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.
Verses 19-20. Paul is saying that just as you yielded your members as slaves to sin, so you must yield them as slaves to Christ. Will you choose to be Christ’s slave?
Illustration: The story is told of a man who went down to the slave block to buy a slave girl during the time of the Civil War. As she looked at the white man, she assumed that he was just another white man who would abuse her. But this man was different. Upon winning the bid, he said to the girl, “Young lady, you are free.”
She said, “What does that mean?”
“It means you are free.”
“Does that mean that I can say whatever I want to say?”
“Yes, my dear, you can say whatever you want to say.”
“Does that mean that I can be whatever I want to be?”
“Yes, you can be whatever you want to be.”
“Does that mean that I can go wherever I want to go?”
“Yes, you can go wherever you want to go.”
With tears streaming down her face she said, “Then I will go with you.”
That man was Abraham Lincoln, the great emancipator. But there is one who is a greater emancipator, and that is Jesus Christ. He has freed you from sin, so go with Him!
Whose slave are you? Are you the slave of sin, or the slave of Christ? “I’m no one’s slave, I’m my own man!” Wrong. You are a slave to your pride. You see, there’s no third option. You will either serve sin, or you will serve Christ.
The devil wants you to think that Christ is restrictive, that your life will be miserable if you choose to serve Christ. But Christ is a good master. He takes care of His slaves. Sin, on the other hand, is an abusive master. Sin caused Cain to murder his brother; sin caused Lot to lose his family; sin took away Samson’s eyes and ate away the flesh of Gehazi; sin was responsible for the death of God’s prophets; sin caused the nation of Israel to go abhorring after idols; sin brought the Israelites into captivity to a foreign power; sin nailed the Prince of Peace to a cross and had Him unjustly killed. You can freely choose your master, but you cannot choose the consequences.
CONCLUSION
Closing Illustration: The Prodigal Son
God is not just your master, He is also your Father. As your master, God deserves your service. As your Father, He deserves your love. Are you giving Him your service and love? Christ has given you liberty and grace; how will you use them?
