“People who preach grace are just saying that sin is okay.”
This is one of the most common arguments against fully receiving grace. And frankly, some people do say that it’s okay to keep sinning because God will just forgive you because of His grace. So, let’s ask the question:
Is Sin Okay?
Define “Okay”
I would ask the following questions to people who want to say that sin is “okay” because of grace.
“Okay, in what way?” “Okay for you because God won’t punish you?” “Okay, for the people you hurt by your sin?” “Okay for God because He doesn’t care about you or the people you hurt?” “What do you want to justify?”
Yes, as a true believer in Jesus, your sin won’t send you to Hell, (outside of unbelief) but sin will never be “okay.” Sin is what drove Jesus to suffer a terrible beating and to die on the cross. Sin carries consequences for you and those around you. So yes, if you are a believer in Jesus, God won’t condemn you to Hell for cussing out the store clerk, lusting after your secretary, or lying to your mom about where you are going. Still, I think it breaks God’s heart when we don’t consider how our sin damages relationships, hurts others, and causes devastating consequences in our own and others’ lives.
Though God doesn't condemn us for our sins, that doesn’t mean that the consequences aren’t real and that our sins don’t affect us and others. That is why Peter and Paul told us not to use our freedom to excuse sin.
Speaking of our liberty, or freedom, Peter exhorts us in 1 Peter 2:15-16 not to use our liberty in Jesus to cover our sin.
Paul speaks about our liberty in a similar way in Galatians 5:13. He tells us not to use our freedom as an opportunity to sin.
Likewise, in 1 Corinthians, Paul claims that everything is lawful for him, but not everything is helpful.
If Peter and Paul encouraged us not to use our freedom for our flesh, they believed we had a choice. However, they also understood the consequences of using our freedom for selfish gain and urged us to consider not doing so. Paul declared that he would not be brought under the power of anything. His example can inspire us.
Paul's further explanation clarifies that his words are not meant to encourage sin but to highlight God's grace and focus on our new life in Jesus. Let’s examine a passage that explains this concept.
In Romans 6:1-2, Paul tells us no; we shouldn’t continue in sin. Look at his reasoning. In Christ, we died to sin and therefore we shouldn’t live in it.
Furthermore, in Romans 6:3-6, Paul tells us that because we crucified our flesh with Jesus in His death, we can now walk in our new lives.
In Romans 6:7-11 we see that we can reckon, surmise, or conclude that we are dead to sin and alive to God.
This passage tells us that Jesus separated our old man or woman, the perpetrator of sin, from our new spiritual nature.
In Romans 6:12-14 we read that we don’t have to obey sin as it doesn’t rule us anymore. We can choose to submit ourselves to righteousness.
Therefore, the question isn’t what we do about sin but what we do now with our new life in Christ. Radical grace means we may turn our attention away from our old selves because that old person has lost control and move forward with our hearts and minds on what we can now do in the spirit with help from the Holy Spirit. That is the freedom that God’s grace has given us.
The point is, when we walk in our flesh, our new nature's righteousness and holiness don’t change, and sin can’t affect or diminish who we are in Christ. But in our flesh, sin can cause all sorts of harmful consequences. God desires for us to have a more peaceful and loving life. Sin doesn’t allow that.
We see then why Paul and Peter mention that, while we are free, we shouldn’t decide to use our freedom to keep sinning. It is a matter of the heart. This relationship between sin and grace means that life is messy, and we will sin, and we will do great and loving things, but either way, God still loves us.
Because sin is paid for through God’s grace, that doesn’t make it “okay.” Sin is still sin.
Sin is, at best, a dissipation of our time and effort, and at worst, damaging and destructive.
Grace is not an excuse to get away with stuff. But at the same time, we are His even though we have our sinful flesh hanging around. Grace says Jesus loves us that much. Jesus died and rose again so that you could grab hold of His radical grace 100% and live in the liberty that Peter and Paul talk about.
Your relationship with God is personal. If you are His, you have the Spirit living in you. Allow the Spirit to speak to your heart about this matter and let Him lead. When we are walking in the Spirit, we can’t fulfill our flesh. It is time the church stops emphasizing our old fleshly self of sin and turns her attention toward the new life in Jesus that He so graciously provides for us.
NOTE: I would like to mention something very important. Grace is not a cloak to cover up or excuse abuse. If you are in a situation where you are being told to stay with someone who is abusing you, and that you should have grace with them or you are not a good Christian, get to a safe place, and don't let anyone tell you it is ungodly to escape abuse. Get to safety, then you can talk to God about how to deal with your abuser in a godly way.
For more on this subject, check out my new Bible study, Fortify Your Faith: Building an Unshakable Foundation of Radical Grace, Brick by Brick to be released October 22nd, 2024.
Copyright ©2024 Laurel Appel
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