No, being under grace does not mean Christians can sin freely.
Les Feldick is emphatic that grace is not a license for sin. While believers are freed from the Law's demands and rituals, this freedom does not permit them to do as they please. Instead, grace changes appetites and motives, and the Holy Spirit guides believers in a life that fulfills the moral intent of the Law through love.
Romans 6:14 — This verse is central to the question, explicitly teaching that sin no longer has dominion over believers because they are under grace, not the law.
Romans 6:15 — Paul anticipates the very question posed here: 'Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?' and responds 'God forbid.'
Romans 13:8-9 — Shows that love fulfills the law, and when love is present, the specific commandments against adultery, murder, stealing, etc., are naturally upheld.
Romans 6:14 states, 'For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.' This indicates that being under grace does not leave believers subject to sin's rule. In the very next verse, Romans 6:15, Paul asks, 'What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.' Thus the Bible firmly denies that grace gives liberty to sin. Moreover, Romans 13:8-9 connects love with the fulfillment of the law: 'Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.' The commandments are then listed—'Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet'—and summarized as 'love thy neighbour as thyself.' This shows that the moral standards of the law are still upheld when love operates. Thus Scripture teaches that freedom from the law's system does not equate to freedom to sin; rather, believers are now led by the Spirit and called to a higher standard of love that inherently avoids sin.
Les Feldick repeatedly stresses that grace is never a license for sin. In Clip 2, he says, 'grace is not license,' and explains that it 'simply changes our appetites and it changes our motives,' rather than giving freedom to do as we please. He uses Paul's rhetorical question in Romans 6:15 as a springboard to reject the idea that grace permits sinning. Les also distinguishes between being under the law and under grace. He clarifies that believers are no longer under the legalistic system of Israel, with its priesthood and sacrifices, but that this does not make us lawless. In Clip 5, he emphasizes that we are led by the indwelling Holy Spirit, not by stringent 'thou shalt' and 'thou shalt not' demands. Furthermore, Les points out that while believers are free from the law's condemnation and its death penalty for infractions, God still deals with sin. In Clip 7, he says, 'If we sin, if we fail, we're not going to be utterly chastised or cast out, but God is going to deal with us in love' and 'He's going to discipline when we fail.' Thus grace does not mean we can sin without consequences; it means God's dealings with us are grounded in love and discipline rather than the law's stoning penalties. In summary, Les's teaching is that grace frees us from the law's system and its demands, but it never grants permission to sin. Instead, grace changes our desires and empowers us to live righteously through the Holy Spirit.
What Does the Bible Really Say About Obeying Government?
to do? Well, we've got to pay some taxes. Now I don't believe we have to pay as much as we are, but nevertheless government does need tax money. It's the only way they can operate. And so this is what He means here then, when He says for this cause, because of all the things that God intends government to do, for this cause you pay tribute.
The Disciples' Prayer Explained: Matthew 6 Verse by Verse
Shall we sin, or in other words, exercise our liberty? Shall we sin because we are not under the Law, but under Grace? And God forbid. But do you see the differences there? You're not under Law, you're under Grace. And the whole book of Galatians is written to prove that very fact, that under Grace the Law has no power over us.
Why Grace Is Not a License to Sin — Romans 6 Explained
If you explain to some curiosity seeker that the grace of God is greater than all our sin, that we're not under any demands of the law, we're living under grace, they'll shake their head and say, well, then you're telling me you can do whatever you wanna do and God's grace will take care of it? No, I've never taught that.
The Wages of Sin vs. the Gift of God — Romans 6:23 Explained
They are not a set of doctrines, and we're not under them as Israel was, and all of their legalistic priesthood and their sacrifice and so forth. That's what Paul is referring to. We're not under that legalistic system. We're under grace, and that's as different as daylight is from dark.
The Disciples' Prayer Explained: Matthew 6 Verse by Verse
I am amazed how many people right here in the Bible Belt have no concept of the difference between Law and Grace. I'm not kidding, they don't know that there's any difference, but there's as much difference between Law and Grace as there is between pitch midnight and high noon sunlight. Now look at what Paul says in Romans chapter 6, verse 14.
What Must I Do to Be Saved? Acts 2 vs. Acts 16 Explained
As soon as we realize we're a sinner, we heard the gospel and the Holy Spirit opened our understanding and we believed it. The moment we believe the gospel, the Holy Spirit comes in, He becomes God's brand upon us, He becomes the very power of God within us, and that's why I can not under law, we're under grace. Now that doesn't mean we become lawless.
What the Bible Really Says About the Lord's Table — 1 Corinthians 10:16
I never imply that we are now free to do as we please. Oh God forbid! You know I�ve said it over and over, grace is not license. And so here again he�s making it so plain. Yes there is no law that forbids him from doing anything, because he�s not under the law. But not all things are good for him, and so consequently he�s not going to do whatever he thinks he�s free to do.
What Does It Mean to Present Your Body as a Living Sacrifice?
I plead with you. In other words, is Paul by inspiration laying down a command that you will or else? See this is the difference, and we're going to see it now in another word in a little bit. This is the difference between grace and law. Law said, pick up sticks on the Sabbath day, and what's the result? Death by stoning. Now we're not under that.
Watch the Teaching: What Does the Bible Really Say About Obeying Government?