No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better (Lk. 5:39 KJV)

What is the most ferocious enemy of the grace of God?  Is it sin? Well, sin is the easiest thing for grace to handle. The antidote of sin is grace. All a man needs to do is to come to grace and sin, though it be as red as crimson, will become as white as snow.

What about abusers of grace? People who have turned the grace of God into a license to back up their sin or as a business opportunity to exploit God’s children? The Apostle Paul calls them false brethren unawares brought in because they sneaked themselves into the community of God’s people for their personal gain( Gal. 2:4) Well, these are not the number one enemy of grace either!

Please take a look at our main scripture above. Jesus says no one who has tasted old wine desires the new one because they say the old one is better. The worst enemy of the new is the old. You can see this in relationships. One of the worst enemies of a new relationship is a failed previous relationship.

The worst enemy of grace is the Law. The Law in itself is not evil, but holy because it came from God. It is our attitude to the Law that is deadly. Do you doubt it? Christ was killed because of the fight between Grace and Law. Paul was martyred because the law could not stand grace. And the list continues. Israel failed in the most part to make the transition from the old to the new. Sadly, many Christians do not even realize how the old is still fully at work in them.

In a nutshell, the core of the Law is trying to earn God’s blessings and favor. It makes us focus on ourselves, our abilities and talents and take our eyes away from God. Grace makes us keep our eyes on Christ and open our hearts to receive freely from Him. Be careful not to allow the old ruin the new we have in Christ.

MEDITATE

Why do you think someone who has drunk the old wine will refuse the new one?

APPLY THE WORD

I realized many Christians do not really understand what is meant by the law. Many think it means living by the 10 commandments or something similar.  I will encourage you to read the article on “The Archenemy of Grace” and “Falling from grace” to fully understand what the law is. Keep your eyes on Christ alone.

PRAY

Ask the Lord to help you depend solely on His grace and put no confidence in yourself. 

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