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For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:14
I doubt it’s an exaggeration to claim that I’ve heard this passage cited a thousand times throughout my life. Moreover, it’s been misconstrued and misapplied almost every single time.
Recall the principle I relayed in the article New Beginnings: “Text taken out of context is pretext for proof-text.” The point is, if we take scripture out of context, we can strip it of its intended meaning and make it appear to be saying anything we want it to.
You get this, right?
Generally, when I’ve encountered this passage in citation, it’s only in part: “for (because) you are not under law but under grace.” This is usually presented to be saying “the law” no longer applies to believers under the New Covenant, but that assertion not only bastardizes this text, it indicts every other passage containing similar terminology. A strong assertion to be sure, but my purpose is to shed some light on what it actually means to be “under the law”.
Before we dig in, I would remind the reader that Romans – and in fact every writing of Paul – is a letter. These “epistles” address specific persons or people groups, dealing with specific circumstances, at a specific point in time. If we fail to recognize this, we fail to grasp the entire point of their existence in the first place.
I encourage anyone testing what I’m putting forth here to begin reading Romans from chapter one. For purposes of brevity however, we’re going to tackle the context of this ongoing narrative beginning in chapter four, where he begins by educating us on the issue of justification, more commonly referred to as salvation. He will later go on to distinguish justification from sanctification, but that is an article unto itself.
He starts by adamantly refuting the claims of what we’ll call the “Circumcision Party”. These Pharisaic believers were teaching the ‘gentile’ believers that, in order to be saved, they needed to undergo circumcision. His argument is brilliant, but to distill it; Paul points out that Abraham was Justified (declared righteous) before God because he believed God. God had not yet issued the instruction for circumcision, yet Abraham had already been declared righteous; uncut pee-pee and all. His point is that Abraham was justified on the basis of faith.
In chapter five, he goes on to explain man’s relationship to sin through the fall of Adam. Here he introduces the concept of Yeshua (Jesus) as a ‘second Adam’. He illustrates that just as the fall on the one man brought forth the reign of sin and death, so too could the righteousness and sacrifice of one man, Yeshua, bring victory over sin and death.
The last two verses of chapter 5 set the stage and dictate the context for the entirety of chapter 6:
Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:20 – 21
With this in mind, we’re now adequately prepared to tackle the issue at hand.
What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.
Romans 6:1 – 4
Right off the mark we’re presented with a conundrum. Understanding that this dialogue is a direct continuation of the prior chapter, we see that the contextual issue is sin… If not being “under the law” means what Western theologians have traditionally taught, then – once again – how do we define sin?
Did you guess that I was going to cite 1 John?
You guessed correctly:
“Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; indeed, sin is lawlessness.”
1 John 3:4
For a more thorough discussion on the definition of sin, I would once again refer the reader to the article: One Law.
With this in mind, let’s evaluate what Paul is saying…
In chapter 5, verses 20 and 21, Paul states that “where sin increased, grace increased all the more, …” Starting in verse 1 of chapter 6, he goes on to clarify that this does not give believers license to sin.
He continues, in verses 4 through 10, illustrating our unity with Messiah in both His death and resurrection. His point is that through Messiah, we can “die” to our old, carnal nature and be “resurrected” into a new life of righteousness:
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness.
Romans 6:12 – 13
Do you see it? It’s a powerful metaphor that really serves to illustrate the core spiritual reality of salvation… he’s not done though – now he delivers the coup de grâce:
For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:14
Given its proper context, hopefully you can see the power of the statement Paul is making. He is calling believers to rise above their carnal nature and assures them that they have both the right and the power to do so.
If all of that wasn’t clear, he goes on to clarify further:
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to, and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. (I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.
Romans 6:15 – 20
Here, Paul explains that sin is still sin. His explanation is essentially this; you’re going to be a slave to one or the other, sin or righteousness. As a believer though, God purchased you (at great price) that you are no longer bound by your old nature, but a slave to righteousness.
Take note of the next portion; “… as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.”
The last sentence in this excerpt, “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.” is expounded on and clarified further in chapter 7.
So what benefit did you then reap from those things that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death. But now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life. For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:21 – 23
The question this passage opens with is clearly rhetorical. The benefit you reaped from “those things that you are now ashamed of” is no benefit at all. It is a theme he will also go on to clarify further in chapter 7…
If you’ve read through to this point, hopefully you’ve seen that The context of the original quotation (Romans 6:14) is that believers are free from condemnation – we are guilty under the law, but we are not condemned because we are under grace.
Paul’s point here, and in several other places throughout the epistles is that the law is instruction in righteousness – you blew it before you even began to understand the requirements! The net effect is that there is no manner of ritual or tradition by which you can be justified – that can only be done through the shed blood of the Messiah.
At no point, does Paul indicate that the law is done away with, or that believers are given free license to engage in acts the law would prohibit – that would, in fact, be contrary to his point and would belie the ‘regenerate’ nature of salvation…
Hopefully you see the point. Additionally, I hope you can see that this phrase is not used throughout the epistles with one universal meaning. Context dictates the meaning and sometimes, the inferences can be very subtle. Remember, we are reading letters – many of them penned by the hand of a theological genius whose grasp of “the law” far exceeds our own.
Some other uses of “under the law” include, but are not limited to the following – in context:
- As a reference to ethnic Jews and contrasting with gentiles: 1 Corinthians 9:20 – 21, Romans 2:12
- As a reference to the unchanging standard of righteousness: Romans 3:19
- In reference to condemnation under the law of sin and death: Romans 7:6
- As an ineffective means to justification (salvation): Galatians 3:10, 4:21, (see also Hebrews 10:1)
Then Samuel said, “Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and presumption is like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the Lord’s orders, he has rejected you from being king.”
1 Samuel 15:22 – 23
שלום עליכם – Shalom Aleichem – Peace Be Upon You