The Law of Sinai does not provide us Christians with the high standards that correspond to our relationship and our position. Under the Law, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, but we are to lay down our lives for our brothers by loving them as Christ loved us.
But the law does not give us the true motivation either. The law says, “Do something so that you will not be cursed, but blessed.” Grace says, “Do something because you are blessed.” The “must” motive is not a sustainable motivation. It can even lead to the opposite and tempt us to do evil.
Henry Allen Ironside told a story to illustrate this point. An old Indian from the southwestern United States was taking his first train ride to San Francisco. He saw a train station for the first time in Albuquerque before boarding the train. He said to Ironside, “I saw a sign that said, ‘Do not spit on the floor.’ Then I looked at the floor and saw nothing but spit. “ Then the man arrived in San Francisco and looked for a friend in a beautiful house furnished with thick carpets, magnificent curtains, and beautiful furniture. The Indian looked around for signs on the wall. There was no sign that said, ”Do not spit on the floor.“ ”I looked at the floor—and there was no spit.”
[According to Charles Ryrie, The Grace Of God]
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