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Romans 6:1-2, What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

Paul has been discussing God’s extravagant grace. But in this chapter, he seems to be responding to some dissenters, people who are pushing back against salvation by grace alone. If God’s grace is freely offered to everyone, then won’t people take advantage of that and go on sinning? Put another way, won’t people sin as much as they want knowing that they can be forgiven because of God’s offer of grace?

Paul’s answer is clear: NO! Those who have received this free gift of grace are not only saved by it but also enter into the process of sanctification. We are no longer bound to sin; it no longer has a hold on us. Rather, the grace offered through Jesus is what has a hold on us! That changes everything.

Let’s go back to Paul for a moment. He writes in verses 11-14, In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

As believers, we have died to sin. That means that sin doesn’t have control over our lives anymore but rather Jesus does! It’s our connection to a life-giving Savior that now is the primary force in our lives. Because of that, we have the power to resist sin. That doesn’t mean we won’t sin (we all mess up) but we gradually sin less and less as we begin to reflect Jesus more and more.

I think it’s also important to mention that as we experience more of Jesus’ grace, our motivations and desires change. We are new people. We aren’t so engrossed with the things of the world but more focused on the things of God’s Kingdom. This isn’t because we are such awesome people, we aren’t. It’s the work of God’s sanctifying grace in our lives. We get to cooperate with God as his Spirit changes our hearts.

Let’s pray…God, we thank you for the gift of your amazing grace. As we seek to reflect more of you in our lives, help us to recognize the power within us to resist sin. Your spirit lives within us and that makes all the difference. We are dead to sin and alive in you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.