Not Under Law but Under Grace

“For sin shall not have dominion over you;

for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

Paul here makes one of the most fundamental and pivotal statements that could be made by any human being stating: “...for you are not under the law, but under grace.” The seeds of antinomianism (a disregard and despite for God’s law) and legalism (attempts to keep the law for salvation) are both present in all of us by nature and therefore very natural to all of us.

As a Gospel believer, I espouse neither. I hold to a liberty, won by a perfect and imputed righteousness. I have no desire to fulfill the lusts and corruption that are natural to my flesh. I do not wish to use the liberty that has been gained by this imputed righteousness as a license to fulfill my depravity, though it is natural to me. And yet, I am not under the law. So these words are a comfort to me. Consider what it means then, ‘you are not under law but under grace.’

Who are the ‘you’ referred to here? He means those of you identified in the first chapter as the ‘called’ ‘the beloved of God’ ‘the saints.’ ‘YOU’ who were under condemnation because of Adam’s sin. ‘YOU’ who are now justified because of Christ’s obedience, blood and imputed righteousness to your account. YOU are not (present tense- as in even now) under the law.

What does the word ‘under’ mean? It is a word that means to be under the authority of another. Therefore, it means that you are not answerable to. You are either answerable to one or the other, law or Grace. Here it says you are not answerable to or under the authority of the law. In the original language, there is no definite article, ‘the.’ When the article is there it refers to a specific designation as in ‘the Williams, the Mostellers, the Browns.’ Without the article it means essence. So, Paul is not here referring to THE LAW, as in the law of Moses: but rather the essence of the law, as in any requirements or conditions that any might impose. That’s what the essence of the law is. The law has many parts but all of them are summed up in two things- conditions and requirements.

So ‘law’ without the article means that you are not under the essence of law or anything that is in essence made a part of the law; BUT (in the strongest sense) under (answerable to) Grace: that unearned, undeserved, unmerited, uncoerced, unconditioned, unsought, saving favor from God in Christ. Merit is accounted for but not conditioned upon human works or will. A requirement is conditioned upon something a human being does. When you make something a condition or requirement, that’s a law. Grace, however, is merit accounted or conditioned on Christ alone. That’s who Grace is. It is God’s unmerited favor granted freely to the sinner, conditioned on Christ and His finished work alone. It is Grace only and not to rules and conditions accomplished by us, that the Gospel believer answers to Grace [Christ] and Grace alone.