Bible Studies

Bible Study No Longer Under the Law, But Under Grace

by Michael Edwards 
05/12/26
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This study gathers key passages from the New Testament that teach:

• Christians are no longer under the condemning power of the Mosaic Law.


• Believers are under grace through Christ.


• Sin is not counted against those in Christ.


• The Law gave sin its power to condemn.


• Through Christ, believers are free from condemnation and slavery to sin.

1. The Foundation: No Condemnation in Christ

Romans 8:1–2 (ESV)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

Study Notes

Paul begins with the clearest declaration possible: believers are no longer condemned.

The phrase “law of sin and death” refers to the principle and power of the Mosaic Law as it condemns sinners. The Law revealed sin but could not free people from it.

In Christ:

• condemnation is removed,


• freedom is given,


• and a new covenant relationship begins.

2. Christians Are Not Under Law but Under Grace

Romans 6:14 (ESV)

“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

Study Notes

This is one of the central verses in the entire discussion.

Paul directly connects:

• being under law → sin’s dominion,


• being under grace → freedom from sin’s mastery.

The Law could command righteousness but could not produce it. Grace not only forgives; it empowers transformed living through the Spirit.

Notice:
Paul does not say Christians are partly under law and partly under grace. He contrasts the two covenant positions.

3. Sin Gets Its Power From the Law

1 Corinthians 15:56 (ESV)

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.”

Study Notes

The Law gives sin “power” because:

• the Law defines transgression,


• exposes guilt,


• and pronounces condemnation.

Without grace, the Law stands over sinners as a ministry of judgment.

Christ fulfilled the Law and removed its condemning authority over believers.

4. The Law Brings Wrath

Romans 4:15 (ESV)

“For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.”

Study Notes

The Law brings wrath because sinful humanity cannot perfectly obey it.

The issue is not that the Law itself is evil; Paul says the Law is holy. But sinful flesh cannot fulfill its righteous demands.

Thus the Law:

• exposes sin,


• magnifies guilt,


• and results in judgment.

5. Sins Are Not Counted Against Believers

Romans 4:6–8 (ESV)

“just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.’”

Study Notes

This is one of the clearest passages teaching non-imputation of sin for believers.

God:

• forgives sin,


• covers sin,


• and does not count sin against the believer.

Instead, righteousness is credited through faith in Christ.

6. God Reconciled Us and Does Not Count Trespasses Against Us

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 (ESV)

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them…”

Study Notes

The gospel is reconciliation.

For those in Christ:

• trespasses are not counted,


• hostility is removed,


• peace with God is established.

This does not mean sin is ignored; it means sin was judged in Christ at the cross.

7. Christ Redeemed Us From the Curse of the Law

Galatians 3:10–13 (ESV)

“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse…

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…”

Study Notes

The Law pronounces a curse on everyone who fails to keep it perfectly.

Since no sinner keeps the Law flawlessly, all who seek justification through lawkeeping remain condemned.

Christ took that curse upon Himself.

Therefore believers are redeemed from:

• the Law’s curse,


• the Law’s condemnation,


• and the Law’s covenant authority.

8. The Law Was a Guardian Until Christ Came

Galatians 3:23–25 (ESV)

“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.

So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”

Study Notes

Paul explicitly says believers are “no longer under” the Law as covenant guardian.

The Law had a temporary role:

• exposing sin,


• restraining Israel,


• pointing toward Christ.

Once Christ came, believers entered maturity through faith.

9. If You Are Led by the Spirit, You Are Not Under the Law

Galatians 5:18 (ESV)

“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Study Notes

The Spirit replaces the Law as the governing principle of the believer’s life.

This does not produce lawlessness; rather, the Spirit produces:

• love,


• holiness,


• obedience from the heart.

10. We Died to the Law Through Christ

Romans 7:4–6 (ESV)

“Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ…

But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”

Study Notes

Paul says believers:

• died to the Law,


• were released from the Law,


• and now serve in the Spirit.

The “written code” refers to the old covenant system centered in commandments engraved externally rather than internal transformation.

11. The Law Increased Trespass

Romans 5:20 (ESV)

“Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,”

Study Notes

The Law increased trespass by:

• making sin more visible,


• turning sin into conscious transgression,


• and exposing rebellion fully.

Grace, however, overflows beyond sin.

12. Through the Law Comes Knowledge of Sin

Romans 3:19–20 (ESV)

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”

Study Notes

The Law was never given as a means of justification.

Its role:

• reveals sin,


• silences human boasting,


• and drives sinners to Christ.

13. The Ministry of Death vs. the Ministry of the Spirit

2 Corinthians 3:6–9 (ESV)

“For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory…

will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?”

Study Notes

Paul contrasts:

• the old covenant (“letters on stone”),


• with the new covenant of the Spirit.

