Law, Grace & New Wine
- James Collazo
- Jun 30, 2022
- 12 min read
Updated: Mar 15
Introduction
In his parable of the wineskins, Jesus taught, "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, 'The old is better'" (Luke 5:37–39). Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven (see "Kingdom of God & Heaven") to the grape fermentation process. Nowadays, winemakers store their vintage in casks and cellars equipped with climate control. The ancients did not have a way to keep the wine from fermenting, especially in the sweltering temperatures of the Near East. Like us, they also preferred aged wine. However, they often added water to dilute the bitterness and to proof the alcohol. If someone put old wine into a new wineskin, it would burst open during fermentation and be stretched to the limit. Even today, fermenting wine can shatter a glass bottle or make the cork explode from the top of it!
In context, Jesus was responding to the Pharisees who accused him and his disciples of violating the Jewish tradition of fasting. First-century Jews fasted daily or biweekly, and groups like the Pharisees saw it as a necessary measure of one's piety. Jesus responded to their accusation by saying he came to push the Law of Moses to its limits. The Law was the national constitution of Israel and the foundation of the Jewish faith. However, Jesus made himself clear on that point: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matt. 5:17). So, the Law of Moses was the old wine in an old wineskin. The Greek verb plēroō (G4137) means "to fill" until completion, although translators often render it as "to fulfill" in the sense of something being ended. Jesus invited the Jews to drink the new wine he was pouring into a new wineskin—from the same divine vineyard as the old vintage. One of the main themes of Matthew's gospel was Jesus coming as a "new Moses," i.e., Israel's new lawgiver. In his sermon on the Mount, Jesus appealed to the Law of Moses by saying, "You have heard that it was said . . ." (e.g., Matt. 5:21) before expanding on it with his teaching. However, this was not to contradict the former law but to ensure God's original intent for it was being taught. Moses himself warned the Israelites that God was going to send a new prophet like him: "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him" (Deut. 18:15). In other words, Moses knew that he was not the end-all of Israel's prophets and that another would surpass him. Rabbinic Jews still await this prophet, while Messianic Jews and Christians know him as Jesus (see "Jew & Gentile: Parting Ways;" cf. John 1:19–34).
Old v. New Perspective on Paul
Both Lutheran and Reformed theologies teach the "old perspective on Paul." This view is still the standard one that many churchgoers have. However, it dates no earlier than the sixteenth century, the time of the Protestant Reformation. The problem is that this not-old-enough "old perspective" contains much antisemitism and is based on replacement theology, also known as supersessionism. When the German reformer Martin Luther (1483–1546) wrote about law and grace, he believed that Paul considered the Law of Moses obsolete and entirely replaced by faith alone (see "Salvation: The Romans Road"). The "old perspective" theologians turn Judaism into a caricature, assuming that all Jews then and now believe they are saved by doing works of the Law. However, as we shall see, this view is not biblically or historically accurate. They read the magisterial abuses of Roman Catholicism anachronistically into the New Testament's criticism of the Pharisees and Sadducees. American theologian J. Ligon Duncan III (b. 1960) makes this explicit: "In the same way as much of Judaism, Roman Catholicism was and is a religion emphasizing salvation by grace through faith. But closer examination shows that human merit is not excluded."
The "new perspective on Paul" is only new to readers who have never studied the early church. Most Protestants begin with the New Testament and skip about 1,517 years to the Reformation, and they tend to read the New Testament through a sixteenth-century lens. However, the not-so-new perspective" began in the first century and continues today in Messianic Judaism. Paul never said the Law of Moses was abolished in the sense of being outright canceled. Many churchgoers take all of two of the 613 commandments of the Law—one about the sabbath and one about kosher—to form a whole doctrine of replacement from them. However, the sabbath and kosher were not universal rules for Gentiles even in the Old Testament—only for the nation of Israel (Acts 17:29–30). Therefore, we Christian Gentiles have no reason to dismiss the Law of Moses. In about AD 50, the Council of Jerusalem—led by Jesus' brother James—settled these matters entirely and their meaning within the context of the Law (Acts 15:1–35).
The "new perspective" corrects these bad-faith assumptions, teaching that Jesus and Paul both 1) considered themselves to be Jewish, 2) followed and reinforced the Law of Moses, and 3) viewed "the Way" (i.e., Christianity) as Judaism restored and perfected. Therefore, Jesus' parable of the wineskins illustrates themes of renewal and restoration. Many church leaders use these words in their cringe-worthy "evangelism" (i.e., marketing) tactics with little regard for their meaning. Nevertheless, many people talk about renewal and restoration until it is time to renew and restore. This not-old-enough "old perspective" must be discarded to return to the genuine first-century faith of Jesus and his twelve apostles. Consider this statement by Dutch theologian Jodocus van Lodenstein (1620–1677): "The church is reformed, and always reforming" (Latin: Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda).
