How often do you hear someone say, we are no longer under
the law of God, because we are under faith? How many times have you said it
yourself? I decided to get into this topic because I have heard this phrase
several times over the last few months. I have been posting things in support
of the law and it seems that people are not willing to accept the Biblical
evidence that I have been putting forth. So, I wanted to look into this
particular verse and compare it to other verses and take this verse in the context
it was meant to be taken in. What I have found seems to negate the argument
that we in fact are not under the law of God.
Romans 6: 14
For sin shall not have dominion over you,
for you are not under law but under
grace
Which law are we no longer under? Is it Gods law that we are
no longer under, or is there another law? If we break this down, we may be able
to see a little bit clearer. For starters, the first part of this verse says that
sin will not have dominion over believers. The reason for this is because believers
are not under the law. So, to say this is the law of God, we are then equating
the law of God with being equal to sin. These two ideas are directly related to
one another in this verse. So, are we saying that Gods law is sinful? If not,
we can only conclude then, that there is another law Paul is talking about in
this verse. If you do believe that the law was equal to sin, then check out
what Paul had to say about this.
Romans 7:7
What shall we say
then? Is the law sin? Certainly not!
On the contrary, I would not have known
sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless
the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
As we can see, Paul absolutely does not believe the law is
sin. So to claim it is would be heresy. To say that the law of God no longer
means anything or doesn’t apply to us is a modern day Christianity error. The reason
I say this is because without the law there would not be sin, because the law
defines sin. The law tells us what sin is, according to Paul. Therefore, without
the law, there would be no sin, and if there is no sin, there would be no need
for a savior.
Going back to not being under the law, here is an example of
one of the other laws Paul discusses. This is the law we are no longer under.
This law is the law of Sin.
Romans 7: 22-23, 25
For I delight in the law of God according
to the inward man. But I see another law
in my members, warring against the law
of my mind, and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin which is in my members
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God,
but with the flesh the law of sin.
As we can see here, Paul clarifies what he meant in chapter
six. We are no longer under the law of sin, because we are under Grace. The law
of God is something he still serves. The law of God is to be written on our
hearts and MINDS, this is exactly the terminology Paul uses here.
Romans 8: 6-8
For to be carnally
minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God;
for it is not subject to the law of God,
nor indeed can be. So then, those who
are in the flesh cannot please God.
The carnal mind, as is the mind without the spirit, is not
subject to the law of God. It is pretty clear that it is those that do not have
the spirit that do not follow the law of God, and therefore, cannot please God.
If that is the case, then claiming we all have our own law to follow, based on
what we think the Holy Spirit wants us to do, is wrong. We are told by Paul
that sin is defined by the law, therefore, to live a sinless life can only mean
following the law, and that is how we please the Father.
