Law is the command God gave to man to keep it perfectly as his guide, while Grace is the unmerited favor of God. As Christians, many of us believe that we are not under the Law, but Grace, which may be right.
Being in the Grace doesn't mean that, there is no Law. The truth is, we are always and will always be under the Law till all is fulfilled. The Laws God gave in the past are still valid and active until this day as on the very day it was given. In Garden of Eden, when God said thou shalt not eat, that was a law, and in fact that was the first law given to man.
The commandments, and the social laws God gave Moses on Mount Sinai are also valid and active.
When Adam and Eve sinned, blood was shed to cover their sins. That blood is what we call Grace. The blood of all those animals killed by the priests was also Grace. This means, Grace is not only for this dispensation, but it has always been there ever since man was separated from God because of sin.
The Law always points us to sin. Because of the Law, we know the reality of sin. If there is no Law, then there is no sin, and no need for Grace. Grace reveals the unconditional love of God for us, and it points us to the Cross of Jesus Christ.
So, to say we are in the dispensation of Grace, actually means Jesus Christ became the fulfillment of the Law for us. The blood of those animals killed by the priests were the shadows of Grace, but the death of Jesus Christ fulfilled the reality of that Grace for us.
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matthew 5:17-18 KJV
In the above verses, Jesus Christ himself said He didn't come to make end or destroy the Law, or the sayings of the prophets, but only came to be the fulfillment of the Law for us, which is Grace.
This also means the Law is still valid, and will be valid, till all be fulfilled. This means, one day both the Law and Grace will come to an end, which is going to be the end of Satan and the disobedient angels, and those who rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; those whose names will not in the Book of Life, will be finally be cast into lake of fire for all eternity as stated in Revelation 20:14-15.
The belief that we are under the Grace, but not the Law has been missed interpreted by many Christians thus making many churches hardly talk about sin and holiness. It was because of Law, Grace came, and is very wrong to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ without talking about Law.
Yes, we are saved by Grace, but remember that this Grace has brought us into the holiness of God (Grace itself is holy). But the moment we step out of this Grace, we find ourselves doing the Law, and Law always bring sin.
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