He even calls the Mosaic covenant:

• “the ministry of death”


• and “the ministry of condemnation.”

Why?
Because the Law condemns sinners but cannot give life.

Christ gives what the Law could not:

• righteousness,


• life,


• and the Spirit.

14. Christ Is the End of the Law for Righteousness

Romans 10:4 (ESV)

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

Study Notes

Believers no longer seek righteousness through Law observance.

Christ fulfilled the Law completely.
Righteousness now comes through faith in Him.

15. By Works of the Law No One Will Be Justified

Galatians 2:16 (ESV)

“yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ…”

Study Notes

This verse destroys all confidence in self-righteousness.

Justification comes:

• not by Law,


• not by human effort,


• but by faith in Christ alone.

16. Christ Abolished the Dividing Law

Ephesians 2:14–15 (ESV)

“For he himself is our peace… by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances…”

Study Notes

Christ fulfilled and abolished the old covenant barrier system that separated Jew and Gentile.

A new covenant people now exist in Christ.

17. There Is a Change in the Law

Hebrews 7:18–19 (ESV)

“For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness

(for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced…”

Study Notes

The Law could not perfect the worshiper.

Jesus introduced:

• a better covenant,


• a better priesthood,


• and a better hope.

18. God Remembers Our Sins No More

Hebrews 10:14–18 (ESV)

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified…

‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’”

Study Notes

Christ’s sacrifice was complete and sufficient.

God no longer counts believers’ sins against them because Jesus bore judgment fully.

19. Freedom From the Law of Sin and Death

Romans 8:3–4 (ESV)

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son… he condemned sin in the flesh…”

Study Notes

The problem was never the holiness of the Law.
The problem was human flesh.

The Law could diagnose sin but not cure it.
Christ condemned sin through His death and fulfilled righteousness in us through the Spirit.

Major Themes of This Study

1. The Law Reveals Sin but Cannot Save

The Law:

• exposes sin,


• increases trespass,


• and brings condemnation.

2. Sin Uses the Law

Sin gains power through:

• commandments,


• guilt,


• condemnation,


• and fear of judgment.

3. Christ Fulfilled the Law

Jesus:

• bore the curse,


• satisfied justice,


• and ended the Law as a means of righteousness.

4. Believers Are Under Grace

Christians now live:

• under grace,


• under the Spirit,


• and under a new covenant.

5. Sins Are Not Counted Against Believers

Through faith in Christ:

• sins are forgiven,


• righteousness is credited,


• and condemnation is removed.

Key Summary Passage

Romans 6:14 (ESV)

“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

This verse summarizes the entire study:

• freedom from condemnation,


• freedom from the Law’s dominion,


• freedom from sin’s mastery,


• and life under grace through Jesus Christ.

Early Christians Were Not Sinless, Yet They Were Still Saints Under Grace

A major misunderstanding in Christianity is the idea that being “under grace” means believers instantly become incapable of sinning in the flesh. The New Testament teaches something different:

• believers are freed from condemnation,


• freed from the Law’s curse,


• and freed from sin’s dominion as master,


• yet Christians still battle the flesh in this present life.

The apostles repeatedly addressed sin inside the churches while still calling believers:

• saints,


• brethren,


• beloved,


• and those sanctified in Christ.

The issue was not whether Christians could still commit sins in the flesh. The issue was whether their sins still condemned them under the Law. Paul’s answer is no: believers are under grace.

1. The Corinthian Church Was Full of Problems — Yet Called Saints

1 Corinthians 1:2 (ESV)

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together…”

Study Notes

Before Paul rebukes their sins, he first identifies them as:

• sanctified in Christ,


• and called saints.

Yet this same church had:

• division,


• sexual immorality,


• lawsuits,


• drunkenness at communion,


• doctrinal confusion,


• misuse of spiritual gifts.

Paul still addressed them as believers.

2. There Was Sexual Sin in the Church

1 Corinthians 5:1 (ESV)

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you…”

Study Notes

This was not happening outside the church.
It was happening “among you” — inside the Christian assembly.

Paul rebuked the sin strongly, yet he still addressed the Corinthian congregation throughout the letter as brethren and saints.

This demonstrates an important distinction:

• a believer can commit acts of sin in the flesh,


• without losing their identity in Christ.

3. Christians Were Suing One Another

1 Corinthians 6:7–8 (ESV)

“To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you…

But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!”

Study Notes

The Corinthians were behaving carnally.
Yet Paul still called them:

• “brothers.”

He corrected them as family, not as unbelieving outsiders.

4. Some Were Getting Drunk at the Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:20–21 (ESV)

“For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.”

Study Notes

This was happening during communion gatherings.

The Corinthian believers were acting selfishly and sinfully, but Paul did not conclude they were no longer Christians.
Instead:

• he disciplined,


• corrected,


• and instructed them.

