Under grace, can I still keep the old Adam under subjection?
Yes. The beauty of the gospel of the grace of God is that the old Adam can still be kept under subjection. This freedom differs from Israel’s 1,500 years under the severe, demanding law, which allowed no hanky-panky and punished Sabbath-breaking with death.
Les explains that the answer is yes: under grace, old Adam can still be kept under subjection. He calls this the beauty of the gospel of the grace of God. He contrasts it with Israel’s 1,500 years under the law, which was severe and demanding and allowed no hanky-panky. Under the true law of Moses, picking up sticks on the Sabbath brought death, with no ifs, ands, or buts; murder likewise brought death, not years of appeals. The law was demanding. He then returns to the timeline, noting the law began way back with Adam, though he likes to start at 2,000 BC with Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees, then Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve sons.