WRONG. This has been the excuse of so many Christians who are planning to sin. I have used this a number of times early on my journey with God. I have scheduled the days I would sin so that I could schedule the days of my sorrow. It was a repeat-repent-repeat cycle. My thinking was that if God is really a God of grace then I could sin and He will still and He is obligated to forgive me. Yes I know what carnal thoughts I had and I know some of you also think this way. So what does the Bible say about sin and God’s grace?
Rom. 5:20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
Rom. 5:21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The first 2 verses is where a lot of people stopped and justify their sin. SIN MORE= MORE GRACE. Wow, it is a win-win situation until you realized that your sin has its consequences. The next verse clears up our thinking about grace.
Rom. 6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
Rom. 6:2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Rom. 6:3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
Rom. 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
The reason for God’s grace is that we can say no to sin and not abuse the grace of God.The apostle Paul says that we have died to sin, our flesh has been buried and we are now living for the glory of Christ. The last time I heard – dead people do not crave for anything. They are dead.
Rom. 6:5 If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Rom. 6:6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,a that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
Rom. 6:7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Rom. 6:8 ¶ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Being dead to ourselves and to our sin and alive in Christ means we have the power to day no according to the grace given to us by Christ’s death and resurrection. We will be tempted – let me assure you of that, but let me also assure you that by the grace of God we can say no to temptation
Rom. 6:14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Rom. 6:17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.
Rom. 6:18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Rom. 6:19 ¶ I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever–increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.
Don’t you just love that Christ has given us the grace to say no. When you are in the midst of temptation, tap into the grace of God so that you can say no to sin because on your own you cannot do it. We all need the grace of God.