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Between Heaven and Earth

Examining the SDA Fundamentals Through the Lens of the Grace – Part 3: Grace That Transforms, Christian Living, the Law, and the Sabbath 

Today, I would like to reflect on two fundamental Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, 19 and 20, through the lens of grace. At their core, these two beliefs are about Christian living. Belief 19 talks about the Law of God, and belief 20 talks about the Sabbath. These two beliefs center around a vital question: If a person has been saved by grace, what should their life begin to look like?

Let’s begin by reading the official description of Belief #19: The Law of God:

The great principles of God’s law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. They express God’s love, will, and purposes concerning human conduct and relationships and are binding upon all people in every age. These precepts are the basis of God’s covenant with His people and the standard in God’s judgment. Through the agency of the Holy Spirit they point out sin and awaken a sense of need for a Saviour. Salvation is all of grace and not of works, and its fruit is obedience to the Commandments. This obedience develops Christian character and results in a sense of well-being. It is evidence of our love for the Lord and our concern for our fellow human beings. The obedience of faith demonstrates the power of Christ to transform lives, and therefore strengthens Christian witness. (Exod. 20:1-17; Deut. 28:1-14; Ps. 19:7-14; 40:7, 8; Matt. 5:17-20; 22:36-40; John 14:15; 15:7-10; Rom. 8:3, 4; Eph. 2:8-10; Heb. 8:8-10; 1 John 2:3; 5:3; Rev. 12:17; 14:12.)

According to this belief, we are saved by God’s grace, not by our works. But what happens after we are saved? 

It goes on to say that the fruit of Grace in a believer’s life is obedience to the commandments, specifically the Ten Commandments. 

Many Seventh Day Adventists have this view, and several bible verses affirm it. 

  • John 14:15“If you love me, keep my commands.” 
  • John 15:10“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
  • 1 John 5:3“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” 

For many, the natural human reaction to reading the Ten Commandments is resistance. We may feel these rules are restrictive, outdated, or impossible to follow, and that resentment extends even toward the One who gave them. And some of us don’t want to do anything with it. This attitude is called complacency.

Paul describes it plainly in Romans 8:7-8 (NLT)

For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

In summary, every one of us is sinful, every sinner is naturally hostile to God’s law, and no one in the flesh can please God.

What happens when a person accepts the Grace of God? 

Many focus primarily on how grace removes the penalty of sin. But what the Seventh Day Adventist church, along with many other protestant traditions, emphasizes is that grace also transforms a person inside out. 

When we accept God’s grace, it does more than forgive

  1. Grace takes away our enmity toward God 

Romans 5: 1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

  1. Grace plants in us a new appreciation for God’s law.

Romans 7:12: “So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.

Therefore, grace leads to peace with God, and it awakens a true delight in His law. 

Now that we have established that God’s law is holy, righteous, and good, the elephant in the room remains: Why is it that even though I have accepted Christ as my Savior and recognized the work of His grace, I still struggle to perfectly keep the Ten Commandments? And not just me, but even among sincere believers, we do not see flawless obedience.

When faced with this dilemma, two common but dangerous errors often emerge:

  • First, some become legalistic, believing that with enough human effort (prayer, fasting, trying harder), they can achieve perfect obedience.
    Many Adventists who ascribe to the doctrine of perfectionism end up trapped in this exhausting and discouraging cycle of self-effort. 

But Paul warns against this kind of legalism in Galatians 3:3:Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?

  • Second, some succumb to antinomianism, meaning they swing to the opposite extreme, assuming that because they are under grace, the law no longer matters, and therefore they are free from any moral obligations. 

Antinomianism was present during apostolic times, and many New Testament writers wrote strongly against it: 

Romans 6:1-2: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

Romans 3:31: “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” Faith does not nullify the law; it upholds it

1 John 2:3-4: Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Since both legalism and lawlessness distort the Gospel, we must return to the real question. How can one keep the commandments? 

The Bible speaks of two kinds of obedience corresponding to two covenants.

  • Old Covenant Obedience is trying to keep God’s commands through human effort, in the power of the flesh.
  • New Covenant Obedience is obeying naturally as a result of a transformed heart, empowered by the Spirit through grace. 

True obedience is not something we manufacture. It flows from a life that is rooted in Christ.

