Grace, Greater than All Our Sin
Romans 6:15-23
Turn to Romans 6. Last week we introduced the topic of grace with Paul’s words:
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?”
Romans 6:1 (LSB)
When we think of those words along with such a passage as (Eph 2:8) that we are saved “by grace through faith,” a term that we all have likely learned at one time. But what does it really mean? It is interesting in our passage that Paul begins the chapter by saying, are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? To which he quickly says “no.” And then we said that you would think that he would spend the rest of the chapter explaining what kind of moral code we need to keep, but he actually closes with “for you are not under the law but under grace.” And we asked the question, how can something which confronts the sinner in such love and forgiveness, and which deals with a person not based upon any goodness in their past or their future, but freely pardons and saves, and promises to bring them to glory in the end. How can that be something that would keep that person from sinning? Would it have been better if God had given us a moral code that we would need to follow so that we would be saved? So, I left you with this question to consider: Does the work of grace result in a deeper walk with Christ, or does the work of grace result in a deeper life of sin?
I believe if we had never read Paul before in Roman chapters 1—6, we may be tempted to ask the same question: if God’s grace is the means for salvation, does this not imply that man will live as he likes and still be saved? And we said that when Paul introduced this objection to his teaching, he did not quickly renounce his statement, saying, “Well, I didn’t really mean that salvation is apart from all works, for there are some that are needed.” No, he held to his guns that salvation was a work of grace apart from works. So, we need to get this right in our minds and, as best we can, to understand what Paul is teaching us. Does the gospel teach let us sin, for the gospel so freely forgives. For as Paul taught that if salvation is by grace and not by works, would this not mean that man would be more enticed toward sin? Yet listen to what Charles Spurgeon wrote:
“I believe that the inference which would lead men to sin because grace reigns is not logical, but the very reverse; and I venture to assert that, as a matter of fact, ungodly men do not, as a rule plead the grace of God as an excuse for their sin.”
Charles Spurgeon
We would have to view Paul’s teaching as theological truth. And as we used the example last week of the prodigal son, the greater he sinned, the more amazed we are with the father. It was the desperate, sinful condition of the son which made the father’s grace magnified. So, we would agree theologically with the statement that the greater the sin, the greater the grace, and therefore, the more God is praised for His wonderful forgiveness. Yet I also believe we would have to come to this conclusion. That the sinner of whom God has pardoned, if that sinner understood what has happened to him in salvation, he would be so grateful for the Father’s forgiveness and grace toward him, that the question of sinning greater would become utterly repulsive to him. For the true sinner who is repentant would have to consider it shameful to even think such a thought concerning sin. I like what Spurgeon said that he would question if even the devil himself would be found reasoning thus, “God is merciful, therefore let us be more sinful.” So, for someone to understand the great goodness of God, and therefore, conclude that I will offend Him more by sinning would be complete nonsense. Yes, it would be nonsense to believe that the more loving God is, therefore, the more rebellious and sinful I will be. So, let’s look at the passage before us and then we will consider what Paul is teaching.
“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you go on presenting yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were given over, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then having from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit, leading to sanctification, and the end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:15-23 (LSB)
There are two dangers here regarding this doctrine of grace by Paul. One, that we would be led to believe that because God is gracious, it is okay to sin, for which Paul would say, God forbid. But two, that it would lead someone to believe that we must follow some type of legal code to be saved, for which Paul would also say, God forbid. And we can come to this conclusion from our study of Rom 1—6 as Paul warns the one who feels at liberty to sin, but he also warns the one who feels that salvation is gained by obedience. It is interesting that a group of Christians who preached so strongly the doctrines of grace, who believed without hesitation that their salvation was due to the grace of God and not based upon obedience to a Law. And if we thought of such a group of believers, we might ask, how did they live before God? Did their high focus on God’s grace lead them to lives that somewhat bordered on the edge of sin? Well, they actually received a name for their dedication to God, as they became known as what started as a derogatory term, the “Puritans.” Who were people of principle, devotion, determination, and discipline, all the while teaching the doctrines of grace. In other words, their freedom in Christ did not lead them to dabble in sin, but their freedom in Christ led them to a greater love and devotion to Christ.
