In Paul’s writings, he classes individuals into three different groups:
- Those without law
- Those under law
- Those under grace
By carefully examining his references to these three groups, we can determine the characteristics of those who composed each in Paul’s day and gain insight into who composes the corresponding groups today.
The first group we will examine that Paul spoke of were those “without law,” or apart from the law. He refers to them in two different places.
To the Romans, he wrote in Romans 2:12, “For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law.”
In I Corinthians 9:21, he refers again to those “without law,” noting that he became “to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.” Notice that he added a very important caveat: although he became “as without law” to more readily empathize with those without law, he understood that he remained “under law toward Christ.”
Before quoting this text in Gospel Workers, 117, Ellen White wrote, “The minister must not feel that the whole truth is to be spoken to unbelievers on any and every occasion. He should study carefully when to speak, what to say, and what to leave unsaid.”
She expressed much the same principle in The Southern Watchman, 76: “All zeal and earnestness are to be retained; but at the same time some features of our faith, if expressed, would, by the elements with which you have to deal, arouse prejudice at once.” The “elements with which you have to deal” are those who at the time are without law, who have not yet had that rebirth experience and who perhaps do not yet understand or feel their need of such an experience.
In Paul’s day, those without law were primarily pagans. They are referred to in the King James Version as strange, outlandish, or foreign, and in the New King James Version as pagan.
While such still exist today, there are some who would probably be quite upset if referred to by any of those terms, although their belief system is essentially the same as was that of the pagans in Paul’s day.
Individuals in this group are unregenerate (not reborn) rebels against God; in most instances, not only have these individuals not had the rebirth experience, they do not want that experience. There are several titles applied to such people today. One would be atheist.
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities of any nature or type. Most inclusively, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist at all.
Another term for those “without law” is Humanist.
According to Wikipedia, “When the first letter is capitalized, ‘Humanism’ describes the secular ideology that espouses reason, ethics, and justice, while specifically rejecting supernatural and religious ideas as a basis of morality and decision-making.” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/humanism)
Humanists believe that there is something inherent within the mind of human beings that somehow gives them the ability to be reasonable, ethical, and just without any external, objective yardstick. A simple review of any single day’s newspaper would reveal the folly of such an idea.
The second group are those whom Paul refers to as being under law. In Paul’s day, these were the Jews who professed to be doing God’s will while rejecting Christ. Paul describes himself as such prior to his Damascus road experience. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were among this group, as indeed were Christ’s disciples before their rebirth experience.
Today, we might call these people legalists. Though they profess to be doing God’s will, they are much like the children of Israel at Sinai: “All that the Lord has said we will do” (Exodus 19:8). They fail to realize that in and of themselves, they have no power to obey. Scripture frequently describes this class as wise, or the natural man. Clearly wisdom is a double-edged sword. There is indeed a divinely inspired wisdom, but there are also those who are wise in their own conceits, or more literally, wise within themselves. (See Romans 12:16.)
Paul goes further in his letter to the Galatians, noting that “every man who becomes circumcised … is a debtor to keep the whole law,” having “become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” Galatians 5:3, 4.
There is yet another aspect of being under law, perhaps more appropriate today—and more easily understood and applied—than was the usage that Paul made.
Undoubtedly in your travels you have at one time or another passed someone who had been stopped by a highway patrolman, sitting in his car as the patrolman was writing out a ticket for some violation of the traffic law. This individual was, at that time, under law. You, however, because you had not violated the law at that time, were not under such condemnation. Although you may have violated the law at some time in the past and either not been caught or had been caught and had paid the penalty, you were at this point in time under grace, having made restitution for your transgression.
As regards the violation of the moral law, however, there is no way the sinner can make restitution. Thus we need the grace of God, provided so abundantly and so freely by the sacrifice that Christ made when He laid aside His royal robe and assumed the nature of fallen man. When the sinner accepts that sacrifice as the propitiation for his sin, confesses, and repents, he immediately becomes a member of the third group Paul refers to—those under grace.
“In the matchless gift of His Son, God has encircled the whole world with an atmosphere of grace as real as the air which circulates around the globe. All who choose to breathe this life-giving atmosphere will live and grow up to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.” Steps to Christ, 68.
Those in this group could be from either pagan or Jewish backgrounds, but they have accepted Christ as the only “name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. KJV.
In Romans, Paul makes very clear what he means when he uses the term, “under grace”: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” Romans 6:14, 15.
Just as the obedient driver in the previous example is not free to violate the traffic laws with impunity, neither is the forgiven sinner free to live wantonly and hope to remain under grace. He immediately becomes under the condemnation of the law and in need of a Saviour when he commits transgression.
“When a sinner becomes sensible of the fact that only through Christ can he gain eternal life; when he realizes that obedience to God’s word is the condition of entrance into the kingdom of God; when he sees Christ as the propitiation for sin, he comes to the Saviour in humility and contrition, confessing his sins and seeking forgiveness. His soul is impressed with a sense of the majesty and glory of God. The blessedness of an eternal life of peace and joy and purity is felt so deeply that an entire surrender is made.” The Colporteur Evangelist, 68, 69.
Then, and only then, will the sinner find himself “under grace,” awaiting that glorious day when the kingdom of glory will be restored.
There is a natural progression toward the kingdom of glory outlined in Paul’s descriptions of these groups.
In the first stage of this progression, many live without regard to the great moral law, perhaps not even realizing that there is a moral authority, far more eternally significant than any law that man may write. The Holy Spirit is constantly appealing to these individuals, leading them to acknowledge the law that God has written on human hearts.
Once this acknowledgment occurs, many strive to keep this law through their own feeble efforts, falsely thinking that their legalistic obedience will merit their salvation. Those in this group fail to recognize that salvation is a free gift, secured to all through the sacrifice of Christ. They have put the proverbial cart before the horse, thinking that God will love and save them if they are obedient, rather than obeying because they realize the infinite love of God toward them. They do not recognize that true obedience springs from a desire to show love to God for the incredible gift that made salvation possible. “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
Once an individual realizes that it is impossible for him to keep the law through his own efforts, he flees to God in his weak and sinful state, pleading the blood of Christ as propitiation for his sins. Claiming Christ as his Saviour, he falls helpless at the foot of the cross, exclaiming as did Isaiah, “Woe is me, for I am undone (Isaiah 6:5). Job, Daniel, and Peter each had this same overwhelming experience when confronted with the pure sinlessness of Jesus. (See Job 42:6, Daniel 10:8, and Luke 5:8.)
“The nearer we come to Jesus, and the more clearly we discern the purity of His character, the more clearly shall we see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and the less shall we feel like exalting ourselves. Those whom Heaven recognizes as holy ones are the last to parade their own goodness. Men who have lived near to God, men who would sacrifice life itself rather than knowingly commit a wrong act, men whom God has honored with divine light and power, have confessed the sinfulness of their own nature. They have put no confidence in the flesh, have claimed no righteousness of their own, but have trusted wholly in the righteousness of Christ. So will it be with all who behold the Saviour.” The Youth’s Instructor, June 5, 1902.
These are they who have progressed successfully from being without law to that state of grace wherein they give thanks to God for the victory provided through Christ (I Corinthians 15:57).
“Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12).” Here are those who are prepared to enter into the glory of the Lord when He returns to gather His saints.
(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)
John Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. After retiring as chief financial officer for the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon, Arizona, he moved to Wichita, Kansas, to join the Steps team. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.