“Moreover the law entered, that the
offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That
as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
–Romans 5: 20 & 21 – Romans 6: 1 & 2
Please, allow me for just a moment to talk about Romans and
grace. The end of Romans chapter five,
and the beginning of Romans chapter six to be specific. In our day and time, we rely on laws and
statues to govern the people. Our laws
instruct us not to speed, or park in a handicap space; sometimes they overlap
with God’s laws and instruct us not to: steal, murder, or commit adultery. The Jewish law was much the same way,
however, unlike our laws; Jewish law was handed down from God to Moses to the
people, with the purpose to both govern and guide. In addition, it was to provide instructions
on how to atone for sins committed (for surly there would be committed sin,
whilst carnal sin was reigning within).
The law articulated the sinfulness of man, it laid out the expectations
of God in the plainest terms, and in doing so, highlighted the sobering fact
that man was/is sinful. Sin abounded,
despite their best efforts (or worst efforts), the people would sin and repent,
sin and repent, and sin and….you get the idea.
Where “sin abounded, grace did
much more abound:” though they were living in this sin and repent state,
God gave more grace and offered pardon, even sent his own Son to bring in a “new and living way.” Where the law brought only death and defeat,
Jesus brought victory and life. Before
Christ, sin reigned. After Christ, God
made it so “grace might reign through
righteousness unto eternal life.”
God reached way down, and sacrificed so much, so that he might redeem a
lost and sinful man; now the cross and shed blood stands forever a testament to
that grace which is available for whosoever will.
So what then, now that we have grace, pardon, and power in his
blood we are to continue in sin? This is
what Paul is rhetorically asking in Romans 6:1.
Do you think because of Jesus that you now have a blank check to sin all
you want? “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid.” The obvious answer is NO. God did not send Jesus to simply be a better Band-Aid. He sent Christ to be a redeemer, and a model
for our redemption. Which is why he
follows with a statement, that if the human race fully understood and totally
experienced, it would do more good for this world than any charity, technology,
or business has ever hoped to accomplish.
I am not knocking those things, but merely trying to make you, dear
reader, realize that when you are dead to sin, and not living any longer
therein, then that will eliminate sin in your life which is the source of all
the evil that is in this world. The
gospel of Jesus Christ strikes a death blow to the principle problem that
plagues all mankind. Under the law, they
were dead to God and alive to sin, but in grace we are alive to God and dead to
sin.
This grace we are in, the grace of God, extends further and
reaches way beyond his pardoning mercy.
Yes, this is an element of it, but only a small part of the whole. God’s grace allows human existence, it
provided patience and abundant pardon under the old law, and it sent His only
Son to bleed and bring victory, thereby bringing to fallen man a part of God
himself; holiness. The desire of God is
for us, through death, to be in His likeness.
This is done when we, as Christ, die out to our: wills, ways, and
wishes; die out to our sin and self, die out to the world, flesh, and the
devil. We die, so that we might live;
live with Christ through the Spirit of Christ, in this world. This is the “grace that reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus
Christ our Lord.”
