If I were to only give you one verse to set the stage for the answer to your question, it would be John 1:17 which says, “For the LAW was given through Moses, but GRACE and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The Old Testament was the “Age of Law” where God was manifesting His HOLINESS and hatred of sin by judging those who were disobedient to His Ten Commandments. The “law of Moses” CONDEMNED them for failing to “keep the Law” and thus the Apostle Paul calls it a “ministry of DEATH and CONDEMNATION” in 2 Corinthians 3:7-8. One of the purposes of the Law was to show men they were SINNERS in need of a SAVIOR. If people were willing to let the Law do its work in their hearts, they would see themselves as lost sinners and that they could not be saved or righteous before God by keeping the Law. Romans 3:19-20 teaches this clearly, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and ALL THE WORLD MAY BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” See also Acts 13:19; Galatians 2:16; 3:11.

God gave the “law of Moses” to the nation of Israel and they were to be a witness to all the Gentile nations of God’s holiness as displayed in the Law. God brought them into the “Promised Land” and He used Joshua and the Israelites to judge the ungodly Canaanites who lived there for their idolatry (worship of false gods). God even judged His own people (Israel) when they fell into idolatry; in fact, His judgment on them was displayed before the ungodly nations to show them that in His holy government “judgment must begin at the house of God” (see 1 Peter 4:17). This does not mean God never showed GRACE during the Age of Law, for He told Moses in Exodus 34:6, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and GRACIOUS, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (see also Exodus 33:13, 38-39). But the Age of Law was characterized by God dealing with nations in “holy government” and thus there were wars and the killing of wicked men that displayed God’s judgment upon sin.

When Jesus came, He introduced a new AGE, the “Age of Grace,” where God is not manifesting His holy judgment against sinners. In fact, in His amazing grace He sent His Son to the cross to take the sinner’s place in judgment and death so we could be saved and righteous in His sight. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world TO CONDEMN THE WORLD, BUT TTHAT THE WORLD THROUGH HIM MIGHT BE SAVED….But now the righteousness of God APART FROM THE LAW is revealed…even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all that believe” (John 3:16-17 and Romans 3:21-22).

Because God is now showing “GRACE to sinners” He wants those who are saved to manifest this same grace in their lives. He wants us to spread the “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) AND demonstrate God’s love and grace by “being humble, turning the other cheek, paying evil with good, and praying for our enemies.” I would encourage you to read Matthew chapter 5 where Jesus went into great detail explaining the character of life the believer should have because of God’s grace towards them. In doing so, He contrasts the former “Age of Law” with the present “Age of Grace.” It’s the same God being manifested in both Ages, but with different purposes.  (DO)  (691.5)