Are Christians Under Law Today?
Are Christians Under Law Today? An increasing number of people today in the world of religion are insisting that Christians are not bound to follow any religious law. They argue that since today we are under the grace and mercy of God, this negates any obligation for Christians to follow any laws of God, including those of the New Testament. It seems they grow tired of others “judging” their lifestyle and so they simply appeal to the fact that in the Christian era, the grace of God has been revealed to us (Titus 2:11), as if this cancels their responsibility to obey God and his law in this dispensation.
Paul anticipated this conclusion in his letter to the church at Rome when he asked the rhetorical question, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”. His definitive answer comes in the next verse: “God forbid” (Rom. 6:1-2). It is certainly true that today we are living under the grace of God, but this does not diminish our duty to follow the commands of God and it certainly doesn’t destroy the law of God.
Many first century Christians, especially those converted from Judaism, tried to impose the Old Testament Law of Moses on gentile converts. Paul dealt with this controversy in nearly every epistle he wrote. Paul made it clear that the Law of Moses is no longer binding, but he also emphasized that today we are under the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). The old Law of Moses was of a physical nature, but the new law or new covenant of Jesus Christ is a spiritual law. The Hebrew writer, quoting the prophet Jeremiah, describes the new covenant as a law that will be in their mind and written on their heart (Hebrews: 8:10). James describes the New Testament as the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25, 2:12) and the “royal law” (2:8). Paul described the law we are under as Christians as “the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus” as opposed to the Law of Moses which he termed “the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).
Certainly we are today under law and we must obey the commands of the law of Christ to be pleasing to him. Many who claim to follow Jesus and recognize him as Lord and King, fail to recognize the fact that he demanded obedience to the teachings of his kingdom. He said in John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commandments”. Commandments imply law. If there is no law for Christians to follow, then there would be no commands either. If Jesus is our savior, then we must recognize his law and strive to obey it at all costs.
- Marcus Reppert