5. Christians Still Struggle With the Flesh

Galatians 5:16–17 (ESV)

“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh…”

Study Notes

The Christian life involves conflict between:

• the flesh,


• and the Spirit.

Believers possess a new identity in Christ, yet still live in mortal flesh awaiting final redemption.

6. Paul Said Christians Could Walk Carnally

1 Corinthians 3:1–3 (ESV)

“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh…

For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh…?”

Study Notes

Notice carefully:
Paul calls them:

• “brothers,”
  while also saying they were behaving fleshly.

This destroys the idea that true believers never struggle with sin.

Instead, believers can:

• walk spiritually,
  or


• walk carnally.

Their conduct affected fellowship and maturity, but not the finished work of Christ.

7. Sin No Longer Defines the Believer’s Identity

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (ESV)

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified…”

Study Notes

Paul lists many sins:

• sexual immorality,


• idolatry,


• adultery,


• theft,


• drunkenness,


• reviling.

Then he says:
“such were some of you.”

Meaning:
their identity changed in Christ.

Believers may still fail in the flesh, but sin is no longer their defining position before God.

8. Elders and Deacons Were Chosen From Imperfect Believers

When Paul gave qualifications for elders and deacons, he was not saying ordinary Christians never struggled with these sins. Rather, leaders were to be examples of maturity and stability.

1 Timothy 3:2–3 (ESV)

“Therefore an overseer must be above reproach… sober-minded, self-controlled… not violent but gentle…”

Titus 1:6–7 (ESV)

“if anyone is above reproach… not arrogant or quick-tempered…”

Study Notes

These qualifications imply something important:
not every believer had reached this maturity yet.

The church contained believers at different stages of growth.

Paul selected leaders from among believers who demonstrated consistent spiritual maturity.

That does not mean the rest of the congregation was unsaved.

9. Believers Still Sin, Yet Christ Remains Their Advocate

1 John 2:1 (ESV)

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

Study Notes

John acknowledges believers can still sin.

Notice he does not say:
“If anyone sins, they were never saved.”

Instead:

• Christ remains their advocate.

Grace does not encourage sin,
but grace provides continual standing before God through Christ.

10. Confession and Fellowship

1 John 1:8–9 (ESV)

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves…

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins…”

Study Notes

John includes himself:
“If we say we have no sin…”

Christians still contend with sin in this present life.

The difference is:

• believers are forgiven,


• cleansed,


• and restored through grace.

11. Paul’s Own Struggle With Sin

Romans 7:18–20 (ESV)

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh…

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

Study Notes

Paul distinguishes between:

• his inward desire to obey God,


• and the weakness of the flesh.

This passage shows the ongoing battle against sin in the believer’s earthly life.

12. No Condemnation Despite the Battle

Immediately after Romans 7, Paul says:

Romans 8:1 (ESV)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Study Notes

This is the key to understanding grace.

Believers may still battle:

• flesh,


• weakness,


• temptation,


• and failures.

But they are no longer under:

• condemnation,


• wrath,


• or the curse of the Law.

13. Sin as a Power vs. Sins in the Flesh

The New Testament often speaks of “sin” in two ways:

A. Sin as a Power or Master (noun)

This refers to the fallen sin nature operating through the flesh.

Romans 6:6 (ESV)

“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing…”

B. Individual Acts of Sin

These are the actual sinful actions believers may still commit in the flesh.

The gospel teaches:

• sin as ruler has been defeated,


• but the flesh remains until glorification.

That is why believers still need:

• confession,


• renewal,


• growth,


• discipline,


• and dependence on the Spirit.

14. Under Grace Does Not Mean Sinless Perfection

Grace means:

• Christ fulfilled the Law,


• condemnation is removed,


• righteousness is credited by faith,


• and believers are accepted in Christ.

Grace does not mean:

• the flesh instantly disappears,


• or Christians become incapable of failure.

Final Summary

The early church proves believers were not sinlessly perfect.

The apostles addressed:

• immorality,


• division,


• envy,


• drunkenness,


• hypocrisy,


• false doctrine,


• and fleshly living among Christians.

Yet they still called these believers:

• saints,


• brethren,


• beloved,


• sanctified,


• and members of Christ.

The gospel is not:
“Christians never struggle again.”

The gospel is:
Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law, bore condemnation, removed wrath, and brought believers under grace.

Romans 6:14 (ESV)

“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

Should we sin becaue we are not longer under law but under grace. NO. 

Grace is not only God’s forgiveness; it is also His instruction in righteous living.

Titus 2:11–12 (ESV)

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to
renounce ungodliness and worldly passions…”

This shows that grace actively teaches believers how to say “no” to sin—not through the
Law’s condemnation, but through transformation of the heart and the empowering work of the Holy Spirit.



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