By: Fred M. Mosely
How many of you have heard it said, or you may have said, “I’m not under law, but under grace.” Before going further into this article, let us visit the Garden of Eden and identify The Laws of Life present in the garden. We all know that this was before The Law of Moses or the Mosaic Law.
Adam and Eve were under the Law of The Spirit of Life. They were created to live for eternity. Other laws that can be identified that were established in the garden were the following: The Law of Notice and Warning, The Law of Provision, The Law of Sowing and Reaping, The Law of Resistance and Non-resistance, The Law of Prayer, The Law of Faith, The Law of Accountability and Responsibility, The Law of Health, The Law of Agreement, The Law of Reward, The Law of the Gift, The Law of Mercy, The Law of God’s Sovereignty, The Law of Authority, The Law of Escape, The Law of Success, The Law of Work, The Law of Worship, The Law of Forfeiture, The Law of Imputation Among Others.
These laws have under them lesser and included laws. This is a pattern that mankind today uses in its laws. They have a major category and minor categories that flow therefrom.
Example: Aggravated murder has lesser and included under it: murder, voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter and neglect homicide.
All fall under the major category of aggravated murder, but are lesser and included offenses. The same is true with Spiritual Laws also referred to as Kingdom Laws or the Laws of Life. There are lesser and included laws under each major category.
Let’s go back to the garden. I think we have established that Adam and Eve were subject to certain Spiritual Laws which we listed above which were prior to the Mosaic. Mankind disobeyed and then was brought immediately under The Law of Sin and Death (which had been held in abeyance). The Mosaic was later given to man in his fallen state. Man had to have Laws given to him in a physical form, that he could see, to make him aware of the consequences of sin.
What Jesus did for us in his death, burial and resurrection (paid our penalty) thereby bringing us out from under The Law of Sin and Death and restored us to be under The Law of Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
Now let’s go back to The Laws of Life looking at them from the perspective of lesser and included laws (greater and lesser laws). Just as man in his legal system draws from this Spiritual pattern of primary and lesser included laws, so is the case in the Spiritual realm.
So then I would submit to you that grace comes under a Law of Life and that Law of Life is The Law of The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Grace is a lesser and included law under the Law of The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Grace could be referred to as The Law of Grace. It falls directly under the predominant Law of the Spirit of Life bringing forth our salvation.
Other lesser and included laws under the The Law of The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus are love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, temptress, etc.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I come to destroy the law or the prophets; I have not come to destroy but too fulfill”. In John 1:17, we are told “For the law was given by Moses, but grace came by Jesus Christ”.