God promised in 

Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Jesus said in plainly 

John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

And in Titus 2:11-12, Paul writes

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.

But how does grace do this? What is the science behind it? How can a person’s mind and heart be transformed? We don’t know. Most say you must experience it to know. The closest scientific explanation we can find is given by Paul in

2 Corinthians 3: 4-6: “We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.”

7 The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death,….

12 Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.

16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

In places like Scandinavia, the long winter 24-darkness keeps the land frozen and barren, even though the soil is rich. No matter how good the Earth is, without the sun’s warmth, nothing can grow. But when the 24-hour sun returns, the ground softens, the air warms, and life bursts forth effortlessly. Cloud berries, small potatoes, and many other vegetables grow quickly. In the same way, our hearts, even with all the right knowledge, all the right intentions, remain cold without the light of Christ. When His grace shines on us, love awakens, and true obedience springs up not by striving, but by living in His light.

So True obedience comes by abiding in Christ, fixing our eyes on Him, and being transformed into His likeness by the Spirit who lives within us. 

Such believers: 

  • Never boast about their holiness. 
  • Like Paul, they see themselves as the chief of sinners, yet they live in the confidence of God’s grace. 
  • They do not glorify themselves but seek to love God and others more deeply. 
  • They know that at the final judgment, what matters is not personal piety, but how they loved their neighbors.
  • They know that since God has their back, they support their neighbors in return

Finally, coming back to the original question, why is it that I still can’t keep the Ten Commandments? Paul explains that in Romans 7 and 8. But those chapters are so complicated. I like this explanation in Galatians 5. 

Paul describes the fruits of such a life in Galatians 5: 13-26

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”But if you are always biting and devouring one another, So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

Now that we have reflected on the law of God, we turn briefly to belief #20: The Sabbath. 

This belief builds upon the same Gospel foundation: that salvation is by grace, not by works. And it asks: How does God call us to remember His work of salvation and sanctification?

Here is the official description:

The gracious Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth commandment of God’s unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God’s kingdom. The Sabbath is God’s perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God’s creative and redemptive acts. (Gen. 2:1-3; Exod. 20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Matt. 12:1-12; Exod. 31:13-17; Ezek. 20:12, 20; Deut. 5:12-15; Heb. 4:1-11.)

When many people hear about Sabbath-keeping, they instinctively think in terms of performance. Did I stop working enough? Did I worship properly? Did I honor the day perfectly? 

But Sabbath was never given to be a burden or a test of human performance. It was given as a sign, as a weekly reminder of what God is doing for us and in us.

God Himself says in Exodus 31:13:

“You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.”

And again in Ezekiel 20:12:

“Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.”

Notice carefully. Sabbath is not a sign of our holiness. It is a sign of God’s sanctifying work. Every Sabbath, as we cease from our labors, we are reminded of the fact that it is God who makes us holy. It is God who sanctifies us. It is God who will bring His work in us to completion.

So Sabbath, then, becomes a declaration of faith:

  • I rest, because God is still working.
  • I cease, because He is sufficient.
  • I worship, because He is the Lord who makes me holy, not my own efforts.

Thus, true Sabbath-keeping is not about perfect behavior; it is about perfect trust in a perfect Savior.

Paul said in Hebrews 4:9-10

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His.”

In the Gospel, grace transforms everything. The Law becomes not a ladder we must climb, but a reflection of the God who loves us. Obedience becomes not a burdensome duty, but the natural fruit of a heart abiding in Christ. The Sabbath becomes not a test of our performance, but a weekly sign reminding us that it is God who saves and sanctifies. Our response is simply to trust, to rest, and to walk by the Spirit, bearing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these. There is only grace that calls us, and grace that keeps us.

Discussion Questions

  1. Are there areas in your life where you are still trying to live by your own strength instead of resting in the transforming power of God’s Spirit? What would it look like to surrender those areas to Him?
  2. In what ways does seeing obedience as the fruit of grace, rather than the cause of salvation, change the way we view God’s commandments?
  3. How does understanding the Sabbath as a sign of God’s sanctifying work affect the way we observe and experience Sabbath today?

Robin: This has bothered me for a long, long, long, long time: When the Bible says, or people say, “Love one another as you love yourself,” I don’t think I love myself. I mean, I’m constantly disappointed in myself, and I’m not sure what is meant by “as you love yourself,” because if I loved others as I love me, I would love no one. I don’t know what to do to fix it.

