“By No Means!”

“By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2 ESV)

Some folks just don’t understand grace. They seem to think that if eternal life is a gift, it is cheap and of no value. They feel that if being “justified” before God doesn’t cost me anything, then I can’t possibly appreciate it. They have bought into the “I need skin in the game” concept before receiving God's forgiveness. They misunderstand the whole passage from James 2:17: “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” They have been told that they have to “be good” or “righteous” to use a church term, and then God will be satisfied with them. Many denominations and subgroups of denominations teach such nonsense.

Many of us have heard all our lives that God will be angry with us, and no one wants to face an angry God. If we don’t keep the 10 Commandments, don't attend church on a regular basis, or don’t tithe, we are robbing God. All things that are not taught in the New Testament. Paul teaches in every letter to the New Covenant churches that “… a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

But can all this talk of grace and faith actually be all that God expects from us? And of course, the answer is yes, God reaches down to mankind with this gift of salvation, and all we have to do to have it applied to us is to believe in the one who gives eternal life. Faith is our only requirement to receive this gift. Faith/belief and a change of mind, known as repentance, are all that is required.

Repentance, changing our minds, understanding and believing that God’s way is the right way- that’s repentance. Changing our minds about everything, from salvation and eternal life to how we live each day of this life here on earth. Once His grace saves us, we don’t start “working” to stay saved or to impress God. That same grace that saves us sustains us. It’s all by His grace that our hearts have changed; what used to bring us pleasure now brings us sorrow. By His grace, we learn that we can serve our living Savior out of gratitude, not out of obligation. By His grace, we want to bring honor and glory to Jesus, not to ourselves. 

So, Paul asked the question on the minds of some believers, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue to sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” You see, Paul’s teaching us that when we accepted Christ as our Savior, we died to sin.  Sin lost its power over us, and we no longer must live in it. We have been set free from sin’s control over us; His grace has made us free to serve Him out of a loving heart.

Paul continues his teaching about the believer having died with Christ and being dead to sin in verses 1-14. Then, in verse 15, he repeats his question, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!” In the next two chapters, Paul uses the phrase “May it never be!” some four times to emphasize how we should live our lives under God’s grace.

Believer, grace is not a free ticket to sin; it is not the life practice of doing whatever we want to do, all the while saying God’s grace will cover anything I do. “May it never be!”  Grace is God’s gift, given to us while we were still sinners, separated from Him, that allows us into the very presence of a righteous and holy God. So, no, those of us who teach the gospel of grace are not advocating sinful actions by Christians; we are advocating the power of God’s grace to change hearts and allow us to follow our Savior, living our lives to bring honor and glory to Him.

So, my brothers and sisters in Christ, live your lives under God’s grace and see how powerful it is; watch as His grace changes your heart and helps you live a life of service to Him.

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"