“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:16-17
Are Moses and Jesus at odds with one another? Does the Law have no grace, and does the gospel have no law? Does the Law only serve to condemn us, driving us to the gospel, or is there any salvation “under Law?”
When you read John’s words toward the end of his Prologue, these questions might begin to pop up, especially with the theological influences we have had in American culture over the past one hundred fifty years or so. Law-Gospel dichotomies can be sharp in some Christian circles. If the dichotomies become antitheses, all sorts of errors crop up. Because the Law only serves to condemn and drive us to the gospel, now, under grace, we live without any specific laws governing us. We live “by the Spirit,” which many take to mean, “I do what I feel is right,” or to put it more spiritually, “I will do what I believe the Spirit is leading me to do.” It is quite shocking at times what “the Spirit” leads people to do. They believe the Spirit leads them to leave their spouse for another person of the opposite or same sex. They believe the Spirit is leading them not to be a part of Christ’s church. No one can tell them what to do because that is ungracious legalism.
One problem with this antithetical approach when reading John is that he doesn’t come close to saying anything like this. The last phrase in John 1:16, “grace instead of grace,” is explained in 1:17: “For the Law was given through Moses, but grace [covenant love] and truth [faithfulness] came into being through Jesus Christ.” John says that the grace revealed in Jesus Christ is grace that fills up the grace revealed previously in the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was God’s grace.
The graciousness of the Law of God is revealed in its relationship to the redemption of the children of Israel from Egypt. The sequence of God’s revelation always has meaning (cf. e.g. 1 Cor 11:8-9; 1 Tim 2:12-13). God proclaims in the preamble to the Ten Commandments/Words, “I am Yahweh your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage…” (Ex 20:1). Redemption is the basis of the Law. The Law doesn’t drive them to salvation but is given in grace after they have been saved from Egypt. The Passover Lamb’s blood was shed and displayed before God. He saved his people, and then he gave them his Law.
Grace is experienced in the Law itself as it not only exposes sin (which is grace in itself) but then provides daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly offerings to cleanse sin. As a revelation of God’s character, the Law teaches his image bearers how to live fruitful lives that are pleasing to him. All of this is grace.
There is grace in the Law and law in the gospel. The gospel proclaims, “Jesus is Lord” and demands “the obedience of faith” (Rom 1:5; 15:18). Not to obey is sin worthy of condemnation. If you love Jesus, you will keep his commandments (Jn 14:15, 21), and keeping those commandments won’t be burdensome (1 Jn 5:3). This is the law of the gospel. (This is not to mention the fact that all Scripture is profitable to doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness… (2 Tim 3:16). The Law is a part of the Scripture of which Paul speaks.)
Moses and Jesus are two expressions of God’s grace. The Law revealed God’s grace in part, and Jesus revealed God’s grace in full. John’s point is not to draw a hard line between Moses and Jesus but to show where each is on God’s redemptive-historical timeline. The Law of Moses wasn’t the final destination of God’s gracious revelation. Jesus is.