Law & Grace in Reciprocity
The apostle Paul wrote, "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace" (Eph. 2:14–15). If we only read this one verse, we may be justified to say that the Law of Moses is obsolete with its works-based merit system. However, the Greek verb translated in the New International Version (NIV) as "set aside" (katargeō; G2673) is a compound of the words kata (G2596; "according to," used to amplify verbs and their purpose) and argeō (G691; "to delay"). Although some translators understand katargeō to mean "abolished" (e.g., English Standard Version, King James Version), it can also mean "suspended" or "very delayed." Given the overall context, Paul's saying that Jesus suspended the Law makes more sense when a modern doctrine does not obscure his intent.
Paul wrote, "For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law. . . . since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the Law" (Rom. 3:28, 30–31). When Luther translated Romans 3:28 into German, he added the word allein ("alone") to bolster his claim that we are justified only by faith. However, Paul made it clear that we uphold the Law of Moses by having the same confidence that Abraham and Moses shared. What scholars call the "new perspective on Paul" is better known as covenantal nomianism or "sworn lawfulness." This concept means that law and grace are reciprocal because God's covenants with Abraham and Moses still form the basis of Christ's new covenant. The author of Hebrews mentioned Abraham and Moses as examples of covenant-based faith (Heb. 11:8–28). Moreover, neither Paul nor the author of Hebrews could use Old Testament figures as exemplars of faith if law and grace were opposites.
Most churchgoers see law and grace as total opposites. They assume the new covenant implies that God now overlooks sin because of his grace. However, the definition of grace (Greek: charis; G5485) pertains to God providing us a way to reconcile our sins without having to pay the penalty of death for them (Rom. 6:23). Jesus, being "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), removed this punishment from us during his atonement on the cross. In his letter to the Galatian church, Paul testified:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole" [Deut. 21:23]. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit (Gal. 3:13–14).
Therefore, God both imputes and imparts his righteousness to us, just as he deemed Abraham "righteous" because of his faith (Rom. 4:3). The "old perspective" theologians teach imputed righteousness but balk at the concept of imparted righteousness. The more ancient "new perspective" acknowledges that God does impute Jesus' righteousness to sinful people; however, it differs from the "old perspective" in that an immoral person can and does mature into someone righteous.
The Greek word for "law" is nomos (G3551), from which we derive the terms "nomianism" and "antinomianism." Although "legalism" and "nomianism" should mean the same thing, they have slightly different but essential shades of meaning. This contrast is the difference between describing someone as "legalistic" and "law-abiding." The "old perspective" teaches churchgoers to criticize others who follow the Bible as "legalistic." However, the "new perspective" stresses the church's overall connection to Israel, which allows Christian Gentiles to be "law-abiding citizens" alongside Jewish believers in Jesus. This distinction is crucial when reading the seven verses in the New Testament that mention "lawlessness," especially Paul's description of the antichrist being the "man of lawlessness" (2 Thess. 2:3). This begs the question of what law a Jewish teacher such as Paul would be referring to if not the Law of Moses. The Greek word for "lawless" is anomos (G459, lit. "no law"). No, a Christian cannot be a law-abiding citizen of God's kingdom without the Law. Paul said likewise:
The law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the Law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all (Rom. 4:15–16).
Heaven forbid we say God is lawless and rebellious like the devil.
Completion of the Law
In his letter to the Roman church, Paul instructed:
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the Law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not covet," and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the Law (Rom. 13:8–10).
Paul also used the Greek verb plēroō when saying that love "completes" the Law. Put another way, God's steadfast love (Greek: agapē; G26) "fills" the Law of Moses meaningfully. The idea that loving one's neighbor "completes" the Law may also be found in Matthew 19:19, 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8. Many Christians assume this to be New Testament doctrine because they consider it the "covenant of grace" as opposed to the "covenant of works" in the Old Testament. However, Moses first wrote this in the Bible when God told the Israelites, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD" (Lev. 19:18).
Conclusion
The relationship between law and grace is not one of opposition but a harmonious coexistence in God's redemptive plan. As revealed in the Old Testament, the Law of Moses reflects God's character and desire for humanity to live in a way that honors him. It points out the need for grace, which is fully realized in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through him, believers are no longer bound by the condemnation of the Law but empowered by grace to live according to God's will. New Testament theology stresses how the Law and grace are essential for understanding God's plan for human flourishing, and together, they lead us to a deeper relationship with God and a transformed life.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe; who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do his will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in your sight; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us, and remain with us always. Amen.
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