What it means to be, “under the Law"
One of the clearest passages explaining what it means to be “under the law” is found in Galatians 4:1–5. Let’s explore it to uncover Paul’s meaning:
“Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
(2) But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
(3) Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
(4) But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
(5) To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
(Galatians 4:1–5)
Bondage to Law: A Childhood Illustration
Paul uses a practical illustration: even if a child is heir to everything, he still lives under strict supervision—tutors and governors—until a set time. He may legally be “lord of all,” but practically, he's under restriction. Paul says, “Even so we…”—this is key. He's applying the metaphor to God’s people: spiritually immature, living under law-based guidance, governed externally rather than internally.
The “bondage under the elements of the world” doesn’t imply that the law was evil or harmful. Just as a child benefits from supervision, God’s people benefited from the law while they were still spiritually immature. These "elements"—rules and ceremonies—focused on external behavior, not inner transformation.
Bondage Doesn't Always Mean Evil
In 1 Corinthians 7:15, Paul writes:
“But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases...”
Here, “bondage” simply means being bound to a legal obligation—not something inherently bad. It emphasizes external duty, not heart-based action. In the same way, being “under the law” means being under a system that governs conduct through written rules and consequences.
Why “Elements of the World”?
Why would Paul describe God-given laws as “elements of the world”? Because these laws regulated outward conduct, not inner transformation. They focused on physical acts (rituals, sacrifices, feast days, external morality), and not the inner life of the spirit. The system could regulate behavior but could not give life.
This doesn’t mean the law was bad—it was never meant to save. It served a different purpose:
“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”
(Galatians 3:24–25)
The law was a temporary guardian to guide us until we could receive the Spirit of Christ. Once faith has come, we graduate from this system.
From Law to Spirit: A Change in Government
To be “under the law” means to be under a system of external governance—a code of conduct enforced from the outside. But under the new covenant, we are governed from within by the Holy Spirit:
“But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”
(Galatians 5:18)
Paul outlines two forms of government:
- The Law – for spiritual children; external, rigid, rule-based.
- The Spirit – for mature sons and daughters; internal, relational, transformational.
We’re not just following better rules—we’ve received a new life. We act righteously not because we're told to, but because the Spirit writes the law on our hearts (Heb. 8:10). We are “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), no longer needing external rules to keep us in line.
The Supernatural Difference
To walk in the Spirit is to live by a supernatural life—Christ in us. This is not natural to human experience. We’ve long been taught that morality comes by law, but the gospel offers a far deeper truth: a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek. 36:26). Christ Himself becomes our righteousness. This is grace—not merely forgiveness, but divine transformation.
“When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son... to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
(Galatians 4:4–5)
Summary
Being “under the law” means being governed externally by rules because of spiritual immaturity.
The law was never designed to give life—it was a guardian leading us to Christ.
The new covenant replaces external law with internal transformation through the Spirit.
Christians live by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:2), not the law of commandments.
We’re no longer under guardians—we are sons, led by the Spirit, empowered to live righteously from the inside out.
“But now we are delivered from the law… that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”
(Romans 7:6)
Let us rejoice that we are no longer under tutors, but children of God, transformed by the living presence of Christ within.