True or False: Grace is harder than Law

[votivesoul]

My wife said something to me the other day, that I found very interesting, and am tending, at the moment, to believe is true.

She said "Grace is harder than Law".

What she meant is that, for all of the ordinances and commandments contained in the Law, Grace actually demands a whole lot more from us.

As an example:

We are programmed to work for merit; grace demands a reprogramming whereby we trust in the merit of the Messiah, and not our own.

The Law gives us an easily codified set of procedures. Complete them and all is good.

Grace requires a total submission of all that we are so that we can be led by the Spirit daily.

The Law was designed to lead us to Christ.

Grace is designed to show us how to live a redeemed life (something many of us have a truly hard time doing)

And etc.

So, what say you all?

[shazeep]

the law was designed to lead us to Christ?

[aegsm76]

Mixed on this.
In some ways it is harder and some ways it is easier.

[shazeep]

ya...i voted true though, because Grace requires us to change our minds, whereas law comes naturally to us.

[Ferd]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

My wife said something to me the other day, that I found very interesting, and am tending, at the moment, to believe is true.

She said "Grace is harder than Law".

What she meant is that, for all of the ordinances and commandments contained in the Law, Grace actually demands a whole lot more from us.

As an example:

We are programmed to work for merit; grace demands a reprogramming whereby we trust in the merit of the Messiah, and not our own.

The Law gives us an easily codified set of procedures. Complete them and all is good.

Grace requires a total submission of all that we are so that we can be led by the Spirit daily.

The Law was designed to lead us to Christ.

Grace is designed to show us how to live a redeemed life (something many of us have a truly hard time doing)

And etc.

So, what say you all?

if it weren't for Mercy, I would agree...

In my humble opinion, mercy softens the blow so to speak.

[Ferd]

its interesting that I had a very similar conversation with a friend at church sunday.

[thephnxman]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

My wife said something to me the other day, that I found very interesting, and am tending, at the moment, to believe is true.
She said "Grace is harder than Law".
What she meant is that, for all of the ordinances and commandments contained in the Law, Grace actually demands a whole lot more from us.
As an example:
We are programmed to work for merit; grace demands a reprogramming whereby we trust in the merit of the Messiah, and not our own.
The Law gives us an easily codified set of procedures. Complete them and all is good.
Grace requires a total submission of all that we are so that we can be led by the Spirit daily.
The Law was designed to lead us to Christ.
Grace is designed to show us how to live a redeemed life (something many of us have a truly hard time doing)
And etc.
So, what say you all?

It only seems that way

Let's see: the only person who kept the Law was Jesus Christ; therefore,
the Law was not meant to be kept by us.
What??? That's right: It was not meant to be kept by us WITHOUT the
Holy Spirit!

Under the Law, the only recourse was through God's mercy; when men
would cry out to God, and ask for forgiveness.
Here is an interesting thought: the Law required a full 40 stripes for some
punishments. But if a man received more that 40 stripes, the executioners
were subject to 40 stripes themselves, if they meted out more than the
required stripes. So to avoid such a harsh retribution, those responsible
would "show mercy" and mete out only "39 stripes". The central theme in
the Old Testament is "mercy"; and there are 39 Books written there!

In the New Testament: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at;
but now commandeth all men every where to repent...". So it seems
that in order to REALLY repent, man needed a heart of flesh, as opposed
to a heart of stone. It is only with the Holy Spirit that we can repent and
"...worship God in Spirit and in Truth..." The problem, I believe, is that
man still wants to obey God as if under the Law, and not truly under the
Spirit of Grace.

"Because it is written, 'Be ye holy; for I am holy.' " If God had not
empowered us to be holy, then He could not expect us to be holy: that
would be unrighteous; and if unrighteous, then God could not be God!
In the Old Testament, the focus is on mercy, and "...mercy rejoices
against judgment." But in the New Testament, the focus is on grace:
and what is grace but receiving the [Holy] Spirit unto eternal life?

So . . . be HOLY!

[Esaias]

The law isn't harder than grace. Christ's yoke is easy, His burden is light.

Unless one's heart is somewhere else, that is.

[thephnxman]

Originally Posted by Esaias

The law isn't harder than grace. Christ's yoke is easy, His burden is light.
Unless one's heart is somewhere else, that is.

Amen

[deacon blues]

If grace were harder the Gospel wouldn't be Good News. Grace runs counter to our carnal nature. We are naturally bent on the notion of getting what we deserve. If we are good we deserve goodness. If we aren't good we deserve punishment. That's the Law. It's how our world operates. But we don't get what we deserve from God because of Love. God is good. His Gospel is Good News. Therefore, as Esaias has already stated, the Lord's burden is light. Trying to obey the Law, motivated by self righteousness, is much much harder.