What is the Interconnection between the Law and grace ?
There are often misunderstandings concerning the law of God and the grace of God. Some believe God’s law and grace are contrary to each other. But a full understanding of the Bible shows that the opposite is true. Law and grace are actually interconnected. It is not a matter of law or grace, but rather law and grace. They both have an important role in a Christian’s life.
The apostle Paul explains how law and grace are connected in Romans 6:1-2: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
In verses 14-15, he further explains: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!”
Notice James 2:17, 20: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead . . . But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?”
Just as the grace of God is necessary for salvation, so too are the good works “which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
God’s law is designed to instruct us in the way we are to live. It defines both the right way to live (righteousness) and the wrong way to live (sin). Many scriptures make it clear that “works” of obedience, based on God’s law, are absolutely required of a Christian.
But the law is limited in that it cannot provide us forgiveness and redemption after we have broken it. That’s where God’s grace comes in. God’s grace—which leads to His mercy and forgiveness—allows us to be forgiven of our sins and to get back on, and stay on, the path of God’s way of life. True Christianity requires both law and grace to work in tandem in a Christian’s life.