Kiran: I share your sentiment deeply, and I remember one day praying, “I hate myself; why did you love me? And can you help me understand why you died for me? I don’t see me dying for myself!” So I think that is a valid and important question: How can we love ourselves, and how do we get to a point where we love ourselves?

Carolyn: …And still be humble.

Kiran: Yes. We’re not talking about being self-obsessed. But can you have an attitude where you develop a healthy appreciation for yourself in the light of God?

Robin: I wouldn’t say that I hate myself. I wouldn’t put it that strongly, but I know for sure that there are many people I can say I love, but I really don’t feel comfortable saying I love myself. I know all of my weaknesses and my failings, even though I also know that Christ loves me. I’m absolutely sure of that. I just don’t know what to do; I don’t know if there’s something more I should be doing to love myself.

C-J: I think that’s part of the narrative the world gives us, and then if you add a layer of a belief system on top of that, it gets really, as Kiran said, really mucky. It has to be by the Holy Spirit; it’s not anything of ourselves. Like you said, we know we fall short. A lot of people don’t have the kind of love God promises us because they don’t experience it from the beginning. Sometimes they are treated more like obligations or responsibilities than as beloved children. Sometimes it’s: “I love you, but I can’t take care of you right now,” or “Why are we going through this again? You should know better by now.” That constant expectation—to measure up to somebody else’s standards—gets laid on us. But with God, it’s different. God doesn’t love us in a punitive way. It’s not “When you’re a good girl, I love you, and when you’re not, I distance myself.” God loves like the mother who bends down, picks up the child, comforts them. Some children are content playing by themselves; others need to be held constantly. God says, “That’s okay. I created you. I knew you before the foundation of the world. I love you unconditionally. I will love you the way you need to be loved. Just look at my face and listen for my voice. You’ll come along eventually. You’ll learn to walk, you’ll learn to fly. You’ll become exactly who I intended you to be.” And when we can trust that—especially when we’re in the furnace—when we come out, we know it wasn’t our strength or wisdom, but God standing with us. That’s real humility: recognizing it was never about what we did, but what God did through us.

Robin: It’s not a bad thing. I guess it just explains a lot. I come from a background where there was a lot of harshness—both verbal and physical—and experiences in my early life that made me feel deeply unworthy. Maybe that’s where this difficulty in loving myself comes from.

C-J: You’re not alone. Many people carry those kinds of scars. And it’s not about pretending it didn’t happen. It’s not even just about locking it away. The grace of God offers healing. When I think of it, I think about Daniel. Taken into slavery as a child, likely harmed physically, placed into a culture utterly foreign and hostile to everything he believed. And yet, he served five kings, and changed the culture of a palace because he leaned completely into God. He forgave, he trusted that God knew his story from the foundation of the world. That kind of faith births a strength that cannot be defeated. When you look at yourself and think, “If people knew what I came from, they wouldn’t love me,” remember: God knows, and He says your scars are gone. We think we still see them, we still feel them sometimes—but when we look into God’s face, they aren’t there anymore. Truly, they’re gone.

Don: It’s been my observation as a physician that most people don’t really like themselves. Those who have straight hair wish their hair were curly, and those who have curly hair wish it were straight. Those with light skin often wish their skin were darker, and sit in tanning booths to make it so. Those with dark skin sometimes wish it were lighter. People with small features wish for larger ones, and vice versa. Those who are more scientific wish they had more artistic ability, and those who are artistic wish they had more scientific minds. It’s just not natural to be satisfied with ourselves. But maybe the “love” that Jesus talks about isn’t about affection for ourselves—it’s about taking care of ourselves. You love yourself by eating when you’re hungry, by resting when you need to rest, by exercising, by caring for your health. There’s a dimension of love that’s practical, and maybe that’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

David: Perhaps you are your own neighbor.

