What does it mean to live under the law according to the Bible? Since there is often a misconception about the term ‘living under the law’ and ‘living under grace’. Many times, Christians think that by following the moral laws (commandments) of God, you live under the law. But when do you live under the law? Can a Christian live under the law?
What do you need to understand the Word of God?
It’s so important to understand the Word. You can have a lot of (head)knowledge of the Bible, but if you lack understanding, all that knowledge profits you nothing.
When you read to a child from an academic book, the child shall hear the words, but not understand what you are reading. The same principle applies to the Bible.
The new birth is necessary and the Holy Spirit is needed to understand the Word and to teach you in the Word.
Christians often use the term ‘not living under the law’ to release them from keeping the moral commandments of God, and keep doing the works of the flesh, and persevere in sin.
But as long as words and concepts from the Bible are cited and used to justify and do the works of the flesh (sin) it proves that people are not born again and lack understanding and because of that they can’t see nor understand the Kingdom of God. (Read also: Why do Christians don’t preach a clear message?).
What does the grace of God mean for humanity?
The grace of God didn’t come, so that people can walk in disobedience to God after the will, lusts, and desires of the flesh (sinful flesh) in all uncleanness, covetousness, selfishness, and live in lawlessness (in sin) without punishment.
The grace of God doesn’t mean that you can live like the world (the darkness) in sin and receive the wages of the righteous (a.o. Romans 6:20-23).
But the grace of God is a gift of God to people to be delivered from the power of sin and death. So that sin and death don’t have dominion over people anymore.
Let’s look at the two spiritual laws, that reign in the two spiritual kingdoms; the Kingdom of Light (Kingdom of Heaven where Jesus is King and reigns) and the kingdom of darkness (kingdom of the world where the devil is prince and reigns).
People are conceived of corrupt seed and born in a fallen state as sinners
Adam and Eve were perfectly created and lived in union with God. They were spiritually connected until the fall of man.
Through the obedience of man to the devil and the disobedience of man to God, the seed of man (Adam) became corrupt.
Everyone, who would be born of the corrupt seed of Adam, would be born in a corrupt state (a fallen state) under the dominion of the devil and death.
Everyone, who is born of the seed of man, possesses the sinful nature of the devil, who is prideful, and rebellious, and exalts himself above God, and resists the words, commandments, and statutes of God and His Kingdom.
Fallen man lives in sin under the authority of death
Since the death reigns in fallen man, fallen man bears the fruit of death, which is sin, during his life on earth.
And because man lives in sin under the authority of the death, when man closes his eyes he shall return to his owner, whom he obeyed during his life, and who is the ruler of the kingdom of death (hell, Hades).
Sinners (fallen man) live under the law of sin and death and are slaves of sin and death
The law of sin and death reigns in every person, who is born in the flesh. Every person lives under this law that reigns in the flesh of fallen man and is a slave of sin and death. No one is born under another (spiritual) law (a.o. Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:10-12; 7:23, 8:2).
From the fall of man sin and death reigned in the flesh and ruled in people’s lives. However, man had a conscience with the knowledge of good and evil. Before the fall, man only knew good. But after eating from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the fall of man, man had knowledge of good and evil, just like God his Creator (Genesis 3:22).
A sinner has always the ability to decide to do something or to not do something. Although a sinner is born under the rulership of the devil in a depraved state and belongs to the perverted generation, in the end, God is still his Creator and no one else (Read also: The battle and weakness of the old man).
The devil and fallen man can try to take the place of the Creator, but they shall never succeed.
In the end, everyone returns to the only Creator of man and the heaven and earth and all there is within and shall stand on the Day of Judgment before His throne of righteousness and receive the wages of their words and works on earth, whether to life, whether to death.
God chose a people and established a covenant
God chose Abraham and established a covenant with Him and his seed. The circumcision in the flesh was a sign of this covenant. The circumcision in the flesh was a sign that they belonged to God and He was their God and they were in a covenant with Him.
God was with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).
Everyone, who was born of the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was born in this covenant.
And the carriers of the seed (of this covenant) were circumcised in the flesh on the eighth day according to the word of the Lord. (Read also: What does the circumcision in the New Covenant mean?).
Although they were born in this covenant, they were still born in a fallen state and lived under sin; under the law of sin and death that reigned in their flesh.
But because they were born of the seed of the circumcised, they entered in this covenant with God, and belonged to God, and were separated from all other pagan nations.
The Law of Moses came 430 years later and became after 430 years part of this covenant.
The Law of Moses was meant for fallen man with the sinful nature, who belonged to the house of Israel
After the deliverance of the children of Israel from the rulership of Pharaoh and slavery, God led them through the wilderness to the promised. While they were on their way to the promised land, God revealed His nature, will, and Kingdom by giving them His Law to Moses. The Law of Moses originated from God’s Law that reigns in the universe but was ‘adjusted’ to fallen man. (Read also: Why did God say, Thou shall not… and Jesus, Thou shall… ?).
The law of sin and death was already working in the flesh, before God gave His Law to Moses and before His Law was instituted by Moses, the representative of God, and Aaron, the high priest, and Miriam the prophetess.
The purpose of the Law of Moses was to separate God’s people, who were born in iniquity (just like the other people, who were born in iniquity) from the pagan nations and walk holy as children of the Most High in the will of God, and to represent their God and His holiness and righteousness on earth by keeping the law and walking in His commandments.
