Grace Is Not An Excuse To Sin
6:1-2
Having established that we are justified by grace, and that grace abounded when sin increased under the law, Paul anticipated the next question: If that is true, should believers continue to sin so that grace can abound even more? To continue in sin is to live a life of habitual sin.
This, by the way, was the theology of the Russian monk Rasputin (pictured above).
Paul answered that question with a forceful “no”. The reason is those who died to sin cannot live in it. Justified people have died to sin. We used to be dead in sin, but now we are dead to sin.
To explain, Paul used the image of baptism.
Baptized Into Christ
6:3-14
When believers come to Christ in faith, they become “in Christ”. Paul says we are “baptized” into Christ. (3) We are immersed into Christ.
As a result, we are baptized into his death. They are immersed in and identified with his death.
Baptism is a portrayal of this, a symbol showing the believer buried with Christ, then raised as Christ was. Our symbolic death shows we have died to sin and our symbolic raising shows we are raised to walk in newness of life. We even say this as we baptize believers.
Even though we say it, though, some people ignore it. They think salvation is just a get out of hell card. They receive their card by saying some words and filling out a card. Then they have done the deal and they are done with it. Nothing further is involved.
Paul, however, speaks of a change in the believer. He or she walks in “newness of life”. They live in a new way. Paul speaks elsewhere of the believer becoming a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) And if the believer becomes something new, it means something old has been put away. Paul said it “passed away”.
That putting away is a sort of resurrection. We are united with Christ, not only in death, but also in a resurrection like his. (5) Our old self, the lost and sinful self, was crucified with Christ. (6) This brings the old body of sin to nothing. We are no long enslaved by sin. We are set free from sin. (7)
Christ’s resurrection showed death did not have dominion over him. (9) He lives and he lives to God. Those who are in union with Christ should also consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God. (11)
That being the case, we do not present our bodies and minds to unrighteousness behavior. Instead we present ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness. (13) Receiving grace did not present the opportunity to live in sin. Rather, grace freed us from sin so that we can live to bring glory to God through our righteous behavior.
You can present yourself to sin in many ways. It can be by watching or reading pornography, by hanging out with people who live to sin, or dwelling on things other people have and coveting them.
Or, you can present yourself to God in righteousness by committing yourself to live for Christ, then by reading your Bible or works by spiritual writers, by associating with those who seek to live holy lives, and by serving others.
The Analogy of Slavery
6:15-22
In this passage, Paul returns to the question should we sin because we are under grace and not law. The answer is still no. But, this time, Paul uses the analogy to slavery. A slave is one who obeys his or her master. You are a slave of the one you obey. (16)
There are only two alternatives. You can obey sin. That is one alternative. You give in to all temptations. I once heard a radio show where the host conversed with a young woman who took drugs regularly even though they were causing her harm. When the host spoke of this concept of freedom from the slavery of sin, she was incredulous and asked “you mean I don’t have to do what I want to do?”.
Paul said sin leads to death. (16) He was speaking of the failure to obtain eternal life in Christ. But in so many people, we see the results of their sin killing them. Their physical health declines. Their mental health is affected. And their spiritual health is destroyed.
The second alternative is that you can submit yourself to obedience to God which leads to righteousness. (16) Righteousness then leads to sanctification. (19)
Thankfully, God transforms the believer from slave to sin to one who becomes obedient from the heart to God’s word as they hear it taught. God’s word, including the law, tells us what God’s standards are.
Believers begin to obey that teaching. That fulfills a promise of God, who said:
“I will put my law within them and I will write it upon their hearts. (Jeremiah 31:33)
And who also said:
“I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes.” (Ezekiel 36:27)
As we progress in sanctification, we become slaves to righteousness in that we seek to obey God’s commands. He has empowered us to do this. As we obey, we progress in sanctification which ends in eternal life. (22)
Verse 23 is well known and often memorized. It summarizes the thought of chapter 6. The wages of sin, what you earn, is death. It has lead to physical death and will lead to spiritual death.
In contrast to what we earn, what we receive as a gift of God for believing in his Son is eternal life in the Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.
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