Not Under Law
Paul uses the phrase “under law” (hupo nomon) several times in his epistles. He often contrasts it with being “under grace.” He tells his readers that they are not under law but under grace. What does he mean by this?
Since the second century, when much of “Christianity” abandoned following God’s commandments in order to avoid paying the tax on Jews, many have interpreted the phrase to mean that followers of Jesus should no longer keep the laws God gave through Moses. That interpretation met their need to find “biblical” support for the idea, but it sharply contradicts many clear statements by both Jesus and Paul. That cannot possibly be Paul’s view on it.
It’s important to note that there is never a definite article in this phrase. It’s never ‘under THE law,” even though many translators render it that way. And the word “law” in Paul’s writing had quite a range of meanings. Paul contrasts the law of God, in which he delights, with the law of sin. (Romans 7:22-25)
One possible meaning for the phrase “under law” might be to distinguish Jews from Gentiles. When he tells his readers that they are not under law but under grace, he might be saying that they are not Jews but Gentiles. Unfortunately, this potential meaning seems to be undermined by an interesting passage in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22. In this passage Paul claims that he himself is not under law. But we know that Paul considered himself to be Jewish, even a Pharisee, all his life. (Acts 23:6) So he can’t be using the phrase to designate Jews.
In the very next verse (1 Cor. 9:21) Paul claims that he is not free from God’s law. This is a verse that many “Christian” interpreters like to ignore. But it fits with Paul’s affirmations of the law in 1 Corinthians 7:19; Romans 3:31, and many other places.
It seems best to understand Paul’s phrase, “under law”, to refer to being under the penalty of the law; if you sin, you die. Once a person trusts Jesus, he is not under this penalty. He is not under law (death for his sins) but under grace. This would fit Paul’s statement that he is not “under law”, as he has trusted in Jesus. It could also fit Paul’s statement in Galatians 4:4 that Jesus was born “under law”, since he was in a situation that if he sinned, he would die. But he didn’t sin, so he was the perfect sacrifice.
The phrase cannot possibly mean that the believer should ignore the instructions in the law. Jesus taught against that understanding many times, including Luke 16:17, where he says that “It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.” Paul himself teaches against that idea many times. In 1 Cor. 7:19 he basically says that it doesn’t matter if you’re Jewish or Gentile, keeping God’s commands is what counts. Let’s not try to avoid obeying God’s instructions, but rather find out how God wants us to live, and obey that out of our love for God.