Why was the Law of Moses weak?
The law was weak, in the sense that, the law could not do anything about the (spiritual) fallen state of man, who was sick through the corrupt seed and separated from God. The Law could not give life. Nor could the law make the people, who kept the Law of Moses with all its (sacrificial, food) laws, rituals, commandments, and feasts, righteous.
The law revealed sin to the carnal man through the righteousness of the law. By keeping the Law of Moses, man could show through his obedience his love for God and walk righteous in the will of God.
Through the keeping of the sacrificial laws (temporary), reconciliation was made for the sin and iniquity of the fallen man, who was born of the seed of Israel and was circumcised in the flesh. Whereby God could have communion with His people.
The children of Israel lived under the Law of Moses (Torah)
Only those, who were born of the seed of Israel or strangers that sojourned in Israel and were circumcised in the flesh and kept the Law of Moses, belonged to the house of Israel and lived in the covenant with God under the Law of Moses.
The Law of Moses was a schoolmaster and kept God’s people until the coming of the promise of God; the coming of His Son Jesus the Christ the eternal Savior (and Deliverer of the sinful nature and the power of the devil and darkness), King, and High Priest for humanity.
Everyone is born under the law and needs salvation
What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Romans 3:9-12)
Everyone, who is born on earth is born under the law of sin and death, which reigns in the flesh, even the house of Israel. Because although the children of Israel are God’s holy covenant people through natural birth and the circumcision in the flesh, no one was (and is) born in righteousness.
They are born in a fallen state in the covenant under the Law of Moses. This law, which was meant for the carnal man, who lives in a fallen state from the sinful flesh, kept them until the coming of Jesus the Christ, the Savior and Deliverer.
But everyone needs salvation and deliverance, including the children of Israel. By faith and regeneration in Christ, everyone can be saved and delivered from the power of the devil and the law of sin and death that reigns in the flesh.
That’s the grace of God, that God gave His Son to take all our sins and iniquities upon Himself and carry the punishment for sin, which is death and enter hell to destroy for us the covenant between man and death and the agreement with hell, so that we could live through and in Him in freedom.
Can a Christian live under de Law?
Have Christians lived under the law? Can a Christian live under the law? If you mean the Law of Moses, then the answer is no.
Gentiles, who have repented and through the spiritual new birth in Christ became Christians (children of God), can’t say that they no longer live under the law. Since they didn’t belong through natural birth to God’s covenant people and didn’t live before their repentance and new birth under the Law of Moses.
Only those, who belong to the house of Israel and by faith in Jesus Christ and the spiritual new birth in Him became Christians can say that they no longer live under the Law of Moses.
However, a Christian can always leave the faith in Christ and reject the grace of God, put off the new man and submit and be led by the beggarly worldly spirits, convert to Judaism, return to the Old Covenant, and be circumcised in the flesh, and not only keep the sacrificial laws, food laws, feasts, etc. and rely on their works but also reinstate the punishment laws (including the death penalty), since they were also part of the Law of Moses. (Read also: Why Christians go back to the Old Covenant?)
But that’s ridiculous! People, who do this are foolish and are not born again and don’t have the Spirit of the living God abiding in them. Because, how can you exchange God’s sacrifice of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and His inheritance, the Holy Spirit, for the Law, which was meant for the sinful flesh of the carnal man in his fallen state and can’t quicken (make alive) and heal the people and make them righteous, but only revealed sin and kept the people through the keeping of the Law (a.o. Galatians 3:19-22).
A Christian doesn’t live under the law of sin and death, but under grace
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants of God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:20-23)
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2)
A Christian can also not live under the law of sin and death anymore. Since a Christian is born again in Christ and has become a new creation and lives by the grace of God under grace.
Through the baptism in Christ, a Christian has laid down the sinful flesh, in which the law of sin and death reigns ).
Through the baptism with the Holy Spirit a new law reigns in the new man, namely, the law of the Spirit of life.
The old man, who is carnal, is ruled by the law of sin and death (sinful nature).
But the new man, who is spiritual, is ruled by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (God’s nature).
Therefore, if anyone says to be a new creation and be delivered in Christ, but still bears the fruit of death (that reigns in fallen man), which is sin, and habitually lives in sin, then this person is not delivered from the law (of sin and death) and doesn’t belong to God and doesn’t live in union with Him. But the person is still the old creation, who belongs to the devil and lives under the law of sin and death as a slave of sin and death (a.o. Romans 6 and 8, 1 John 3).
The sons of God bear the fruit of the Spirit and of righteousness
For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:8-9)
If you have become a new creation and received God’s nature, you shall no longer live in rebellion against God in lawlessness and walk after the flesh (according to the sinful nature) and persevere in sin. But you shall hate the darkness and the works of darkness (sin) just like God and remove them from your life and reveal the truth to others by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and calling them to repentance.
God has given to all His sons (this applies to both males and females), who are made holy and righteous by the blood of Jesus and are seated in Christ, the power to reign together with Christ as king and rule over sin, the death and the whole army of the darkness.
If you truly live under grace, then sin and death shall have no dominion over you. Therefore you shall not walk according to the sinful nature and live in sin.
But you shall live according to the Law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus and walk in obedience to God and His Word in righteousness and bear the fruit of the Spirit and of righteousness (a.o. Romans 6, 8, Galatians 5:22-25, Ephesians 5:9-10)
Your words and works determine whether you live under the law or under grace.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
