A lawless person is one who refuses to submit to and obey the laws of God. People in the world clearly fit into this category, but there are many believers that are living lawless lives and even using grace to justify it. You will hear things from these believers like, “I’m not under law but grace.”

Addressing the first thought, “we are not under the law but under grace,” we first need to zoom out and realize we cannot pick and choose our favorite bible verses while ignoring the rest of scripture. People have gone into terrible error over the centuries because of their refusal to look at the whole counsel of scripture. If we interpret this statement Paul wrote to mean that we are no longer required to obey the law, then what do we make of Paul continually warning us that if we continue to break God’s law and sin, then we damn ourselves, and will certainly not inherit the kingdom of God.

“You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don’t you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunks, slanderers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ISV)

“You must realize, however, that in the last days difficult times will come. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unfeeling, uncooperative, slanderous, degenerate, brutal, hateful of what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, and lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.” (2 Timothy 3:1-4 ISV)

“But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these things are not fitting for the saints. Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting, all of which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:3-6)

Many if not all of these sins Paul mentioned can be found in the law of God. They are commandments we as children of God are to live by. Paul here clearly outlines many works of darkness that will damn us if we persistently continue in them, and because of these things he says, “the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.” As you can see the law is still binding.

“Whoever sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4)

We have been given a concrete definition of the word sin – it’s to break God’s law. Some would say, it means to miss the mark, but what is the mark we to not miss? John the Apostle says that it’s the law. We need to be clear in our definition else we are going to build a house of cards that will come toppling down.

People act is if the law is bad, but the truth is that we are bad and are unable to keep it unless we are in a relationship with God.

“So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.” (Romans 7:12)

Before the Holy Spirit was given, the law was external to the heart of men. It was not in their nature to do those things which please God, but after the cross when we are born again, God writes His law, yes LAW on our hearts, therefore enabling us to keep it, because it has become our nature and desire to do so. It has been encoded in our spiritual DNA to not lie, cheat, steal, fornicate, swear, gossip and so on. We have a received a new nature that urges us to be honest, self-controlled, humble, clean spoken, faithful to our spouses, and the many other fruits of godliness that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives.

Now how could Paul urge us to obey the commandments of God throughout his writings, and in those same writings, tell us that we are not under the law? Clearly he must have had a different definition for, “not under the law,” than the one many people have concluded.

Paul was constantly writing about living moral lives, and the long list of “sins” he mentions throughout his letters to the churches, can be found in the old testament as commandments that God required mankind to abide by. Think about it, sin equals breaking the law, that is the biblical definition. Now if there is no law as some people say, then there is no sin, and if there is no sin then no one is guilty, so what in the world was Jesus dying for? No law, no need for grace, no need for grace, no need for Jesus. He didn’t die so we can keep breaking the law, but so that we can be set free from our lawlessness and live a holy life.

“Do we make void the law by faith, no, we establish it.” (Romans 3:31)

What Paul is doing is using the word “Law” as a metaphor of the old covenant, and “Grace” as the new. He is saying you are not under that old external order in which the law is written on stone, but not on your heart. Rather you are under grace: the law has been inscribed within your heart, and you live under the direct influence and power of the Holy Spirit. The old was external, while the new is internal.

With this understanding, verses such as these, start to make a little more sense.

“For sin shall have no power over you because you are not under the law, but under grace. What then shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid!” (Romans 6:14-15)

Now would it be logical to say sin (law breaking) will not have power over us because we don’t have to keep the law anymore? That makes no sense! Paul makes it clear that not being under the law doesn’t mean we don’t have to keep it, on the contrary he says, “What then shall we sin (break the law), because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid!”

If we see law and grace as symbolic of the two covenants, then this confusing passage starts to make more sense.

“For sin (law breaking) shall have no power over you, because you are not under the law (old covenant), but under grace (new covenant).”

How did the old covenant operate? The law was external not written on mens heart’s, and no one had the Holy Spirit. Now with the new covenant it’s completely switched. The law is in our hearts and the Spirit of God has possessed us with Himself. Now because of this new system we can do what the law demands. Never before in history was this possible until after the cross. Before we were filled with the Holy Ghost it was impossible to keep the law, now to some extent it’s near effortless. It’s who we are now, we live holy because we are holy.

Anomia

Christ warned that there will come a time when people will reject the law. Obviously this has been the norm for thousands of years, rebels have been in every generation. But what we are seeing now in these last days, is believers that have constructed a doctrine of false grace that throws away the law of God and tramples it.

“And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because of lawlessness the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:11-12)

The greek word here for “lawlessness,” is “anomia,” meaning, “the condition of without law.” (see Strong’s G458) “A” meaning against or without, and “nomia” meaning the law. This is where we get the term “antinomian.” The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines an “antinomian” as, “One who holds that under the gospel dispensation of grace, the moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation.”

Basically an antinomian says that because we are saved by grace through faith, that there is no reason to keep the law of God. We are no longer obligated to obey it because faith alone is necessary for salvation. Now I don’t need to go into detail of why that is completely wrong, I have already elaborated on that sufficiently. But this is exactly what many churches are preaching, “just believe, you’re not under the law, faith alone saves, the law is legalism, you’re under grace, the law was old covenant, etc etc.” But doesn’t it alarm you that this is the biblical definition of lawlessness? This is not true grace but a perversion of the gospel.

Now with all of this in mind let’s get back to Jesus’ prophecy,

“And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because of lawlessness the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:11-12)

Jesus is actually prophesying of a time when there will be a great falling away. The word “love” in this verse is agape, meaning God’s love. The world doesn’t have God’s love living in them, only born again believer’s can have that kind of love within. This is speaking of the love of God in believers growing ice cold, because they refuse to obey the law of God. They reject it for one reason or another, and therefore fall away. Perhaps they are led away by their own sinful desires, or perhaps they are deceived by a message of grace that has been twisted and distorted.

Could it be that the “grace” many churches are teaching is actually lawlessness? That we are teaching people to reject the law by calling it religious and legalistic? We should be extremely sober in this matter because Jesus Himself has warned us before hand about this coming deception and has given us a strong warning to not slip into this snare of the enemy by rejecting His law, and living a rebellious life.