This article is a summary of the following episode: Gospel VS Law Based Living (w/ Chad Bird & Ken Jones)
Every believer wrestles with what motivates the Christian life. Some days we feel driven by guilt or fear, believing that our obedience is what keeps God pleased with us. Other days we glimpse something better, a life moved by gratitude and joy in the finished work of Christ. That tension between gospel-focused living and law-driven living has existed since the earliest days of the church.
The Weight of the Law
Many Christians live with a kind of spiritual schizophrenia. We know that salvation is by grace, yet we wake up each morning as if everything depends on our performance. We treat the law as a ladder to climb toward God’s favor, rather than a mirror that reveals our need for grace.
When the law is used as a measuring stick for our worth, it only breeds despair. It can show us what holiness looks like, but it cannot make us holy. The law has no power to change the heart. It is holy, righteous, and good, but it exposes how far we fall short.
Paul said it plainly: the law brings knowledge of sin, not strength to overcome it. It is a weapon that kills, not a tool that gives life. Every time we try to use the law as fuel for sanctification, it leaves us weary and afraid.
The Freedom of the Gospel
The gospel reveals something greater. God does not relate to us based on our performance but through the finished work of his Son. Christ kept the law perfectly, bore its curse, and fulfilled its demands. He now clothes us in his righteousness and calls us his own.
When we see ourselves as God sees us in Christ, everything changes. The Father smiles on us. He delights in his children. He is more joyful about our redemption than we can imagine.
This is the power that the gospel brings to daily life. We are free to pursue holiness without fear of rejection. We no longer obey to earn favor but because we already have it. The Spirit moves us to walk in love, not to prove ourselves but because we are secure in Christ.
Standing in the Armor of Christ
Paul’s command to “put on the armor of God” is not a call to muster strength. It is a call to stand in what we already possess. The armor is not a new task to complete but a description of who we are in Jesus.
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The breastplate of righteousness is his righteousness covering us.
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The helmet of salvation is his finished rescue.
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The belt of truth, the gospel of peace, and the shield of faith are all gifts of grace that belong to those who are united to him.
We do not forge this armor by obedience. We wear what Christ has already won. God has given us every spiritual blessing in Christ. Our task is to stand firm in those blessings, not to create them.
Seeing Ourselves Through God’s Eyes
If we could see ourselves as God sees us in Christ, we would hardly recognize the reflection. We would see holiness, beauty, and righteousness, not because of our efforts but because we are wrapped in the perfection of Jesus.
Faith is learning to believe that this is true. It is trusting that even when we feel unworthy or defeated, God’s verdict does not change. He sees us through the blood and obedience of his Son.
Living from a New Identity
Gospel living begins with remembering who we are. We have been qualified by God, transferred from darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son. The Spirit continually reminds us of this reality, shaping our minds and hearts to match what is already true.
The Christian life is not about creating a new identity through performance. It is about living out the one we have been given. We are children of light, forgiven and accepted. We walk in holiness not to become righteous but because we are.
Rest for Weary Hearts
Law-driven living will always end in exhaustion. Gospel-focused living produces rest. The more we understand what Christ has done, the more we delight in obeying him. The goodness of God leads us to say no to sin and yes to righteousness.
The law exposes. The gospel empowers. The law accuses. The gospel declares, “You are mine.”
When we wake each morning, the call is simple: stand in the grace that is already ours. Put on the armor of Christ. Remember that the battle has been won. The One who began a good work in us will carry it to completion.
The gospel gives what the law never can: assurance, peace, and joy in the presence of a God who is already pleased with his children.
