More Sin, More Grace

"But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. 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?" - Romans 5:20-6:2

"Here is the great object to grace through faith apart from works of the law. It seems to open the door to rampant sinning. In fact, it seems to invite more sinning, because if grace is God's act to forgive and accept sinners on the basis of Christ's righteousness, not ours, then would not that grace shine all the brighter if we kept on sinning? The more sin there is, the more forgiveness there is. And the more sinning there is, the greater must be the righteousness of Christ to compensate for it. So doesn't Paul's radical teaching on justification open to door to careless living and indifference to holiness? No, it does not..." - John Piper

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* Objection- If justification is on the basis of Christ's righteousness, not ours, by grace through faith alone, then shouldn't we continue in sin that grace might increase?

* Answer- NO!

Reason- Because if you died to sin, you can't go on living in it. Or, to put it bluntly, dead people don't sin.

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Because of Christ, we are dead to sin & alive to God. You died, so consider yourselves dead. You're alive, so consider yourselves alive to God. You are, so now become what you are.

God's grace is transformative. When God completely removes sin, He also gives you a new life.

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the Truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is Faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar & His Word is not in us." - 1 John 1:8-10

We aren't promising that we'll never sin. But God's Grace and sacrifice is not a license to be lax in our pursuit of righteousness. It should urge us to desire purity and holiness all the more...

"Sometimes I make my relationship God more about the sin I need to avoid than the good I'm called to pursue. Recently I wrote Galatians 5:22-23 in the front page of my journal: 'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self control.' I wrote the words in big bold letters. These are the words that are to define and mark my life. I want them to call out to me every time I commune with God. This is who He's called me to be. This is what His Spirit wants to produce in me. I want to spend as much time seeking to be defined by love, joy, and peace as I do seeking to rid my life of anger, lust, and complaints. Becoming like Jesus isn't just a matter of not doing wrong. It's a matter of actively 'doing' righteousness. It's pursuing obedience." - Joshua Harris

"But just as He who Called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" - 1 Peter 1:15-16

"But, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." - Romans 13:14

Your sin is dead, go and walk in the newness of life!

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June 2011 Book notes from Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe & Why It Matters by Joshua Harris & from notes taken during a sermon by John Piper