Quote from Jack Cottrell Regardling Law and Grace

What has been stated regarding grace in my previous posts in no way, shape, or form minimizes the fact that I must make every effort to submit to God’s will (Matthew 7:21-23) and do my best to walk in the light with Jesus (1 John 1:7). Acknowledging God’s grace as the source of my salvation does not give me license to continue in sin (Romans 6:1ff). Nevertheless, my submission is not the source of my salvation. Anything I do that is “good” is what I “owe” anyway. If I were to succeed in perfect obedience (which I cannot do-Romans 3:23), it would only be the very least I could do to thank God anyway. I can never get ahead. I will always be behind on the “payment.” That is why Jesus had to make the payment. I can never do enough to warrant God’s saving me. I do not deserve it. And may I be eternally grateful to God for His grace and mercy.

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).

“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28).

“Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works” (Romans 4:6).

Today I want to provide another quote from Dr. Jack Cottrell's Commentary on Romans. It is somewhat lengthy, but after reading through some of his material again, I realize that he explains it far better than what I am capable. In fact, I think he lays it out quite beautifully that the Apostle Paul, in at least portions of Romans, is contrasting God’s grace as the source of our salvation with the general idea of law and works as the source of salvation.

“Here I want to call attention to one of the most serious errors committed by many Christians in their attempt to understand the gospel of grace. They correctly see that the gospel can be understood only as contrasted with law. The problem is that they limit “law” to the Law of Moses, and thus see the gospel as standing in contrast only with the Law of Moses. As I see it, there is no greater hindrance to a proper understanding of the gospel of grace than this. The actual contrast is not just between the gospel of Jesus Christ and some particular law code, especially the Law of Moses, but between grace as a method or system of salvation (on the one hand) and law as a method or system of salvation (on the other hand). The law system is not limited to depending on the Law of Moses for salvation; it is something that may be (futilely) pursued wherever human beings have any awareness at all of God’s moral law, whether this be through a special revelation such as the Law of Moses or the Pauline epistles, or whether it be only through the general revelation written on the heart (Romans 2:14-15).

This contrast between grace and law as ways of salvation has been present ever since God began presenting the good news of forgiveness of sins, as far back as Eden (Genesis 3:15). Everyone who has had access to God’s special revelation has had the choice between law and grace. Those who lived under the Law of Moses knew the grace of God (3:21), though certainly not as fully as those who know Jesus Himself. Anyone under the Law of Moses who was saved—indeed, any sinner anywhere, anytime who has been saved—was saved by grace through faith in God’s promises, not by law-keeping of any sort.

…..many of those who do have special revelation and its message of grace (many Christians!) do not really understand it, and they still labor under the misconception that their ability to obey God’s commandments is the determiner of their salvation or damnation. But Paul makes it very clear that “no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law” in any form (3:20). This is why the good news is so good! It tells us, even those of us who want to be saved and are already struggling to be saved by our works, that the one true, effective, conscience-clearing, peace-giving, fear-banishing way of salvation is grace, which means putting your complete trust in the work of Jesus Christ rather than in your own works as the way of being accepted as righteous by God.

No wonder it is the gospel (good news), and no wonder Paul was so excited about it! No wonder it is dynamite! God has given us an alternative to law as a way of salvation—an alternative to law, which is a way of human power, or rather, human weakness; a way in which it is theoretically possible to be right with God, but which in fact will never work because it is nullified by the presence of even a single sin; a way which in fact leads only to despair or else to self-deception and false confidence.

But the gospel gives us an alternative to this, a way of salvation that depends not on man’s weakness but on God’s power, a way that depends not on human righteousness but on God’s righteousness, a way that depends not on our ability to keep God’s commandments but on Christ’s ability to pay our penalty for us, a way that will lead to salvation for everyone who believes. Is this not good news?”(pp.71-72)