Under the Law
What does it mean to be "under the law"? I have heard many explanations. The mainstream view is that it simply means that we lose all relationship to the law. It is no more meaningful than a slice of ancient, regrettable history. I have heard that it means to be under penalty of the law, i.e. subject to the punishment for transgression (since all have sinned), or that one would be subject to its punishments if they transgressed.
Yet, it's not complicated. There are many laws which, if broken, resulted in one being "cut off" from their people. Thus, the law served as a covenant relationship. I believe this is what Paul primarily has in view in the book of Galatians. Read through it and at every instance of seeming anti-law rhetoric (or twisting of Paul's words) you will find that what is being discussed is either justification, life, covenant relationship, inheritance, sonship, obtaining of the Holy Spirit, or new creation. I believe covenant relationship and the other things listed must be in view when we talk about what being "under the law" means. The law was the means by which the people of God adhered to the covenant and identified themselves as God's people. That is what being "under" or "of" the law is. Not that those things could be exclusively obtained by obedience, but that one was under the terms which offered those things to one that was obedient (namely Christ), and therefore it kept Israel as a schoolmaster until He came. They could at least have those things by mercy and grace through faith, and show a measure of faithfulness through obedience.
Under the law is "'If you do this..., If you don't...;' 'All that you have said we will do' (Leviticus 18:5, Deuteronomy 28:1,2, & 15; Exodus 24:3)."
My covenant relationship to God is through the law as terms of that covenant. Thus, I will obey Him by obligation.
Not under the law is "I will give you a new heart and write my law on your heart (Ezekiel 36:26, Jeremiah 31:31-34)."
My covenant relationship to God is through Christ and His obedience to the law. Thus, I will obey Him because of my love and inward desire.
A clever analogy comes from Daniel Botkin and goes something like this: "If I place a cup of water over my head, the water is above me and outside of me. If I drink the water, I cannot be under the water because it is inside me." I believe this is sufficient to explain the difference between being "under the law" and "not under the law."
However, there is another aspect which antinomian folks have consistently failed to consider or provide an adequate response to. Even if we have no relationship to the Torah whatsoever as "law" which we are obliged to keep, contained in every command is a seed of truth, i.e. a revelation about the character and nature of God (how to love Him), revelation about the nature of the world which He created, and/or revelation about what God means by loving our neighbor.
| The law has wrath (Rom 4:15) | In Christ, the law loses it's wrath, but it is still revelation. |
|---|---|
| The law states that we must keep the Sabbath or be stoned to death. | God desires that His people honor the Sabbath. That is, the Sabbath which cannot be labeled with the man-made distinction of "ceremonial." This is because God set the day apart as holy prior to any transgression (i.e. that which necessitated the ceremonies). Our new heart says "I will love God and the things that He deems as holy." |
| The law says we must blow the trumpet on the new moon and celebrate the other appointed times which are calculated by that new moon. | The sun, moon, and stars were created (Genesis 1:14) for the purpose of marking appointed times, days, and years. Since God revealed what those appointed times are, and since they point to Christ and are a shadow of His coming kingdom, I will participate in God's calendar gladly. |
| The law says that we must eat only clean animals or else be cut off from Israel. | God lovingly revealed to us what animals He considers to be food and which are detestable to Him to eat*. This distinction was revealed to Noah (prior to Mt. Sinai), the one to whom God later gave the permission to eat animals (we can safely assume that he applied his knowledge of clean/unclean). Therefor, I will gladly forgo eating something that offends God, regardless of whether I can no longer be cut off by doing so. |
*Because foreigners were not bound by covenant, they could not be cut off from Israel and were therefore permitted to eat clean animals which were rendered ceremonially unclean by dying of themselves, but not animals which were inherently unclean. This concession allowed God's covenant people to not lose value of cattle, though God preferred if they did not eat those animals (Leviticus 17:15).
At the heart of every law is revelation.
