NOT UNDER LAW BUT NOT LAWLESS

Source: Google Images

When we put our trust in Jesus -  that, as the perfect, sinless Son of God He took our sin and died on the cross for us and rose again on the third day and confess Him as our Lord, we are saved. 

The Word of God makes it clear that we are saved by grace through faith. We cannot earn our salvation regardless of how good or how righteous we think we are, it is a free gift available to anyone and everyone who believes in Jesus.

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

Now that we are in Christ, we are not under the Law of Moses; we do not live our lives governed by a list of do’s and don’ts anymore. As children of God, we are now led by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Grace and that’s how we live victoriously over the flesh, the devil and the world. When we are lead by the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Roman believers under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, made this bold statement:

¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. – Romans 6:14 NKJV

The Law of Moses, the OT Law will only serve to strengthen a sin consciousness in us, causing us to focus on what we should and should not do and we’ll find ourselves constantly falling short, the end result being weighed down with guilt, shame and condemnation. Grace enables us to walk in love knowing that our acceptance before God is solely based on the finished work of Christ. We are then empowered to overcome sin as we confidently rest in what Jesus has already done. The grace of God, the unmerited favor of God, enables us to overcome sin; it’s not an excuse for wallowing in sin, no. Grace teaches us to say no to sin and all manner of ungodliness (Titus 2:11-12)

¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age - Titus 2:11-12 NKJV

Speaking of the New Covenant that He was going to establish, God said:

³¹ “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ³⁴ No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” – Jeremiah 31:31-34 NKJV (emphasis added)

In the Old Covenant, the Law of Moses was governing and guiding people from outside, basically giving them a list of do's and dont's without offering them any help in keeping or observing those laws. The beauty of the New Covenant is this: God by His Spirit, puts His law (not the OT Law of Moses) in our minds and writes it in our hearts and He leads us from within through our recreated spirits and renewed minds. By His grace, He empowers us to obey Him. 

The law that God writes on our hearts is the Law of Love, the New commandment that Jesus gave us in John 13:34. This new commandment goes way beyond the OT law. To walk in Love is to fulfill the entire Law and much much more. To walk in Love is to walk in God, for God is Love. and then He empowers us by His grace to joyfully fulfill it. All the while, the Holy Spirit is at work in us, giving us the will and the desire to do what is pleasing to Him.  

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  – John 13:34 NKJV

Source: Google Images

Enjoy your freedom and liberty from the OT Law of Moses by relaxing under the grace of God and let the Holy Spirit lead you, He’s already filled your heart with God’s love (Romans 5:5), and as you walk in that God-kind-of-love you will find yourself automatically fulfilling the New commandment our Lord gave us

So, while we are not under the law, we are certainly not lawless!