Grace: The Empowerment to Fulfil the Law (Not an Escape from It) by Kay Daniels

In Matthew 5:3–12, commonly called The Beatitudes, Jesus was not abolishing the Law; He was reframing and refining it. This moment marked a deliberate transition from external obedience to internal transformation.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” — Matthew 5:17

From Commandments to Character

The Ten Commandments revealed what God requires, but the Beatitudes reveal who God requires us to become.

The Law addressed actions; Jesus addressed disposition, motives, and inner posture.

The Law said, “Thou shalt not kill”

Jesus said, “Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause…” (Matthew 5:21–22)

The Law said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery”

Jesus said, “Whosoever looketh… to lust…” (Matthew 5:27–28)

This reveals that grace does not lower God’s standard—it raises it.

The Fall: When Capacity Was Lost

When Adam and Eve fell in the Garden, humanity did not just lose innocence; we lost capacity.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” — Romans 3:23

The fall introduced spiritual death (Genesis 2:17; Ephesians 2:1), and with it, the departure of grace—the divine enablement to live according to God’s nature.

Thus, when God gave the Law through Moses:

“The law was weak through the flesh…” — Romans 8:3

The Law was holy and perfect (Romans 7:12), but man lacked the inner power to obey it consistently. The Law could diagnose sin, but it could not cure it.

“By the law is the knowledge of sin.” — Romans 3:20

Grace Restored Through Christ

Jesus did not come merely to forgive sin; He came to restore capacity.

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” — John 1:17

Through His death and resurrection, and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, believers receive grace as empowerment, not permission to live lawlessly.

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” — Romans 6:14

Grace does not remove responsibility; it enables righteousness.

“What the law could not do… God sending his own Son… that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.” — Romans 8:3–4

The Refined Law: Higher Responsibility

The Beatitudes represent the refined law—a law written on the heart.

“I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.” — Hebrews 8:10

This new law demands more than compliance; it demands consecration.

Poverty of spirit (humility)

Meekness (strength under control)

Hunger for righteousness (inner craving for holiness)

Purity of heart (internal alignment)

These are not natural virtues—they are grace-enabled expressions.

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” — Philippians 2:13

The Baptism of Responsibility

Grace introduces us into what can be called the baptism of responsibility—a life where divine empowerment meets human cooperation.

“Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.” — Romans 6:1–2

Grace teaches, trains, and disciplines:

“For the grace of God… teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts.” — Titus 2:11–12

Therefore:

Grace is not exemption from obedience

Grace is capacity for obedience

Grace is power to live the life the Law demanded but could not produce

Conclusion

Jesus did not relax God’s expectations; He relocated them—from stone tablets to transformed hearts.

The Beatitudes are not suggestions; they are evidence of a grace-filled life.

Grace is not an escape from the Law.

Grace is the resurrection of our ability to live out God’s will—but now at a higher, deeper, and more demanding level.

“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” — Romans 8:14