Misuse of Galatians 5:18 and Romans 8:1 to Justify Disobedience to God’s Commandments
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Disclaimer... I use AI to get a more accurate / authoritative & quicker rebuttal to your simple misused statements.)
The two verses you quoted are frequently
taken out of context to promote a dangerous error: the claim that a believer can continue deliberately breaking God’s Ten Commandments, yet still possess “the righteousness of Christ,” remain “not under the law,” enjoy “no condemnation,” and
yet be fully saved and fit for heaven. This teaching is a form of
antinomianism (lawlessness) that turns the grace of Christ into
a license to sin. It directly contradicts the biblical call to full surrender, moral accountability, and the commandment-keeping life that breaks the sin-repentance-return cycle and prepares one for the Pre-Advent Judgment.
The Verses in Their True KJV Context
Here are the verses exactly as they appear in the King James Version, with the immediate context that exposes the misuse:
- Galatians 5:18 (KJV): “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”
Paul’s point is not that the moral law (the Ten Commandments) has been abolished or that believers may now break it. The entire chapter contrasts the works of the flesh (which violate the law—see verses 19-21: adultery, idolatry, hatred, etc.) with the fruit of the Spirit (which fulfills the law—love, joy, peace, etc., verse 22-23). Paul had already said in verse 16: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Being “led by the Spirit” means the Holy Spirit empowers obedience so that the believer is no longer under the law’s condemnation or curse as a means of justification. The law itself remains the perfect standard of righteousness.
- Romans 8:1 (KJV): “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
The crucial qualifying phrase (often omitted when the verse is misused) makes it clear: no condemnation belongs only to those who are walking after the Spirit, not after the flesh. The very next verses confirm this: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death… That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:2, 4, KJV). Grace does not set aside the law; it writes the law in the heart and empowers obedience.
Supporting Bible verses that destroy the “continue-in-sin” argument include:
- Romans 6:1-2 (KJV): “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.”
- Romans 6:14-15 (KJV): “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye 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.”
- 1 John 3:4 (KJV): “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
- Revelation 22:14 (KJV): “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life…”
These passages prove that genuine saving faith produces obedience, not lawlessness.
The Adventist Pioneers
The early Adventist pioneers, especially E. J. Waggoner (in his 1891
Signs of the Times article “Under the Law”), directly refuted the misuse of Galatians 5:18. He wrote that antinomians “very rarely quote this verse” because the context shows the law is still actively in force.
Those led by the Spirit are not under the law’s condemnation; those walking in the flesh are under it. Waggoner and A. T. Jones (with Ellen White’s full support in the 1888 Minneapolis message) taught that the moral law in Galatians is the Ten Commandments. Being “not under the law” means we are justified by faith alone, not that we are free to break the law. The pioneers insisted that true righteousness by faith always leads to commandment-keeping, never to continued transgression.
Ellen White’s Clear Teaching
Ellen White repeatedly warned against
twisting these very verses into an excuse for sin. In
The Great Controversy and
Selected Messages, she explains that “not under the law” and “no condemnation” refer to freedom from the law’s
penalty when we are in Christ by faith—yet the law remains the standard of judgment and the transcript of God’s character. She writes:
She directly addresses the error of
claiming Christ’s righteousness while living in known sin:
White ties this misuse directly to the Pre-Advent Judgment and assurance of salvation: only those whose faith produces a life of obedience (by the indwelling Spirit) will have their sins blotted out. Claiming “no condemnation” while walking after the flesh is presumption, not faith. The same Christ who forgives also cleanses and empowers us to overcome besetting sins—the very point emphasized in the sermon transcript you shared earlier.
Conclusion
Galatians 5:18 and Romans 8:1 do
not give anyone permission to continue breaking God’s commandments while claiming the righteousness of Christ and fitness for heaven. When rightly understood in the KJV and in the light of the full counsel of Scripture, they teach the opposite: the
Holy Spirit leads us into obedience so that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us. The Adventist pioneers and Ellen White stand united with the Bible in declaring that true saving faith always produces commandment-keeping by grace.
This is the same message of full surrender and daily abiding in Christ that breaks the sin cycle and gives genuine assurance. As in my above post states “No sin today is worth exchanging for eternal life.”
Come to Christ just as you are, claim His covering righteousness, and let the Spirit lead you into a life that honors every one of God’s commandments—until the day the books of the Pre-Advent Judgment close and you hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ~~ Blessed Evening Folks ~~ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
