nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;
— 1 Corinthians 10:9

I think you have heard how people sometimes react to the gospel of grace: “This news is too simple, so it’s heresy”, “These Christians keep saying ‘grace’, ‘grace’, but they won’t lift a finger to serve God”, “Grace preachers don’t preach the whole Bible, only what suits them”, “Yes, we are saved by grace, but now we must obey God and keep His commandments”, and so on and so forth. What these people are actually doing is setting aside God’s grace.

When the people of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, they became discouraged and again grumbled against God and Moses. This is the incident Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 10:9. How did they tempt God then, and what is the lesson for us today? Nowadays we are told that tempting God means grumbling against Him and complaining when things are hard, whereas we ought to endure. Let’s see how they tempted God. “And the people spoke against God and against Moses: ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.’” [Num.21:5] They grumbled, saying that their soul loathed this worthless bread. That is what they called the manna the Lord sent them from heaven. And what is the manna today? Jesus said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” [Jhn.6:32-33] Jesus is the true manna, the bread that came down from heaven.

But Christians don’t despise and set aside Jesus — after all, everyone believes in Him, don’t they? Only, Jesus can be portrayed in different ways. [2 Cor.11:4] The Gospel of John says that the Word [Jesus] became flesh [manna] and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. [Jhn.1:14] Notice: not full of commandments, obedience and so on, but full of grace and truth. So setting aside grace is the same as setting aside the truth and Jesus, and so tempting Christ. Paul wrote: “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” [Gal.2:21] Attempts to be justified before God by works and by the law are nothing other than rejecting or setting aside God’s grace. So let’s not reject God’s grace, but receive it and live in it, for as it is written: “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord [by grace], so walk in Him“. [Col.2:6]