Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?

Romans 6 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Believers Are Dead to Sin, Alive to God

6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? ² May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; ⁷ for he who has died is freed from sin.

⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, ¹³ and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! ¹⁶ Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, ¹⁸ and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹ Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. ²² But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? Paul asks this question rhetorically and answers it emphatically. May it never be! Much of the church though has focused on the grace of God for so long that it has softened it’s message and it’s teaching regarding sin and righteousness. We should never take for granted or under value the grace of God. Grace is amazing. Grace is a free gift. In Lamentations 3:22-23, the writer doesn’t list grace but it could easily be added.   The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions (mercy and grace) never fail. ²³ They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.   God’s grace is amazing, free and unfailing but one thing it should not be is presumed upon.

Many unbelievers chief critique of the church or Christians is of the hypocrisy they see. As with any judgment of a group of people, it is unfair to say that all Christians are hypocrites. But it is understandable where this criticism comes from.

 In Luke 6:41-42, Jesus says:  "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.   

Far too often the world sees Christians as judgmental people, speaking out against the evils of society while living their own lives in sin. We need to remember again that it is to believers that Paul is writing this letter, this instruction and exhortation. It is believers who are called to:   

consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, ¹³ and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

It is believers, Christians who are called to righteous living, not to earn God’s grace but because of God’s grace. Our lives should be an example to the world not a stumbling block. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says:

 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

In a prayer time recently the Lord impressed the message from Luke 18:15-17  on me, it says:

And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."

I can’t help but to wonder and grieve at how often the church has, like the disciples, hindered God’s children from coming to Christ. We are called to preach the gospel. We are not to accept or tolerate sin and evil. Yet we need to have the balance that we can only have through Christ and the Holy Spirit, the balance that allows us like Jesus to love sinners and hate sin. Scripture  does not contradict itself when it says both:   You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4) and   “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Many people have cited 2 Chronicles 7:14 as a call to prayer and repentance for our nation. It says:   if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The church, we as believers need to understand that the U.S. is not God’s people. We may be a nation that was founded on Christian principles and values. We may still say ”in God we trust” and  “One nation under God” but this nation, this government is not God’s people. The church is God’s people. We as believers are God’s people and if we want to see revival and awakening in our land it is we who must: humble ourselves and pray. It is believers who must seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways.

We live in the times Peter spoke of in 1 Peter 4:16-18     but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.  For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER?…

Judgment does indeed begin with God’s household, with the church and with believers. We need to as Jesus says, take the plank out of our own eye. We need to humble ourselves and pray, seeking God’s face. Only then can we be the light to the world that we are called to be. Only then can the world clearly hear the message of grace and righteousness. Ephesians 4:15 says: speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

In John 16:8, Jesus tells us who is responsible to convict the world of sin and righteousness. "And He (the Holy Spirit), when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

We are to speak the truth in love. Not presuming on the grace of God ourselves but declaring the good news of the free gift of salvation by grace.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, thank You for the free gift of salvation through grace. Thank You for giving me the revelation that I needed a Savior, Jesus Christ. Help me to live my life, humbly, always seeking Your face. Forgive me for the times I have presumed on Your amazing grace. Forgive me for the times I may have been a hindrance to Your children. Holy Spirit I yield to You. Help me to let my light shine. Help me to always speak the truth in love.    All glory, honor and praise to You Father, Son and Holy Spirit.   Amen