If Christians aren’t supposed to keep the Law, can we go ahead and sin?

by Matt Slick

Christians are not supposed to keep the law for the purpose of gaining or maintaining salvation.  Christians are saved from the wrath of God by the work of Christ on the cross (Rom. 5:9; 1 Cor. 15:1-4), by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8), and not by works of the law (Romans 3:28).  Additionally, Romans 7:6 says, "But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter."  So, we are not obligated to keep the law in order to be saved.

However, we are not free to go out and sin just because we're no longer under the law.  Romans 6:1-2 says, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?"  So, Paul is telling us that we are not to continue to sin.  Likewise, he says in Galatians 5:13, "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."  These two verses clearly tell us that we are to avoid sin.  In fact, to use the grace of God in order to sin, is itself a sin.

Jesus said in Matthew 22:36-40, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”  He also said in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."  We can see from these verses that we are supposed to love God and love our neighbors.  Since Jesus said that to love God and to love our neighbors is the fulfillment of the law, then by loving God and our neighbors, we will "accidentally" fulfill the law.

If we are to love, then we are to avoid sin.  So, even though Christians aren't supposed to keep the law (in order to be saved), we are supposed to keep it by loving God and loving each other.  Also, we use the Law as a guide by which we can know what is right and wrong in a more precise manner.  

We are not supposed to go ahead and sin.  Jesus died on the cross to save us from ourselves, not to enable us to sin.