an understanding of grace Pt. 10

So... anything goes huh?

Paul made it clear that self-righteousness is absolutely “no bueno.” Well then, the obvious question is,

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

Seems like a pretty logical question. A teacher I really respect said that this question will always come up when grace is taught accurately. Seems pretty reasonable if Paul himself was asking it, even if it was rhetorical. He is the one who forcefully told us to put no confidence in the flesh. Our righteous works are useless in dealing with our guilt before God's judgment seat. The only thing that will save our necks is the gift of righteousness. The only hope we have is in the cross. If that is true, well, we might as well just sin our brains out. More sin, more grace. Yee haw! You could almost say that every new sin we commit adds to the value of Jesus work on the cross. But Paul continues,

By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

He didn't let that idea go very far.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

That we too might walk in newness of life.

Not in heaven some day.

Now, today.

The sixth chapter of Romans is... wow. What can you say. We died with Him, and are raised with Him. That's an amazing idea.

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Free from sin? No longer enslaved?

For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

What was that question he started with? Something about continuing in sin so that grace could abound? In Paul's mind, that might be a logical question to the novice, but once you begin to understand what Jesus was doing on the cross, it becomes nonsense. But today there are still many who “turn the grace of God into licentiousness.” To them, grace means you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, and its all forgiven, even if your heart is unrepentant. Many have no intention of every willfully giving up their favorite sin. And they can find plenty of teachers who will twist the scriptures to make them comfortable in their deception.

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

In Paul's understanding, being under grace was the key to being free from the power of sin. Grace enables us to "present... your members to God as instruments for righteousness." The gift of righteousness is what enables us to walk in righteousness. We're not talking about sinless perfection. We are in a life-long process where the Holy Spirit within is transforming us day by day. But the child of God will have a sincere desire to experience the righteousness that has been declared over us. If a person doesn't have a genuine desire to actually walk in the ways of God, there is a real danger that they haven't had a genuine encounter with Jesus. The difference between self-righteousness and kingdom righteousness is motivation. The legalist is selfishly motivated to earn God's favor and acceptance. True kingdom righteousness is an expression of love and gratitude to the One who loves us so much that He took the penalty of our sin upon Himself. We walk uprightly because we know that it brings joy to His heart. Its a life set apart as an offering of thankful worship.

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!"

We pursue a life of righteousness because He is worthy that we would love Him with all of our heart and seek to bring joy to Him in all of our ways.