So, as I know my children need the awareness of God’s law, they also need the self-awareness that law gives them. They need the guidance of God’s law. I also know that I need to bring that in a spirit of tender, patient, kind, loving, and forgiving grace.

Law and Grace Are Not Opposing Forces

I have parents who talk to me all the time about their struggle with the question, “When should I enforce law and when should I give grace?” The problem with the question is that it treats God’s law and God’s grace as two opposing forces.

Think of biblical history, when the law was given: God had redeemed his children out of captivity, but they didn’t know how to be the children of God. They didn’t know how to walk with God and they didn’t know how to live this new life of freedom that they were given, so God gave them his law.

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