If I am not under law, which law is it referring to?
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Ro 6:14 NKJV)
I understand that the scripture says that I am not under the law, but what law is it talking about. I have heard people explain that it is the ceremonial law, others say it is all laws except the moral law. The problem is there is no moral law in the bible. It is a man made concept. Others say it is all laws except the Ten Commandments. The problem is listening to people rather than listening to God. The only way to really know is to have the bible explain the bible. This way God can explain himself.
There are clear scriptures which tell us whether or not the Ten Commandments are included in the law that believers are not under. In the book of Romans, when Paul is writing about the law, he specifically mentions the law about covetousness.
“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” (Ro 7:7 NKJV)
The law which states you shall not covet is found in the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:17.
“”You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”” (Ex 20:17 NKJV)
But let’s not create a doctrine based on just one verse. There are other places where Paul mentions the law.
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,” (2Co 3:5-7 NKJV)
Paul explains in 2 Corinthians that God has made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones. The only thing written and engraved on stones is the Ten Commandments.
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”” (Ex 24:12 NKJV)
These scriptures clearly show that the law that Paul is writing about in Romans and 2 Corinthians includes the Ten Commandments. So when the scripture says that sin will not have dominion over me because I am not under law but under grace it is saying I am not under the Ten Commandments. People who fight to be under the Ten Commandments do not realise that Jesus has brought in a new way of living. The New Covenant. No longer is the Ten Commandments used as a rule for life but there is a new rule for life, the Holy Spirit.
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Ga 5:18 NKJV)
We have to decide to believe the scriptures or not. We must chose to correctly divide the word between the old and new covenants. The old covenant is the Ten Commandments and the New Covenant is what Jesus died to bring in. I think we need to prayerfully consider how to honour Jesus and give him all he glory for what He has done and allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, which means we are not led by the law.
“”For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.” (Ga 2:19 NKJV)
The next post will look at how we are to die to the law so that we can live to God.
The New Covenant 