Freedom and Grace

I can't remember the circumstances, nor even who was present, but I remember the words that were spoken. 

"There's grace to cover that," someone said. 

Those words came back to me today as I read Romans 6. "Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?" Paul asked. I read that and wondered why anyone would think continued sin a good idea. 

Keep sinning to get more grace? It sounds abhorrent, but it's what we do, in a way, isn't it?

When we intentionally sin, knowing we can get forgiveness, we are "continuing in sin that grace might increase". 

When, as disciples of Christ, we say things we know we shouldn't, do things we know we shouldn't, watch or read things we know we shouldn't, we aren't doing them with the expectation of eternal damnation for our sin. We do them with the expectation of grace to cover it.

The expectation of grace is sometimes treated as a "free pass", allowing us to do what we want, knowing we can ask for forgiveness later.

It was the stripes on Jesus' back, the blood He spilled, the death and resurrection of our Lord that bought the grace with which we sin so freely. 

I wonder how God views our casual treatment of His Son's sacrifice. Probably not as casually as we do.

Paul wrote that our old self was crucified with Christ, and our body of sin with it. We, who have died with Christ, are freed from sin.

We are freed from sin and it is no longer master over us. 

If we are free, then we must live free. The power of the Spirit of God in us makes freedom from sin possible. 

As the new year is still in its infancy, we can choose to make 2016 a different year. We can choose to make it a year of freedom from sin's hold on us. It sounds impossible, doesn't it? It's not. The sacrifice of Christ released us from bondage. Let's honor that sacrifice with our lives. There's a choice to be made, and it's simple. 

Don't choose sin. Choose righteousness.

Will I fail in this? Yes. 

Will you fail? Yes. 

A momentary failure, however, is not the same as defeat. The battle has already been won, so let us, this year, determine to live as victors through Christ. 

It bears repeating because we will repeat the choice over and over this year.

Don't choose sin. Choose righteousness. 

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You might also like these posts: (they'll open in a new window) The New Zealand Badge and Out with the Old. 
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photo courtesy of freeimages.com

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