H E is "under the law," under its condemnation, who is not in Christ. By nature all are under the law, for all have sinned. Rom. 3: 9, 19, 23. But he who by faith accepts Christ is justified, or counted righteous. His faith is counted for obedience. See Rom. 3: 21, 22; 4: 5-7; 5: 1. And because we have died to sin, and the sin is taken away, and righteousness is imputed, thru grace, sin has no dominion over us.
But what then? Does this give us the privilege of sinning, or breaking God's law? —Not at all; for if we turn again to sin, we become servants of sin, and are again under condemnation of law. We are made free from sin that Christ working thru us may keep the law. Rom. 8: 4; 1 John 5: 3. And this is Paul's argument all thru Romans 7. Married to the old man, we are the servants of sin, held in bondage by the law which we can never keep. But yielding ourselves to Christ, dying with Him by faith, the old man crucified and buried, we are delivered from the condemnation of the law, and are free to be married "to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." Rom. 7: 4.