The law of Christ is the Spirit's inward work that produces love-driven obedience, not the Ten Commandments, which were given to make sin known.
Paul speaks of the 'law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus' making the believer free from the law of sin and death, and of delighting in the law of God in the inward man. Les Feldick says this inward man is where Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit dwells. By contrast, he teaches the Ten Commandments only served to show man his sin; believers are now under grace, not under law.
Romans 8:2 — Directly names the law of the Spirit of life in Christ, the closest scriptural anchor to the 'law of Christ.'
Romans 6:14 — Shows the believer is under grace, not under law.
Romans 7:22 — Describes delighting in God's law in the inward man, which Les identifies with the indwelling Christ.
Romans 3:20 — Explains the purpose of the law was to bring the knowledge of sin.
Scripture presents the law in more than one way. Paul writes, 'For I delight in the law of God after the inward man' (Romans 7:22). He also writes, 'For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death' (Romans 8:2). In Romans 6:14 he says, 'For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.' Paul also describes the purpose of the Ten Commandments: 'Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin' (Romans 3:20). These verses show a distinction between the inward law of God in Christ and the written law that reveals sin.
While Les doesn't use the exact phrase 'law of Christ' verbatim in these clips, he explains it as the law of God operating in the believer through the indwelling Spirit and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ. He teaches that the believer is no longer under the Ten Commandments as a rule of duty but under grace. The law of God now operates in the inward man because Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit lives within the believer (Clip 0). Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments—the Sabbath being the one not repeated—but obedience is now from a heart of love rather than by outward command (Clips 1, 4). Law and grace are as different as midnight and noon, and under grace sin does not have dominion because the believer has the Spirit of life in Christ (Clips 3, 5, 6). The Ten Commandments themselves were never meant to save; their only purpose was to show man his sin and the nature of old Adam (Clip 7).
Les explains that the word 'law' is sometimes used as a fact of everyday living, such as the law of gravity. In Romans 8:2, Paul says, 'For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.' Les connects this with Romans 7:22, where Paul delights in the law of God after the inward man. That inward man, Les says, is Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit dwelling within the believer and giving victory over old Adam.
Les teaches that under grace, believers are not commanded 'thou shalt' from outside; instead, obedience comes from a heart of love. Paul never says believers are free to break the commandments. He repeats nine of the Ten Commandments in the New Testament, and the only one he does not repeat is the Sabbath. When love is operating, the believer doesn't commit adultery, doesn't kill, doesn't bear false witness, and doesn't covet. Love is the fulfilling of the law, and the believer is not under the law but under grace.
Les states that the law has only one purpose in Scripture: by the law is the knowledge of sin. The Ten Commandments simply showed old Adam how he really operates—bent toward idolatry, envy, theft, and the like. That is all the law was intended to do; it was never meant to save a person.
The Inward Law of God
Les explains that in Romans 7:22 'the inward man' means Christ through the Holy Spirit dwelling inside the believer, and that the law of God is delighted in there—not merely the Ten Commandments.
Nine Commandments and the Heart of Love
Les says under grace the believer automatically keeps the law from a heart of love, and Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments—only the Sabbath is not reissued.
Liberty and Love Not Threat
Les contrasts law's death penalty with grace's liberty: a believer who fails is not stoned but may be disciplined in love.
Law as Fact and Law of the Spirit
Les says 'law' can mean a fact of life, like gravity, and uses Romans 8:2 to show the law of the Spirit of life in Christ frees the believer from the law of sin and death.
Love Is the Fulfilling of the Law
Les shows that love, not commandment, fulfills the law, and that Paul repeated nine commandments—the Sabbath being the only one not repeated.
Daylight and Dark
Les says law and grace are as different as daylight and dark; under grace, old Adam has no dominion.
Two Totally Different Concepts
Les states law and grace are as different as midnight and noon, quoting Romans 6:14 to show believers are not under law but under grace.
The Law's Sole Purpose
Les teaches the law's only purpose is to define sin and show the old Adam's nature; it can't save.
Romans 7:22: For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Shows the believer's delight in God's law is located in the inward man, where Christ dwells.
Romans 8:2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Directly describes the liberating law of the Spirit of life in Christ.
Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Explains that grace, not the law, is the believer's operating principle.
Romans 3:20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
States the purpose of the law: to reveal sin, not to justify.
No. Les teaches that the believer's delight in God's law comes from the inward man where Christ dwells, while the Ten Commandments were the standard that brought the knowledge of sin. Paul repeats nine of the Ten under grace but not the Sabbath, and the believer is not under that law.
No. Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments and never says believers are free to break them. Under grace, obedience is expected from a heart of love rather than by outward commandment.
Les teaches the law's only purpose is to reveal sin—to show man that he is naturally bent toward idolatry, envy, theft, and so on. The law was never given to save a person.
Watch the Teaching: Why Every Believer Still Struggles With Sin — Romans 7:15-25