Law and Grace are completely different: under Grace, sin no longer has dominion because believers are not under the Law but under Grace.
Romans 6:14 plainly states that sin shall not have dominion over believers because they are not under the law but under grace. Romans 6:15 then answers the objection that grace permits sin with 'God forbid.' Les Feldick teaches that this is as different as daylight from dark, and that grace is not license.
Romans 6:14 — Paul directly states that sin shall not have dominion because believers are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:15 — Paul anticipates the objection that grace permits sin and answers with 'God forbid.'
The contrast between Law and Grace is stated most directly in Romans chapter 6. The Apostle Paul writes, 'For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.' The next verse immediately addresses the natural objection: 'What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.' In the King James Version, Paul's answer to continuing in sin under grace is emphatic: God forbid.
Les Feldick has repeatedly told his classes that most people have never heard there is a difference between Law and Grace, and he says there is 'all the difference in the world.' He describes the change as coming out of the darkness of legalism and stepping into the light of God's grace. Grace, he says, is unmerited favor: nothing we could do counts with God; it is all based on what Christ has done on our behalf. For Les, being under grace means we are no longer under the ritual, stipulations, and demands of the Law of Israel. The old Adamic nature—what Paul calls 'sin' in Romans 6:14—no longer has dominion. He is careful to say that this does not give permission to sin: 'Grace is not license.' When Romans 6:15 asks, 'Shall we sin?,' Les reads the KJV answer 'God forbid' as 'banish the thought.' He also teaches that God's mind on sin has not changed; what was abominable under the Law is still abominable under Grace, but the believer's relationship to God is completely different.
The strongest verse is Romans 6:15, which asks, 'What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.' Les Feldick says grace does not mean we can just do as we please or sin as we please. He emphasizes repeatedly that grace is not license, and he paraphrases 'God forbid' as 'banish the thought.' Although believers are not under the Law, God's mind on sin has not changed.
Les identifies the word 'sin' in Romans 6:14 as the old Adam, or the old sin nature. He says that old nature shall not have dominion over believers because they are not under the Law but under Grace. The old Adam is dead; it no longer rules. This is part of the difference between Law and Grace that he wants his audience to see.
Les describes the Law as a legalistic system with ritual and stipulations, priesthood, sacrifices, and demands. He says believers are not under those things. Grace, by contrast, is unmerited favor: nothing we do counts with God; it is all based on what He has done. He calls the difference 'as different as daylight is from dark.'
Les contrasts the Law's penalty with grace's response. Under the Law, picking up sticks on the Sabbath meant death by stoning. Now, if believers sin or fail, they will not be utterly chastised or cast out. Les says God will deal with them in love, disciplining them if they do not respond, moving from one level of discipline to another. He then points believers to Galatians 5:1 to stand fast in liberty and not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
The Disciples' Prayer Explained: Matthew 6 Verse by Verse
was speaking, and he rehearsed when he was young that the particular denomination of which he was then an active member did not agree to the Second Coming or the Kingdom or anything like that. But as a young man he went in to his pastor one day, and he showed him verse 4. And he said, that doesn't mean what it says. So he said, I was young enough, I didn't raise any argument, so I left.
Law vs. Grace Is Like Daylight and Dark
Les teaches that there is all the difference in the world between law and grace, comparing it to coming from darkness into light. He defines grace as unmerited favor based entirely on what God has done.
Grace Is Not License
Les points his audience again to Romans 6:14 and says believers are not under the ritual and stipulations of the Law of Israel. He then repeats that grace is not license.
Law's Penalty Contrasted With Grace's Discipline
Les uses the Sabbath-stoning penalty from the Law to show that believers under grace are not under that death penalty. Instead, God deals with failures in love and discipline, and he directs readers to Galatians 5:1.
The Old Adam No Longer Rules
Les teaches that the 'sin' of Romans 6:14 is the old Adamic nature, which is dead and no longer has dominion because believers are under grace rather than law.
Not Under the Legalistic System
Les says believers are not under Israel's legalistic priesthood, sacrifice, and legal system, and that being under grace is totally different. He paraphrases 'God forbid' in Romans 6:15 as 'banish the thought.'
God's Mind on Sin Has Not Changed
Les repeats that grace is not a license and says God's mind on sin has not changed, even though believers are not under the Law.
The Law Has No Effect Under Grace
Les calls Romans 6:14 the clearest statement that sin shall not have dominion because believers are not under law. He concludes that if we are not under the law, it does not have any effect on us.
Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
This verse is the central proof-text Les Feldick uses to explain the difference between Law and Grace.
Romans 6:15: What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
This verse addresses the immediate objection that Grace might permit sin, and Paul answers 'God forbid.'
Galatians 5:1: Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Les turns to this verse after contrasting Law's penalty with Grace's discipline, stressing the believer's liberty.
No. Romans 6:15 asks that exact question and answers 'God forbid.' Les Feldick says grace is not license, and Paul's phrase could be paraphrased 'banish the thought.'
He uses 'old Adam' as another name for the old sin nature that is passed down from Adam. He teaches that this old Adamic nature no longer has dominion over believers because they are not under the law but under grace.
Les says believers are not under the ritual and stipulations of the Law of Israel, nor under its legalistic priesthood and sacrifices. We are under grace, which is as different as daylight is from dark.
Yes. Les says God's mind on sin has not changed—the things He told Israel not to do are still abominable to Him. But believers are not under the Law's penalty; God deals with them in love and discipline.
Watch the Teaching: The Disciples' Prayer Explained: Matthew 6 Verse by Verse