Question: What does Paul mean when he says that we’re not under Law but under grace?

So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Romans 7.12

Paul insists that we are not under Law but under grace (Rom. 6.14). But he also maintains that faith in Jesus establishes the Law in our experience, in the first place, as a way of exposing the lingering presence of sin in our lives (Rom. 3.31; 7.7).

So while we’re not under the Law as a means of salvation, we must be under it as a way of working out the salvation we have freely received, for the Spirit of God works within us to will and do of God’s pleasure by, first, convicting us of any sin in our hearts (Ps. 139.23, 24; Jn. 16.8-11).

But the Spirit continues His work of sanctification in us convicting us of righteousness and judgment as well. That is, He not only exposes what is wrong in our lives, He also guides us in those paths which are consistent with following Jesus and being in the pleasure of God (1 Jn. 2.1-6; Phil. 2.13). These are the righteous paths which faithful saints throughout Scripture sought and followed (Ps. 1).

And the Law of God is a primary source for discerning those paths through the wilderness of lies, half-truths, and deceit which is our contemporary world. The Law is holy and righteous and good. How can we insist that we do not want to be “under” this precious resource? The Spirit of God, at work within our souls, uses the Law to transform and equip us for becoming and living more like our Lord Jesus Christ (Ezek. 36.36, 37; 2 Cor. 3.12-18). If we intend to work out our salvation in cooperation with the indwelling Spirit, then we shall need to bring ourselves into the path of righteousness and follow along in it, step by step (more on this tomorrow).

Anyone who calls himself a believer and steps outside the path of God’s righteousness must be confronted and corrected on the basis of that same standard, even if he is a recognized leader in the community (cf. Acts 23.1-5).

When Paul says that we are not under Law but under grace, he cannot mean that the Law does not have an important work to do in the life of the believer. The Law of God continues in the life of faith and is established as a reliable means for knowing, following, and increasing in the righteousness of Jesus Christ – not our righteousness, not ever (“May it never be!”), but the righteousness of Jesus which is by faith, and yet which is known within the framework of the holy and righteous and good Law of God.

T. M. Moore

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