The Freedom of Grace

We are dead to the law. We are not under the law. We are not supervised by the law. Christ is the end of the law for us. Our guide is the Holy Spirit, for “if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Gal. 5:18).

This verse is not about salvation. No, it’s about what is leading and guiding our behavior. We are led by God’s Spirit, not the law.

The law is not the source, and the law is not the goal. Knowing Jesus is our source for upright living. And knowing Jesus is our ultimate goal too. Some Christian teachers claim that now that we have the Holy Spirit living within us, he will help us keep the law. But nothing could be further from the truth!

The righteous standards of the law have already been “fully met” by Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:3–4), so we don’t need to meet them! In short, God is not helping us avoid pork chops or shrimp cocktail; and God is not helping us stay work-free on the Sabbath (one of the Ten) either. Yes, God causes us to bear the fruit of his Spirit, but the law is not the source, and the law is not the goal.

Recall that many Christians in the early church were Gentiles and thus had never heard of Moses and had no idea what those 613 law requirements even were. They were only concerned with bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus Christ was their source, and knowing him and his fruit was their goal. It should be the same for us today!

So let’s face it: those who claim we are free from the ceremonial law but are still guided by the moral law want Jesus for his blood but not for his life. Still, no matter what they might say, the fact remains: we are led by the Spirit, not the law (Gal. 5:18).