C-J: It’s always about relationship. When God gives you that kind of love—even if you have only one slice of bread—you will tear it in two and share it, because you trust that God is your provision. In that moment, you put a face to God when you say, “Here, it’s okay. Come and sit. I have plenty. Don’t worry about it.” It delights me when God has given me more than enough so I can give to others. That kind of generosity is a witness people don’t forget. It’s transformational. As Kiran said earlier, it’s not something most people would do by nature; it’s the Holy Spirit that compels it. It’s not just about my relationship with myself—it’s about letting my relationship with God take root and grow. Little by little, my own ego gets out of the way. The gifts God gives me aren’t about saying, “Look what I did,” but are like Moses coming down from the mountain with the Shekinah glory still shining on him. The people were frightened—not because they didn’t want God, but because they didn’t know what to do with such holiness. Over time, as Moses’ human frailty showed through, that glory faded, but at first, it was overwhelming. That’s how it should be with us: every day in our prayer closets, we ask that when we walk into a room, people see God, not us. That, even in our professions—as healers, educators, researchers—what gets us out of bed in the morning is the excitement about what God is going to do.

Don: Most of us aren’t very “lovely.” Again, speaking as a physician, I’ve seen a lot of people naked—and let me tell you, most people look better with their clothes on. It’s a fact. We all wear “masks” in a way, to make ourselves presentable to others, but those masks can give others the wrong impression. They might think, “He’s got it all together,” or “She’s perfect,” when in fact none of us do. That’s why grace is so powerful. That’s the great message of the Gospel: it’s not about us, it’s about God. It’s about His saving grace. If that message can be heard, if it can be believed, it changes everything. As Karen said earlier, the power of the Sabbath is that it reminds us, every week, that it is God who sanctifies us—not we ourselves.

Reinhard: It’s unfortunate, but I think some people are raised in families where the love of God is not practiced in a visible way. From the beginning, God intended us to live in joy, in harmony with nature. It’s natural for us to strive for the best, from the time we are small children—seeking good things from our parents, hoping to be loved and cared for, disciplined when necessary, but with love. Some people are fortunate to be raised in families where God is part of everyday life, and their lives reflect that goodness. Others don’t know God but still live morally good lives. Either way, life was given to us as a gift. We protect ourselves and seek good things, and that desire should extend to others too—we want others to experience goodness as we do. That’s what loving others as ourselves looks like. And that leads into Kiran’s discussion: we strive to move toward a higher, more faithful life. We will never achieve perfect obedience, but God sees our striving. It’s not the literal law, the hundreds of Mosaic commandments, that save us—it’s the Spirit behind the law. That Spirit is God. Grace covers us. Accepting grace gives us new hearts and new minds in Christ. When we have the heart and mind of God, obedience flows naturally. It’s not about earning salvation through law-keeping—it’s about living through grace, by faith. We may stumble, but if we stay focused on Jesus, we will walk rightly. The law will be fulfilled in us because it is written on our hearts.

Don: It turns out that doing the right thing isn’t about perfectly keeping the commandments—it’s about accepting God’s grace.

David: The fact is, you cannot judge yourself. It’s wrong to say you love yourself or hate yourself, because judgment requires a true standard, and we are incapable of judging ourselves rightly. We have to rely on the words of Jesus—that we have been judged, and yes, we fall short in many ways. Yet despite all that, He loves us anyway. There is something in us that is lovable, because God says so. I accept that gladly. Like Robin, if I just look at myself, there are plenty of things not to like. But judgment belongs to God. And as Kiran’s essay hints, there are two paths to salvation: one is through the law—which is heavy and burdensome. I mean, even reciting the Ten Commandments from memory would be hard for me, and those are just ten of the myriad little rules and regs in scripture and in church doctrines! The second path is grace. Jesus told the rich young ruler: “Sure, go ahead—keep the law if you can.” But He knew we can’t. The law is too heavy. Grace is lighter: it’s simply accepting that God loves us, and therefore we should love others, because He loves them too.

Donald: It seems to me that in Kiran’s remarks, you can see the difference between confidence and self-confidence. They’re not the same. Am I confident in my salvation? Am I confident in God’s promises? That’s different from having confidence in myself. Self-confidence? No way—I’m in trouble on both sides. But it’s challenging when we look at our beliefs, especially our Adventist beliefs. Take the 19th Fundamental Belief—it speaks about the Holy Spirit and grace, but then immediately adds, “fruit is obedience to the commandments.” Which side of the comma are we supposed to believe? Is it grace, or is it grace plus performance? That tension affects our confidence. If you’ve been beaten down too many times in life, it’s hard to be confident at all, and it’s even harder to love yourself. But if you’ve been nurtured and encouraged, you can develop a kind of self-confidence. And even that is different from being confident in God’s promises—being confident that if I believe in Him and accept Him as my Savior, I have everlasting life. End of story. So then the question comes: Why was the law given?

