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QUESTION 37:
When kindly reproving some Christians they say, "We are not under law, but grace." Are they not making an excuse for their errors? What does it mean, "...not under law, but grace?"

ANSWER:
There is no doubt that many professing Christian abuse the grace of God. Because they are under grace they think it to be all right to do as they please. A mark of apostasy in the Book of Jude is the turning of the grace of God into lasciviousness. Jude 1:4. To paraphrase this we would say, "Changing the grace of God to do as we please."

The question of being under law or grace is clearly answered in Romans 6:14, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." There are two major Bible teachings about being under grace and not law. First, Paul writes the "strength of sin is the law"" 1 Corinthians 15:56. This means that the law puts teeth to sin. It magnifies it. He adds it "worketh wrath" Romans 4:15.

This means it heaps up the righteous indignation of a Holy God against me. Romans 2:5. He says "the activity of sin working in us is by the law." Romans 7:5. He adds in Romans 7:7 that, "..he had not known sin but by the law." What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, "Thou shalt not covet." Romans 7:7. He adds again that "the law slew him" Romans 7:11. Now under the grace of God these things are not so. The law which puts strength to sin and worketh wrath toward us has no claim or hold on a born-again believer. Galatians 3:13. We are no longer under its condemnation. Christ has met all the righteous requirements of the law and we are forgiven through faith in His precious blood. Secondly, it means a Christian does not live under the principle of law. It is not their motivating factor in their living. They live under and by the grace of God. The law DEMANDS but does not supply. Grace teaches us the principles of the Christian life and supplies all that we need to live it. Titus 2:11-12.,

Do you know this grace of God? If not trust the Saviour today.

All comments and questions to: Harold Smith

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Updated July 2009, by Shelly Allen