The person who makes this statement is taking Romans 6:14 completely out of its context. Chapter six of Romans is actually teaching that grace demands that we cease sin! (Romans 6:1-2). Since grace has freed us from sin, we must no longer live in it. Romans 6:17-18 states that since we are no longer slaves to sin, we have now become slaves to righteousness.
In Paul’s discussion of law and grace in Romans 3, he states in verse 31, “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” It is foolish to say that once we are under grace we are no longer under any law. If we were no longer under a law we would not need grace, because where there is no law there is no sin (Romans 4:15). When Paul in Romans 6:14 states that we are not under law, he is referring to a system of law as opposed to a system of grace or faith. Under a system of law one would have to live perfectly in order to be saved (Romans 3:20; 4:1-4). Under such a system sin would have dominion over us because we would have no means of escaping it once we sinned. But sin does not have dominion over us under a system of faith/grace because our salvation is based on forgiveness not perfection. When we sin, we can turn to God in confession and faith and thus always be able to escape sin’s power. However, such “good news” in no way gives us a license to sin. In fact, it is that very doctrine that Jude condemned in Jude 4 when he said that ungodly men “turn the grace of our God into licentiousness.” Grace demands us to cease from sin.
Possibly related:
- I realize that God was strict in the Old Testament and even struck people dead, but now through Christ, God is far more lenient.
- You speak of having to obey God on the basis of “commands, examples, and necessary inferences.” Where did you come up with that idea?
- I can’t believe God is as picky as you make Him out to be. If we love Him and are sincere it doesn’t matter if we do everything exactly the way the Bible says.