In my experience the men and women of the greatest spiritual depth I have known are men and women who: know that they have been forgiven by Christ; they know that without God’s mercy, they would not persevere; they know it was the Lord’s amazing grace that opened their eyes; they know that it is by the Lord’s grace that they are growing in Him; and they know it is only by the Lord’s grace that they will stand before Him perfect one day in Christ. Therefore, I believe that those who have a greater grasp of the grace of God and a greater understanding of salvation by grace are led to a greater understanding of a life of holiness and devotion.
So, what I want to do this morning is consider seven passages from our study thus far which emphasize certain truths from Paul’s teaching in relation to an understanding of God’s grace to the sinner, which leads him or her to a greater walk in holiness.
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Romans 6:14 (LSB)
Grace strengthens holiness, for only grace can bring victory over the power of sin. I suppose when we first speak to someone about salvation, we are dealing primarily with deliverance from death to life. But the Bible also teaches a salvation from sin as the result of sin being put to death, and this is displayed in a life that has a diminishing love for sin and a diminishing habit of sin. See, the same grace that Paul is preaching is a grace that is not promoting sin, but it is a grace that will bring deliverance from sin. And the fact that God, in His power, can save you by His grace, He is also able to save you from both the result of sin, death, and the power of sin in life. This is Paul’s whole point of the sanctification of the believer, that his character is being more and more made into the image of Christ as opposed to the image of Adam. And this is the real praise that will come to God, not that a man is said to be saved and continues in his sin, in order to bring praise to God for His grace, but it is the transformation of the new believer into the likeness of Christ that brings praise to God for His work of grace in the Christian. Yes, grace strengthens holiness, for only grace can bring victory over the power of sin.
“[A]nd hope does not put to shame, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 5:5 (LSB)
Grace strengthens holiness, for only grace includes the power of the gift of love to the believer. The power of God’s love in the heart of the believer is a wonderful result of a gracious gift. Love that would forgive and not retaliate. Love that would care and not ignore. And a love for Christ for what He has done for us on the cross. And understand that this gift of love is a different love than what we possessed prior to salvation, for this is a love that is now being poured out into our hearts that we did not have before. Just listen to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13 and see if you would think this kind of God-given love would cause the Christian to promote sin in his life.
“Love is patient, love is kind, is not jealous, does not brag, is not puffed up; it does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered; it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (LSB)
This is godly love. This love, through grace, that has been poured out on the believer’s heart is a love that we have never possessed before. In other words, the believer is capable of loving in a way that was not possible before. And the question is, would this kind of love promote sin, or would this kind of love resist sin? Patience, kindness, selflessness, gentleness, forgiveness, rejoicing in righteousness. Paul also wrote to the Colossians:
“So, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and graciously forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord graciously forgave you, so also should you. Above all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”
Colossians 3:12-14 (LSB)
See, by God’s grace, those who are beloved by God, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, this is the kind of character that God’s love establishes in the believer. And notice that the Christian learns from the Lord’s gracious forgiveness—right from the verse—so that he is now able to forgive others. In other words, if he does not fully understand the grace extended to him, he will not understand the grace that should be extended from him. Yes, grace strengthens holiness, for only grace includes the power of the gift of love to the believer.
“But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, worked out in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the Law sin is dead.”
Romans 7:8 (LSB)
Grace strengthens holiness, for grace reveals the evil of sin more than the Law. I trust that God has revealed to us at times the evilness of our sin. We think of David’s words, “my sin is ever before me.” I trust as well that our sin brings guilt, as we know we have fallen short, and I trust that sin has caused us to fear the wrath of God. And these things are all true, for sin is the worst thing we could ever do. It is interesting that when we read about someone murdering, or we see on the news of someone injuring or molesting another person, we must also understand the great offence this is to God. Sin could be compared to a fire where someone places their hand in the flame and gets burnt. Yet the unregenerate man is like the one who has lost feeling in his hand and therefore desires to get burned again, not realizing the great cost of sin. But through grace, we have been informed of sin’s cost, as grace teaches us that sin is alien to us. Someone said that through grace, we learn to be wary of sin, as we learn not to mess with sin. And when you are wary of something, you learn not to get close to it. You know to keep your distance from it. This is what Paul was speaking of when he said:
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”
Ephesians 6:11 (LSB)
And it is not a Law which keeps us from sin, for the duty of the Law was to show us our sin. In fact, Paul said the Law has no power to keep us from sinning, as Paul taught that what the Law was powerless to do, God, through His grace, sent His Son. And he wrote this to the Galatians, that he died to the Law so that he might live to God. And then he wrote this:
“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
Galatians 2:20-21 (LSB)
It is only the Christian, through the grace of God, who begins to understand the full evil of sin and its offence to God, and the futility that it brings to life. Yes, grace strengthens holiness, for grace reveals the evil of sin more than the Law.