Don: The law was given to show that we can’t keep it—to make clear our need for grace.

Donald: Right. But I’d also answer my own question by saying the law is like a manual given by the Maker. It’s a guidebook to a better life—a life that respects the Creator, a life that’s richer, fuller, more aligned with how we were designed to live.

C-J: My father, who was military, used to say the rule of law is there to protect you and others. “Thou shalt not kill” keeps me in right standing with God, but it also protects the person I might otherwise harm. It’s not about taking away freedom—it’s about understanding responsibility in a covenant relationship. The law isn’t saying, “I won’t love you if you break it”; it’s saying, “You need to consider the other person you’re dealing with.” The law protects everyone.

Donald: Unfortunately, as Adventists, I think we often struggle with fully embracing grace. We can’t seem to help ourselves—when we talk about grace, we quickly follow it with a reference to the commandments and the law. We chase grace with law, almost reflexively.

C-J: Calvinists do that too. It’s not just Adventists. You see it in traditions that emphasize predestination—you’re either chosen or you’re not, and if you’re not, you’re almost dismissed. It’s like, “Look at you—you think God walks with you?” That sense of exclusion creeps in.

Donald: And then the idea of confidence rears its head again. You hear people say, “I’m a Seventh-day Adventist, and you should be one too.” That’s a level of religious confidence that raises questions: Where does it come from? Probably from the sense that Adventism is rooted in the Bible—but it can still slip into something that sounds prideful.

C-J: Language really matters. When we start talking about “tradition” versus “doctrine,” it changes everything.

Donald: Exactly. And as Adventists, we don’t think of what we do as tradition. We think of it as doctrine—something anchored immovably in Scripture. And that makes it hard to approach the subject of grace without tying it tightly to obedience.

Kiran: I want to point out a paradox in all this. In many religions—Hinduism, Judaism, Catholicism, even parts of Adventism—you find a lot of rituals. People perform rituals and find a kind of satisfaction. In India, for example, you might take a cold plunge into a pond at dawn, walk around the temple, kneel or even roll on the ground as an act of devotion. You do these things, and you feel, “I’m okay with God now.” But under grace, that’s actually problematic. Because the more right you are with God, the less confidence you should have in yourself—and the more confidence you should have in what God does. It’s a strange paradox.

The paradox is this: if you feel confident in your own righteousness, you’re probably in trouble. That’s why we have the Beatitudes: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” It’s why Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector—the Pharisee was self-assured, the tax collector beat his chest and said, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” And it was the tax collector who went home justified.

So, coming back to Robin’s original question, I think the virtue of a Christian—or of anyone living under grace—is that you have this persistent feeling that you’re not okay on your own. And when you think you’re not okay, that’s when grace becomes sufficient. That’s when you lean into God.

It’s confusing, because it runs so counter to everything we’re taught culturally. We chase after feeling “okay,” when the real peace comes from realizing that God’s grace is enough even when we’re not okay. I wish I could articulate it better, but it’s a paradox at the heart of faith.

Reinhard: I really like the point about the law being like a manual. Yes, the law is a guide. When God created humans, there had to be some kind of order for living together. We don’t elbow our neighbors; we don’t steal or hurt others. The Ten Commandments spell this out—four for our relationship with God, six for our relationship with each other.

When God gave the commandments, it was to help us live rightly, to worship Him, and to love others. It’s part of His gift to us—to show us how life can be good. And when people ignored that, like in the time of the flood, God had to act to preserve those willing to live in that covenant relationship.

Today, we still see the same principle: we are called to live rightly, to worship God, to love others. And when we live close to Jesus, the law takes care of itself. The Spirit shapes us. We don’t have to obsess over every letter—we focus on Him. Then life becomes good, fruitful, and ultimately leads to salvation.

Don: Maybe that’s a good note to end on. Thank you, Kiran, for your thoughtful essay—and for asking such good, hard questions. And thank you, Robin, for sharing your personal journey with such honesty.

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