Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5: 2-4)

Redemption cannot be achieved through the law. Reconciliation with God cannot be advanced through the law.

Redemption and reconciliation are possible through a free person's decision to accept the grace of God.

By stepping outside the security of the law and accepting the risk of freedom we create the preconditions for experiencing grace.

Paul refers to grace at least 100 times in his epistles. Romans, First Corinthians, and Ephesians are especially dependent on the concept.

For Paul it is crucial that we avoid seeking to earn the love of God. We must instead yield to the love of God.