Being 'not under the law but under grace' means the old Adamic sin nature no longer rules the believer, because the believer has been set free from the law's dominion and now lives under God's unmerited favor.
Romans 6:14 states this plainly: 'For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.' Les Feldick explains that 'sin' here refers to the old Adamic nature—the inherited sin nature from Adam—which no longer has dominion over the believer. Grace does not mean license; Paul and Les both emphasize that the answer to 'shall we sin because we are not under the law?' is 'God forbid.'
Romans 6:14 — This is the exact verse that says the believer is not under the law but under grace and that sin no longer has dominion.
Romans 6:14 (KJV) states: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." This verse makes a direct connection between the believer's relationship to the law and the ruling power of sin. When the believer is no longer under the law, sin is no longer to have dominion. Paul immediately anticipates a possible misunderstanding in Romans 6:15 (KJV): "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." The Scriptures therefore explicitly reject the idea that living under grace gives permission to sin.
Les Feldick emphasizes that Romans 6:14 is the clearest verse about law and grace. He repeatedly points out that the word 'sin' in this context refers not merely to individual wrongdoings, but to the old Adam, the old sin nature inherited from Adam (Clips 1, 3, 5, 6). This old nature, he says, 'shall not have dominion over you'—meaning it no longer has control, a reigning rule, or a position of rule over the believer. He also makes an emphatic distinction between law and grace, saying that there is as much difference between them as between pitch midnight and high noon, or daylight and dark (Clips 2, 3). 'Grace,' he defines, is unmerited favor; nothing a person can do counts with God, because it is all based on what God has done (Clip 3). At the same time, Les repeatedly warns, 'Grace is not license' (Clips 4, 7). Being under grace does not mean a person can do as he pleases, and Paul's 'God forbid' in Romans 6:15 is the answer to that thought (Clip 7). Les explains that believers are no longer under 'the ritual and stipulations of the Law of Israel' or 'the demands of Judaism'—that system has been set aside—but God's mind on sin has not changed (Clips 4, 7).
In Romans 6:14, the phrase 'sin shall not have dominion over you' points to the old Adamic nature, the sin nature inherited from Adam. Les Feldick says this old nature 'shall not have dominion over you'—it no longer has control or a reigning rule over the believer. He also says 'he's dead,' meaning the old sin nature is no longer in the ruling position. The reason for this is the second half of the verse: 'for ye are not under the law, but under grace.'
No. Les Feldick states plainly that 'grace is not license.' Paul himself raises the very question in Romans 6:15: 'What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.' Les builds on this, explaining that being under grace does not mean a person can just do as he pleases. While the believer is no longer under 'the ritual and stipulations of the Law of Israel,' God's opinion of sin has not changed.
Les describes law and grace as two completely different concepts—as different as pitch midnight and high noon sunlight. The law, he says, was a demanding burden; under grace, the believer is no longer under the Law of Moses or the demands of Judaism. Grace is God's unmerited favor: nothing a person can do counts with God; it is all based on what God has done on the believer's behalf. Yet this does not lead to license, because Paul's immediate response in Romans 6:15 is 'God forbid.'
The Wages of Sin vs. the Gift of God — Romans 6:23 Explained
and consequently, this is why you'll see our folk here with a coffee cup after a while. And I always like to inform the television audience that we tape four of these programs in succession on one afternoon, and so consequently, we'll be taking a break after a little bit, and we'll have a coffee break, and the next program, you'll see the coffee cups on the table.
What Romans 6:14 Really Means
Les explains that the believer is no longer under the demanding burden of the law but is now under grace, so sin no longer has dominion.
The Difference Between Law and Grace
Les says law and grace are as different as pitch midnight and high noon sunlight, and quotes Romans 6:14 as the clearest statement.
The Old Adamic Nature and Grace
Les connects 'for sin' to the old Adamic nature and defines grace as unmerited favor, contrasting it with the darkness of legalism.
Grace Is Not License
Les clarifies that being under grace means not being under the ritual and stipulations of the Law of Israel, while also insisting grace is not license.
Grace Saves Plus Nothing
Les explains that the old Adamic nature no longer has control because the believer is under grace, and that grace saves on the basis of believing the gospel plus nothing.
The Old Sin Nature Is Dead
Les says the old sin nature 'shall not have dominion' and pictures it as dead, no longer ruling the believer because he is not under the law.
God's Mind on Sin Hasn't Changed
Les shows that Romans 6:15 answers the 'shall we sin?' question with 'God forbid,' and stresses that grace is not a license to sin.
Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
This is the core verse that defines what it means to be under grace rather than under law.
Romans 6:15: What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Paul's immediate rejection of the idea that grace permits sin.
According to Les Feldick, it refers to the old Adamic nature—the inherited sin nature from Adam. That nature is no longer to rule over the believer because the believer is not under the law but under grace.
No. Les Feldick is emphatic that grace is not license. Paul's question in Romans 6:15—'Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace?'—is answered with 'God forbid.' Being under grace does not mean a person can do as he pleases.
Because they are two totally different concepts. Les compares the difference to pitch midnight versus high noon sunlight. The believer is not under the ritual and stipulations of the Law of Israel; rather, the believer is under God's unmerited favor—grace.
Watch the Teaching: The Wages of Sin vs. the Gift of God — Romans 6:23 Explained