“But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were given over.”
Romans 6:17 (LSB)
Grace strengthens holiness, for grace gives to the believer a new pattern of teaching. In this verse, when Paul speaks about a new pattern of teaching, it is the Bible emphasizing the newness of the believer. Second Corinthians 5:17, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Here again, we see the work of God in grace to make all things new, reminding us of the old man in Adam and the new man in Christ. We are going to look at the change in a man or woman because of the work of the Spirit here in a moment, but the Bible also refers to this new man as a person being born again. This opens up a whole new devotion to Christ. This becomes a whole new life of gratitude, a life now that strives to be holy, that strives to avoid sin, that desires to be pure. And as we consider a new pattern of teaching, this is the value in learning, listening, and studying. As this pattern is emphasized individually in the Bible, but is also emphasized corporately, as believers sharpen one another, as we learn and grow together, and this too is by the grace of God. Brothers and sisters, do not ignore or underestimate the massive power of change in the study of God’s Word. That it instructs, it pierces, it judges our thoughts. It is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped.
“Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?”
Romans 6:3 (LSB)
Grace strengthens holiness, as only grace reveals the great cost given on the believer’s behalf. When we speak about the death of Christ, we often refer to His blood that forgives or pardons us. Yet the Apostle John wrote that the blood of Christ also cleanses us from all sin, as this connection with Christ both pardons and cleanses. And we must remember when thinking about our condition as a Christian, that we have been cleansed of sin. And this connection with the death of Christ also should remind us that our best Friend has given His life for us. And when we consider the horror of the cross, it should also remind us of the horror of our sin. Sin caused the Father to give up His Son because of sin. God was willing to put His Son to death, and yet still, God graciously forgives us. See, the grace that has been extended to you and me is not given to us by Someone who did not suffer greatly, but was given to us by Someone who suffered a massive cost! In other words, how would we ever involve ourselves in the very sin that our Saviour died for, and how would we ever know this, if it were not for grace? I mean, does your neighbour at work know that Christ died for sin? Only grace would reveal such a thing to us.
“But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were constrained, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”
Romans 7:6 (LSB)
Grace strengthens holiness through the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote (Rom 8:9) that the Spirit of God dwells in every true believer; the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of all true Christians. In 2 Corinthians 6, we read, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.” And rightfully, we often associate this with a Christian marrying an unbeliever, or a Christian businessperson joining alongside an unbeliever in partnership. And the reasons are obvious, as Paul says, for what fellowship has light with darkness, or righteousness with lawlessness. But then he goes on to say, or what harmony has Christ with Belial, an Old Testament word for the one who is most evil, Satan himself. And we could add here, what fellowship is there between the HS and sin? Or what agreement is there between God and false gods or idols? In other words, how can the Spirit of God abide in the same heart alongside sin? And if we want to look at this positively, what better way, by the grace of God, to aid us in the battle against sin, than for God to place the Holy Spirit within our hearts where sin originates? This is amazing grace.
You think of the work of the Spirit in the heart of the Christian. The heart, which Jeremiah said is desperately wicked. But here lies now the Holy Spirit in that same heart. The Holy Spirit, who drives us to prayer, who convicts us of sin, who gives us the words to speak, and who helps us to understand God’s Word. I suppose we could say that we really do not know what it would be like if it were not for the grace of the work of the Spirit in our lives in our hearts. Would we persevere in our faith? Would we strive to be holy? Would we be certain of our faith? Hard to imagine what life would be like if the Holy Spirit were immediately snatched away from us. It would seem that we would become instantly weak spiritually. Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit drawing men and women to Himself. Yet what if the grace of that drawing power was removed? How cloudy might sin look to us if it were not for the Spirit’s conviction? How sensitive in life would our conscience be as we grow older if not for the renewing of the Holy Spirit?
