Romans 6

How do people of grace live? There is a dangerous misuse of the gospel that would turn God's grace into an excuse for sin. This error goes something like this: "We know that we are saved by God's grace alone, and not by our obedience to the Law. Because of this, our obedience really does not make any difference. In fact the more we sin, the more God forgives. Why not just keep on sinning? Wouldn't that just lead to more and more grace from God?" It is possible that this line of argument did not come as much from friends of the gospel as from the enemies of Paul's message. There were some who were perhaps claiming that this was the logical result of Paul's teaching, which they considered to be too loose on the matter of the Law. "This Paul is so insistent in bringing the message of grace to people, that it's like he is deliberately encouraging people to sin. Is that the way he thinks that they will experience more of God's grace?"

Of course this was not Paul's message at all. He answers this potential objection in several ways. First, he says that those who are in Christ are ceremonially and covenantally dead to sin. We have been baptized into Christ Jesus. Our water baptism is a sacrament of union with our Savior. We are united with Him in His obedience, His sufferings, His death, His burial, His resurrection, His ascension, His life now in heaven, and His return again at the last day. How can we who are united with Him in this great and full way think it somehow OK to sin? We should think of our old sin nature as buried in the tomb, so that we might live the new resurrection life of godliness.

Furthermore, this union is more than ceremonial, and more than even an ethical obligation. We who are connected to him truly in His death for us, will also be connected with Him in the reality of resurrection life. We will enjoy life with Him in the present heaven and in the resurrection age to come. After our mortal life in this age is completed, we will no longer have any experience with sin in any way. Our destiny is a life of the fullest righteousness that God has intended for His beloved people. Therefore, it makes no sense for us to insist on clinging to sin now.

There is an old way of life that needs to be rejected. It is the way that we once lived. That old way, even our old self, has been crucified with Christ. We are alive now in the new man that is God's gift to us. This new man is not seeking sin, so once again, the lifestyle of sin makes no sense for us. Sin made perfect sense for people who were servants of Satan. It is no part of the good life for those who are servants of Christ and righteousness. People may yet imagine that they are living as free people when they pursue a course of sin, but they are not. They are servants of a horrible master who has no real care for their well-being. When we are released from those old chains, why should we continue to serve the cruel enemy who only hated us? That is not the way of true freedom. It is only the way of a vicious lie, a painful bondage masquerading as the delight of our own choice. Christ is the Master who died for us. To serve Him is the only way of real freedom.

Think of this fact as well: Christ conquered sin and death for us once for all time. He is not returning to die ever again. We should never return to the ways of death either. To return to a life of sin is to let sin have a place in our lives where it no longer has any rightful business. Sin is not permitted to come and harass the bride of Christ. We want no illicit affair with one who was such a false friend and destructive lover in former days. We are no longer named with his wretched name. We are living under the banner of blood-bought grace, and have been named with that Name above every name, the great Name of Jesus, the Son of God.

The way of grace is the way of happy obedience to the Champion who has claimed us for His own. It is ours to be His fruitful bride, and to reject immoral entanglements with any pretend heroes that would lead us against the Almighty God. Now every part of our body has been given to our perfect Husband for His glorious enjoyment. He wants only what is the highest good, and will be pleased to make us fruitful in our love to Him. Anyone who might have strange notions of the false romance of the old ways of evil should give careful consideration to the fruit that came to us in our past days of sin. Do we want to give birth to evil, condemnation, and death? We best stay away from those former entanglements, because these are the children that they give: evil, condemnation, and death. We have a bountiful free gift from God purchased by the death of Christ that will surely lead to the glory of eternal life. Shall we continue in sin? Is this the way that we would use the grace of God? Of course not! Only the enemies of real grace would make such an absurd claim.