Advent Archive: Romans 6:14-23

“We aren’t under the law anymore, we are under grace,” is a statement that may perhaps be too often spoken by someone who has the completely wrong understanding of “under law,” and “under grace.” It is spoken as if because Jesus died, turning a page historically. In this misconceived way of thinking, "B.C." almost always stands for “Under Law,” and "A.D." represents “Under Grace.” However, this is not the teaching of scripture. You see, there is not a point in history where this changeover takes place. When Paul presents this thought in Romans 6:14, he isn't revealing a point in history whereby all of mankind is relieved from the judgment of the law. Instead, it is a point that only believers in Christ reach. All that put their faith in the saving work (death and resurrection) of Jesus will experience this switch-over from “under law” to “under grace.”

Finally, Paul makes the point, “So now that we are saved through Jesus, can we live like wild animals? Of course not, when Jesus saved us from the law, He saved us from the need of the law. The inner working of the Spirit takes the necessity of the list (law) away. A new grace-filled, Spirit-led life epitomizes the Christian. Romans 6:18 says that since we are made free from sin, we now don’t need the law because we are “servants of righteousness.” In Christ, liberty from the law, means servitude to grace… Now, that certainly changes the meaning from our "B.C. vs. A.D." view. Just as “under the law” meant we were slaves to sin, “under grace” means we are slaves to Jesus. Now that is deep stuff. Live like you aren’t “under the law,” but rather live like you are “under grace.”

Food for Thought: Read Romans 6:14-23. In your own words describe what it means to be “under grace.”