was to Adam and Eve that God first promised One who would go between humans and the devil.

Since people were now sinful in nature, God still wanted those who desired Him to be given the opportunity to unite with Him. Since anything was now possible for people, God knew to be perfectly fair, those who wanted to be holy needed a guideline as to what would satisfied God's perfect nature requirements. God then instituted His plan for preparing for the Promised One.

In time God chose a man named Abram and renamed him Abraham. He declared to Abraham that through him all nations would be blessed, and formed the Jewish people. The children of Israel, what the jews called themselves after their ancestor Israel (Jacob), grandson of Abraham, were slaves in Egypt. God, through Moses, freed them from slavery and declared them His special Nation, a Holy Nation. Through Moses, God gave them The Law. This is the Law that people need to keep to satisfy God's perfection. Unfortunately, God knew that no one would be able to keep this Law in its entirety. The Bible declares in the third chapter of Galations that NO ONE is justified by the Law, but rather those under the Law are under a curse. Since humans are not perfect, our nature will not permit us to keep the whole Law. We have all broken it. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."(Romans 3:23). The other purpose of the Law is to simply show us that we are not perfect creatures. The Law also instituted a series of rituals and sacrifices for those that broke the Law. However, we are told that such things were only a temporary solution and not sufficient in the long run (see Isaiah 1:11 and Hebrews 9:11-15 and Hosea 6:6).

God's sense of perfect justice ultimately required a perfect solution. To truly forgive a human who broke the Law, it would require a true human being to pay the penalty and satisfy God's perfect justice. God needed one on whom he could pour out all his wrath. With His perfect wrath satisfied, He would then be free to forgive all others since the penalty was paid. The main problem was that all humans were imperfect and could not meet the criteria. Also, the individual would have to be a volunteer, because to punish a person for something he didn't do would be a miscarriage of justice.

From a logical point of view, it would seem as if there was no hope for mankind, but the Bible says man's wisdom is foolishness to God (1 Corinthians 3:19). God Himself provided the solution.

Knowing that the One had to be fully human, yet be free of imperfection, God realized no human could meet the qualification. As a result, He made the most important decision of all eternity, one that would have affects that would last throughout eternity. God Himself chose to become a human being.

Now let me state that in this text I will not debate the doctrine of the Trinity. There are others out there who can do a much better job than I can. I will simply state (for those unfamiliar with the doctrine) that the Bible teaches that the Godhead is made of 3 distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These 3 share a unity so complex that they are One. We in our finite existence cannot fully grasp the concept, so we must simply believe according to what the Bible says. We serve one God, not 3.