Topic: Not Under Law but Under Grace
Reading: Romans 6:12-14
Introduction and Overview
This principle of the New Covenant that you are not under law, but under grace, is a well known scripture. It is one that is often quoted, but it is not something that is well understood.
This lack of understanding is clear from the actions and other statements of many Christians. Hey accept the principle but don’t understand it. And there are many other things written in the Bible that are likewise quoted, but are not fully understood.
In this particular instance the lack of insight revolves around understanding what it means to be under law versus under grace. These are two very different scenarios, and they are mutually exclusive. That is, you cannot be under law and under grace at the same time. Either you are under the law, or you are not under law but under grace.
And understanding the difference goes to the heart of what the New Covenant is aiming to do in our lives, which is to be set free from sin. So, let us look at these few verses in some detail.
Key points from reading:
- We should not succumb to the desires of the flesh that lead to sin now we are in Christ
- Instead we should aim to please God in all we say and do
- God has set us free from the law by the power of His grace
Discussion:
- Scripture: Romans 6:12
- The body is driven by passions, lusts and desires. Human emotions and our desires are tempted by the devil or our own desire and this leads to sin when we cannot control ourselves. We may not want to do the evil we do, but we do it anyway because as humans we are weak.
- But in Christ we are throwing off our old natures to be like Him. We receive power through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the working of the Holy Spirit to be able to overcome the passions, lusts, and desires of the flesh. And these things are powerful. They are the building blocks of life in the Spirit and the ability to be perfected and transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
- So, now that we belong to Christ, we need to keep these things at the forefront of our minds. We need to reject the passions and desires that lead us to sin. Whenever passion raises it’s ugly head, especially when we are tempted, we need to change our thinking and focus our minds on the things of the Spirit rather than the weaknesses of the flesh.
- As we continue these studies, you will learn more on how to do this, especially as we get into chapters 7, 8, and 9 of Romans.
- Scripture: Romans 6:13
- In Christ Jesus, we have been brought from death to life. In this world and this age there is only the promise of death. Sin rules this world and we see its power and effects on all of humanity every day. Just watch the news and you can see the effects of the power of sin.
- But when we come to Christ, we are called to throw off the shackles of sin. Jesus Christ has died so that we can be set free from sin. We die with Him and are raised as new creations, born again of God, when we enter into the death and resurrection of Christ in baptism. We must believe that we have died with Him and bee raised anew, so that we can escape the passions that drive sin in our lives.
- We are told in John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus took away our sin through His sacrifice. And when we believe that He is our Lord and Saviour and that God raised Him from the dead, we are reckoned righteous by God as a gift of His grace. Then when we are baptised, we receive His death and resurrection as our own so that we die to this world and are transferred to the kingdom of God.
- All of this comes to us through the grace of God. This is what the grace of God is: “It is the undeserved kindness of God towards those who do not deserve it, so they can be redeemed from the world to live with Him.”
- So, now that we have received the grace of God and been set free from sin by Jesus Christ, we ought to live as people aiming to please God in everything. This is why this scripture tells us not to yield ourselves to the passions of the flesh that lead to sin, but instead, yield ourselves to righteousness and the things that please God by doing what is right.
- Scripture: Romans 6:14
- We are not under law but under grace. This is an important principle to understand if we are to overcome sin.
- It is the law that convicts us as sinners. Sin is the breaking of the law, or as it says in 1 John 3:4, ”Sin is lawlessness.” Sin is the breaking of God’s law.
- But as this verse in Romans 6:14 tells us, you are no longer under the law. You have been removed from the law. The law is no longer your master to make you a slave to sin every time you break the law. By receiving the death of Jesus as your own, you have died with Him, and if you have died, you are set free from the law. As Romans 7:1 says, “Do you not know, brethren, for I am speaking to those who know the law, that the law is binding on a person only during his life?”
- But you are not alive in this world anymore. You have died with Christ and your life is hidden with Him, seated at the right hand of God. You are no longer a citizen of this world but in Christ you are a citizen of the kingdom of God. The law no longer has any power over you since, ”You are not under law but under grace.”
- You cannot do this yourself. This is the grace of God. This is the undeserved kindness and love of God that He has provided this way to escape sin in this world, and to find life eternal in Christ Jesus. And all you have to do is to believe and accept it.
- Now that you are living under grace rather than under the law, the power of sin has been taken away. It is the law that gives sin its power, and it is the law that condemns you as a sinner. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:55-57). But when you take away the power of the law, sin lies dead (Read Romans 7:8). It no longer has any power. And since it no longer has any power, we are to do the works of righteousness rather than be led by the passions of the flesh. Every time the passions of the flesh rise up in us, we are to push them down by the power of the Spirit, remembering that we are set free from sin and the law in Christ Jesus.
- And all of this is because we are not under law but under grace. We live in Christ by the grace of God, which we receive by faith. And so we aim to live lives that are pleasing to God by listening to the words of Jesus, believing in Him, and following His path.
Key Takeaways:
- We are not under law but under grace, and the grace of God sets us free from the laws of sin and death.
- Our aim now is to live a life that is pleasing to God.
- We do this by yielding ourselves to the will of God rather than being led astray by the passions and desires of the flesh.
Prayer Points
- Pray to the Lord for understanding of the power of His grace in your life to understand these things, and seek His will in everything you do.
- Any time and every time the passions or desires of your flesh start to rise up in you, especially in times of temptation, pray to God for the power to overcome them and the release from these passions so that you are not and do not fall into the ways of sin.