Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Christ did not free us from our obligation to obey God's Law.
Did Christ free us from having to obey God's law? Absolutely not. Dr. Richard Averbeck correctly refers to such a notion as a "antinomian misconception." And for good reason. In his book, The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church, he writes, "To say that we are under no obligation to fulfill the standards of the law is to miss the point of passages like Romans 8:4, which states that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us who do not live according to the sinful nature, but according to the spirit. More can be seen in that context as well. For example, the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. The same spirit who inspired the writing of the Old Testament law in the first place works within us and among us to bring our hearts and therefore our lives into conformity to the law he inspired." So in line with new covenant prophecy, instead of freeing us from our obligation to obey the law, Paul declares that the Holy Spirit enables us to obey the Law.
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Christ did not free us from our obligation to obey God's Law.
Did Christ free us from having to obey God's law? Absolutely not. Dr. Richard Averbeck correctly refers to such a notion as a "antinomian misconception." And for good reason. In his book, The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church, he writes, "To say that we are under no obligation to fulfill the standards of the law is to miss the point of passages like Romans 8:4, which states that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us who do not live according to the sinful nature, but according to the spirit. More can be seen in that context as well. For example, the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. The same spirit who inspired the writing of the Old Testament law in the first place works within us and among us to bring our hearts and therefore our lives into conformity to the law he inspired." So in line with new covenant prophecy, instead of freeing us from our obligation to obey the law, Paul declares that the Holy Spirit enables us to obey the Law.
Subscribe to my newsletter: davidwilber.substack.com/subscribe
Check out more of my content on:
Personal website: davidwilber.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DavidWilberBlog
Amazon author page: amazon.com/author/davidwilber
Twitter: twitter.com/DavidWilberBlog
Instagram: instagram.com/davidwilberblog