Then why doesn't everyone keep the whole law, if that is what is being written on the hearts of everyone that is part of the New Covenant? Because it is not totally fulfilled yet. Jeremiah 31:34 says "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." When Christ comes again, we will be like Him and truly sin no more (1 John 3:2).
Further, we know that we are to love God and love our neighbor (which are laws) even though we are not under "the" law. Therefore, we are bound to keep the law, not by obligation to maintain covenant relationship, but by the obligation of love. What proof do I have the the law contains what God still considers love for Himself and our neighbor?
"‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)
If all of the law and prophets hang on these two, then they are specific descriptions of what those two greatest commandments mean.
"For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”" (Romans 13:9)
If they are summed up by this, then that means they are explicit expressions of the general summary.
"In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, (1 John 5:3)"
Though not "under" the law, we keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12), knowing that:
- God does not change,
- the law reveals to us what actions God considers desirable and loving to Himself and our neighbor,
- most of the laws deemed "not for Christians" contain truths which were revealed prior to the Mt. Sinai covenant.
But what then does it mean that Paul became as one under the law (1 Corinthians 9:20)?
Did he give up his salvation "temporarily" so-to-speak? Of course not. The key word is "as". He changed his presentation, outward appearance, framing, speech, etc. to appeal to the Jew (ethnic?), those under the law (including oral tradition), and those outside the law. He didn't change his position or relationship to God, the covenants, inheritance, etc. which is what being under or not under the law means.
Why does this seem complicated?
Because of centuries of entrenching in erroneous dogma about the law. If you find it hard to believe that the Church could fall into error for so long, remember that it was only 500 years ago that the gospel itself was freed from the dogmas of implicit faith within the "Catholic" heresy. If you are Catholic, consider that there are Eastern Orthodox whose dogmas differ substantially from your own (or vice versa). Are they anathema? Maybe you will say they are. I say you're the heretic bound to the faulty understanding of men from the 3rd and 4th century. Get over yourself. And, no, the Church was not "prevailed against", it was kept as a remnant of faithful individuals within the otherwise godless machinations of politics and propaganda of the so-called "Church."
But the law was given to Israel.
And now you have access to that Torah by their faithful stewarding. Congratulations! In addition to knowing the Word spoken by the mouth of God, you are also made part of the Israel of God (Galatians 1:16), are a Jew inwardly where it counts (Romans 2:29), are fellow citizens with Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13, 19), and grafted into the tree of Israel (Romans 11:17-24). You are spiritually part of Israel by believing in the Messiah of Israel, and children of Abraham by faith. Dare I say that you are Israel by blood, though not your own?
Isn't the law a burden? Why would we want to keep it?
On the contrary, see 1 John 5:3. "[F]or your law is my delight (Psalm 119:77)."
Paul was not under the law when he said "I must by all means keep this feast (Acts 18:21 KJV)" and "I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers (Acts 28:17)." Peter was not under the law when he said he had never eaten anything common or unclean (Acts 10:14). The many 10,000's (myriads) who were "zealous for the law" were also not under the law (Acts 21:20). The believers in Revelation who "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ" are not under the law (Revelation 14:12). They were not under the covenant that placed the law over us as terms (do this and live... [Leviticus 18:5]) nor were they under the curse of transgression (...or else [Numbers 15:30]). They understand that the law was the "holy, righteous, and good" (Matthew 22:40, Romans 7:12) guidance from God that shows us what it means to love Him and our neighbor (Romans 13:9), and there is no reason to think that He would have changed.
Doesn't "law" have multiple meanings in the New Testament?
Yes, there's something missing from many people's understanding of "law". In the New Testament, "law" can refer to the laws delivered at Mt. Sinai (and throughout the Exodus). It can refer to the first 5 books of the Bible (the Torah), or even the entire Old Testament (the Tanakh). It can also refer to the law including the oral traditions that were added to it.