See, the person who understands grace is the person who is conscious of his or her need for more grace. Spurgeon said he would defy a man to live upon the mountain with God, and then come down from that mountain and continue to sin in the way the world sins. You know, as I think back to strong believers over the years that I have known, and seeing their example, this becomes one of the greatest heartbeats of my own life to consider the loss we may experience because of our lack of time with God on the mountain. Or I suppose we could say our lack of striving after the Spirit who lives within my very heart in pursuit of often worthless things. Imagine standing before God someday thinking, “Lord, I wasted so much when through grace, You equipped me for so much.”
I pray every Sunday morning before church that the Lord would fill Elim Bible Chapel with His Spirit. But for all of us to pray, “Lord, would You fill us with Your Spirit, and may that reality influence every part of us.” It would make sin seem so futile, wouldn’t it? And it would make worthless things so futile in comparison to the fruitful work that God would do through the life of a willing believer by His grace. Is that not true? Is that not something that you desire in your life? See, the Holy Spirit comes into the life of the one chosen by God, transforming him. He is enlightened to the truth. His affections have changed. His rebellious will is conformed to the will of the Father, as this newborn Christian, by God’s grace, is changed by the work of the Spirit. Finally:
“But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit, leading to sanctification, and the end, eternal life.”
Romans 6:22 (LSB)
Grace strengthens holiness, as only by grace can the believer’s life lead to sanctification for all of eternity. I believe that what grace does is that it forces us to have such a high view of God. Though it is true, we must think of practical things and temporal things in life, for we must sleep, we must go to work, we must make sandwiches, we must take the dog for a walk, we must cut the lawn, we must love and discipline our kids, and we must love our spouse. But through it all, through all the necessities of life and the duties we perform, we must have such a high view of God and such high thoughts about God and His grace. That as we go about our daily chores, we might sing: How marvellous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be: How marvellous! How wonderful! Is my Saviour’s love for me! And folks, according to Romans 6:22, that will never end, as it will be something amazing for all of eternity, so that we will still sing: When with the ransomed in glory His face I at last shall see, ’Twill be my joy through the ages To sing of His love for me.
You know, many people in life have lost their money, their investments, their health, and yet they are still thrilled with the greatest of joys, being a partaker of the grace of God forever. In fact, sometimes it takes the loss of temporal things to enable our pig-headed minds to fully realize the gain eternally. We might think of Joseph, who was betrayed by his brothers, and yet, as he sat in prison, where it says that Joseph remembered the dreams that God had given him. When Job was at his lowest in life, sitting in the dust after losing almost everything, and with devastating sores all over his body and scorned by his friends, he said, “I know that my Redeemer lives!” When Esther was tempted to hide her nationality, basically to save her life, yet upon the urging of Mordecai, who told her that she was given this time by God, she was obedient and was willing to do whatever she could to save her people. See, grace from God gives us far more than what earthly life offers. And if we are only dabbling with the earthly mundane, we actually are missing a much bigger picture of grace available to the believer. Paul will go on to say (Rom 7) … “It is a trustworthy saying and deserving full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost.” See, Paul understood grace, and he understood his condition without the grace of God in his life. And the question, of course, is, do we understand that grace this AM?
So, let me go back to our question we started with: Does the work of grace result in a deeper walk with Christ, or does the work of grace result in a deeper life of sin? I believe we have answered the question this morning. I mentioned the example of the prodigal son, how the great sin of the son magnified the father. It would seem proper for us to consider ourselves as prodigals for us to fully understand the grace of God. For only then do we begin to realize that only grace gives power over sin; only through grace would we ever be able to exhibit godly love; only grace reveals the depths of our sin; only grace gives us a whole new direction and teaching in life; only grace reveals the great cost to Christ for my salvation; only grace involves the work of the HS in our hearts; and only grace sanctifies us for eternity. Paul had written earlier in Romans 4:2:
“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”
Romans 2:4 (LSB)
What brought you to Christ in the first place? The riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience led you to repentance. In other words, what brought you to Christ in the first place? His grace. Then what will lead you to a greater life of holiness? His grace. And what will lead you home? His grace. ‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. Let’s pray. Marvellous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt, yonder on Calvary’s mount out-poured, there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt. Marvellous, infinite, matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe; all who are longing to see His face, will you this moment His grace receive? Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all our sin. For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life. And all God’s people said, amen.