Liberty And Grace

There is a certain group of Christianity today that says that since we are under grace, we are free to live however we want, even if we live in sin. In other words, grace allows you to live in sin! This has always been a problem, even back during the Apostle Paul’s day. And so, he deals with this wicked philosophy in Romans 6. Read Rom. 5:20-21.

Tonight we’re going to look at Paul’s arguments against this philosophy and also see what grace enables us to do.

Four Powerful Truths:

1. THE CONDEMNATION OF ABUSING GRACE (v. 1-7)

Verses 1-2. “God forbid.” That was Paul’s answer to the question. Such a philosophy should be unthinkable to us.

Jude 4, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Verses 3-4. Paul uses the example of baptism. When you were saved, your sin was buried with Christ, and this was done so that you would walk in newness of life. “Know ye not”—don’t you realize that Christ saved you from sin so that you could live a sanctified life?

Verses 5-6. If we died with Christ, then we shall also be resurrected as He was. The old man, the sin nature, was crucified with Christ on the cross in order that we would not serve sin.

I Cor. 15:31, “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”

You should have a funeral for self every day so that you can live unto Christ.

Verse 7. A dead person is no longer under sin. Don’t wait to be dead for this to be true of you. We can be dead to sin every day. How? Paul explains this point next.

2. THE CONSECRATION OF DEATH (v. 8-11)

Verses 8-9. If we died with Christ, it only makes sense that we will live with Him. When Christ rose from the dead, He conquered death. Sure, we still die, but that’s only because sin has affected our body, so our body has to die.

Quote: “Death, the product of sin, has no more power over Christ because of His resurrection. So how could grace be said to be an excuse for more sin? Is life an excuse for more death? By His resurrection, Christ has gained the power over sin so that death can no longer touch Him.” —John Butler

Verse 11. “Reckon”—this is an accounting term, has to do with taking something into account accordingly, to calculate. What are we taking into account? The fact that we are dead to sin. Put that fact in your mind and reckon yourself dead to sin. “I am dead to sin.” If this is true, then why do we still sin? Paul goes on to explain in the next point.

3. THE CONSIGNMENT OF CHOICE (v. 12-15)

Verse 12. Do not let sin govern your life, don’t let it rule you. “Mortal body”—while a sinless eternity awaits you, you can still choose to let sin reign in your body (it’s called a body of sin, remember).

Verse 13. Your members—eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, mind. Don’t yield these to sin, yield them to the Lord. This is where liberty comes into play.

Verses 14-15. Sin should not dominate you because you are living under grace. But again, grace does not mean you are free to sin. Christ did not free you to sin, He freed you from sin, so why would you go back to sin?

Illustration: man robs a bank, goes to jail, gets out, “I’m free to rob a bank!” That makes no sense.

Important: you are not free to break the law, you are free to choose to break the law. You are not free to sin, you are free to choose to sin.

Free will means that you are free to choose something according to your will.

So you have been saved. You have a free will. You are free to choose to live in sin or to live by grace. What is grace’s role here? What does grace teach us?

Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

What kind of position does grace put us in spiritually? Lastly tonight…

4. THE CONDITION UNDER GRACE (v. 16-20)

Verses 16-18. While you are free from sin, you can choose to voluntarily place yourself under the bondage of sin. You can choose to be a slave to sin. If you are constantly yielding to sin, then you are a slave to that sin.