For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14
Christians have been taught that believers are no longer under the Law of God (Torah) because we are now under “Grace” because of Christ’s sacrifice.
- Believers are not under the law. They are not under –
- (1) The curse and condemnation of the law (Galatians 3:13; Colossians 2:14; Romans 8:33, 34).
- (2) The law is “the covenant of works” – a dispensation in which he is taught to look for acceptance with God as the consequence of his own merits. (Biblehub.com)
- Reasons Christians are not under the law: 1. The law was destroyed – The main purpose of Jesus death was to destroy the law and save man. (more at ChristianTruthCenter.com)
- What Paul says is surprising. I expected the apostle to say that “sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under sin.” Instead, he says we’re not under law. Why bring up the law? As a believer, you’re not under law, but grace. That is, as Cranfield explains, “believers are not under God’s condemnation pronounced by the law but under His undeserved favour” [Cranfield, Romans, p. 140]. (FaithAlone.org)
- Christians are not under the Law. In other words, Christians are not obligated to keep the Law so as to be saved from God’s righteous judgment so they don’t go to hell. Christians are freed from having to please God and be saved by keeping the Law of God. We are not under the Law. We are not under its authority. It has no power over us. (CARM.org)
- “Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly …. No sin will separate us from the Christ, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day.” (From Martin Luther’s letter to Philip Melanchthon, August 1, 1521)
Most churches preach some form of “Dispensationalist” philosophy that teaches that God deals with Man differently in different ages and that we are currently in the 6th Dispensation which is known as the “Church Age” or the “Age of Grace” which has replaced the Law (the 5th Dispensation – Moses to Jesus).
- Grace: From Pentecost to the Rapture – the Church Age
- No longer requiring righteousness through works, God granted a righteousness by grace through faith in the completed work of Christ to all who accept, whether Jew or Gentile (Romans 3:21-24). Most will not accept and will be punished through eternity.
- Note: It’s important to realize that Grace didn’t replace Law, it just interrupted it. Law has another 7 years to run, called Daniel’s 70th Week (Daniel 9:24-27), which fills the time between the Rapture and the 2nd Coming. During this time all the nations to which Israel has been scattered will be completely destroyed and Israel will be disciplined in preparation for receiving the Kingdom (Jeremiah 30:4-11). (GraceThruFaith.com)
The idea that Yahweh is different is in stark contrast with His proclamation that he does not change.
For I am the LORD, I change not
Malachi 3:6a
So, if He does not change, what is this new thing called “Grace”? Or is it new?
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Genesis 6:7-8
Noah found “grace” (Strong’s 2580. chen, (pronounced – khane); graciousness, i.e. subj. (kindness, favor) or objective (beauty):-favour, grace (-ious), pleasant, precious, [well-] favoured.
12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Exodus 33:12-14
Moses found “grace” (Strong’s 2580)
Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
Jeremiah 31:2
The nation of Israel found “grace” (Strong’s 2580)
33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. 34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace [Strong’s 2580] unto the lowly. 35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Proverbs 3:33-35
Other’s, not specifically named, were given “grace”. A few names that probably fall in this category might be, David, Abraham, Jacob, Joshua, Samuel, John the Baptist, and many more.
Can we really believe that we can sin with reckless abandon and will still enjoy paradise because we happened to be born during a certain time (the Age of Grace), yet these Champions of the Old Testament will not because of when they were born?
Maybe if we look at Romans 6 in context:
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Romans 6:11-12
We are asked to not let sin reign inside us – we therefore have a choice between acting sinfully or righteously (Galatians 5:25; 1John 1:6)
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Romans 6:13
We are made alive from the dead because we confessed Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9), therefore, we should honor him as Lord by walking righteously, “even as he walked”. (1John 2:6)
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14
Sin is not to have dominion, so we are to choose righteous actions, but then we are also to ignore the Law of God? When did the Law of God become unrighteous? Or maybe the law we are not to be under is a different law.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 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.
Romans 7:22-23
Peter warns us that Paul is hard to understand (2Peter 3:16) and that “they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”
Paul writes of at least six different “laws” in the book of Romans:
- the Law of Faith (3:27)
- the Law of God (3:31; 7:22-25; 8:17)
- the Law of Sin (7:23-25)
- the Law of Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (8:2)
- the Law of Sin and Death (8:2)
- the Law of Righteousness (9:31)
- the Law of Christ (1Corinthians 9:21)
It is vital to know which “law” Paul is speaking about throughout the entire letter to the Romans to avoid confusion and destruction.
The first half of Romans 6:14 is the context for the second half of Romans 6:14. This is re-enforced in the next two verses:
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Romans 6:15-16
If you accept Yeshua as your Lord and savior, then act like it. Choose to obey the law of sin unto death, or to obey the law of righteousness through faith (Romans 9:31). Committing sin with impunity is not the way you manifest your faith in the one who died for your sins.
Christ did not go to the cross so you could “commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day.”
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Romans 6:17-18
Try not to be confused by the dichotomy of the Law that Paul is expounding upon. The Law speaks to what is good and what is bad – It is not the means to salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), but it is the fruit we should want to manifest since Yahweh told us this was the good way He wanted us to live.
Without the Law, nothing is bad or evil.
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
Romans 7:7
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
1John 3:4
Faith unto salvation is not a license to ignore the instructions (Torah) of Yahweh.
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Titus 2:11-14
How are we to live righteously if we don’t know how to act righteously? How are we to know how to act righteously unless someone tells us and/or shows us what righteousness is. How are we to be zealous of doing good works if we do not have an objective standard of good and bad?
Yeshua led a sinless life. He taught and followed every jot and tittle of the Torah.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-19
Heaven and Earth have not passed, yet, so do not break God’s Law and don’t teach others that it is okay to do so. Don’t ask, “What Would Jesus Do?” (WWJD?) . . . rather, “Do What Yeshua Did!” (DWYD!)
Grace is not a new concept that allows for any type of behavior with no consequences (“Do What thou Willst” – Church of Satan). Grace is the favor that is bestowed on believers of all generations that was paid for by the sacrifice that Christ freely made to save us from the consequences of sin, which is eternal death.
Choose life! Choose Yeshua, and act like you did.
My book, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah, is a quick and easy guide on the Instructions of Torah (e.g., wear this, eat that, do this, don’t do that). I highly recommend you research it yourself, but this can be a good starter for you.
The book is at the printer but I don’t not have a date of when it will be available. Amazon has a few copies of the original draft left (at a third of the price that they will be – sorry, I do not control the printing process or the supply chain), so get it now, while it is more affordable.