“...you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:18

These six words a more often misunderstood than they are rightly understood. They do not mean that God’s Law is null and void, or that Christians are free to live lawlessly and/or discard the Old Testament.

Paul debunks these false understandings writing: “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good” (Romans 7:12). What it means to be out from under the Law is that those who are in Christ will never be condemned by the Law, since Jesus already took the Law’s condemnation for His people.

There is another way it is a comforting to be out from under the Law. When reading the law it is easy to be overwhelmed. The thought of having to know and keep every detail of the Law is nothing less than daunting.

The good news of the Gospel is that believers are free from both the condemnation of the Law and the burden of trying to keep the Law (which is impossible for we who were born in sin.

Though the Law is valuable to condemn us so that we will flee to Christ in faith for salvation, praise God that the obedient Christian life—once we are saved—is a life of freedom from condemnation of the Law and from the burden of religion.