“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” -Ephesians 2:7-9 (The Message)

One of the guys in my small group asked the following question: “If Christians are saved by grace, why do we have God’s law?”  An excellent question.

Getting an A in tuning is just the start — not the main point.

The Law as a Tuner

I would compare the purpose of God’s law — the Ten Commandments and all the other moral teachings of scripture —  to tuning an instrument.

Tuning ensures that the sound of the instrument will be pleasing.  However, an instrument that is in relative tune — that is, one whose pitches are correctly spaced —  will sound good played by itself, but it will not necessarily sound good played with another instrument.  One string out of tune on one instrument can mar an entire performance.  For this reason, all the instruments in the band must be tuned to the same absolute pitch — an objective standard.

In this same sense, God’s moral law provides an objective reference point for determining how we relate to Him and how we deal with each other.

Ear training

Over time, a musician trains his ear.  He learns to recognize specific pitches, harmonic intervals, types of chords and chord progressions.  Likewise, as you grow in your relationship with God, you’ll become better able to distinguish right from wrong and to hear His voice.

A Little Help From My Friends

Even if you have perfect pitch it can be difficult to tune your instrument in a noisy environment.  Instruments get out of tune during a performance — even in the middle of a song.  That’s why even professionals use electronic tuners .  Whether they choose strobe, stomp box, smart phone apps or clip-on tuners (see photo) you see them everywhere. And audiences and musicians are the better for it.  In a high-pressure situation, or a noisy venue, the ability to determine whether or not your instrument is in tune is most valuable.

And let’s agree that life is noisy, so being able to weigh our motives, decisions and actions against God’s standard can help us calibrate our lives.

The Limits of Technology — And The Law

Tuning isn’t a one-time thing.  Recognizing you’re out of tune doesn’t correct your errant pitches.  The musician has to make those adjustments himself to be able to play in tune.  And some instruments are more prone to stay in tune than others, so a good musician will check his tuning and make fine adjustments as needed over the course of a performance.

Similarly, the law doesn’t fix what’s wrong — it merely shows us where we’re out of line.  It’s up to us to seek God’s help and bring the sour notes of our lives into conformance with His standard as often as it takes.

Buying a Stairway to Heaven?

So what’s the goal?  Is it possible to get to Heaven by being a good boy and obeying the moral law? Nope.  Following the law won’t put you in a relationship with God any more than being great at tuning will secure you a spot on the tour bus.

Tuning is an important aspect of musicianship — as obeying God is an important part of living as his follower — but music is much more than being in tune.  It’s about the relationship of melody, harmony and rhythm, and the expressiveness among the players in the band.  Spiritually speaking, God has made a place in His family band for you through the sacrifice of His only son, Jesus if you’ll accept this gift.  Relationship is greater than rules.  Grace is greater than law.

One more thing: In the band I’m in, everybody has his own tuner.  When something’s out, we all know it, but each band member tunes his own instrument.

So how about you?  In what ways are you imprisoned by rules and rule-keeping?  What do you need to help you sort this out and get free?  Add your comments below.