What is the difference between being under the Law and being under God's providence?
Being under the Law means its commandments carry specified penalties when broken. Being under God's providence means the believer is under Grace, not Law, yet God's mind on sin remains unchanged. Grace is not permission to sin; instead, love becomes the dominant force and fulfills the Law's moral commands.
Les explains that Romans 6 asks whether we should sin because we are not under Law but under Grace, and the answer is “God forbid!” Although the believer is no longer under the Law in the sense that breaking it brings the stated penalty, we are still under God's providence. God's mind on sin has not changed; the things He called abominable in Leviticus are still abominable in His eyes. But since we are under Grace, love is the dominant force in the believer's life. Love fulfills the Law, so adultery, killing, false witness, coveting, and every other commandment are avoided through love. Paul even repeats nine of the Ten Commandments, omitting the Sabbath.