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Under Grace?


What at then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 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. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:15-18)

            I used to think this was the same question Paul asked the other day, but this morning I realize it’s not. Before, the question was, “shall we sin to make God look good”? Now it’s, “shall we sin because we can”? After all, we’re saved, right? Jesus already paid the price for all our sins, so additional sin doesn’t add anything to the price He paid. We’re off the hook.
            I know someone who was given money to use for something specific. Later, he explained that once the money was given to him, he was free to do with it whatever he wanted. The person who gave him the money let it slide, and the person who got the money ended up with nothing to show for the money given except a couple nights carousing. I’m not sure how disappointed the person who gave the money was, or whether his trust in the person he gave it to was damaged. I know my trust was damaged, and that the solution the money was meant to provide would have made life easier for the people in the household, including the person who wasted the money.
           This is the same thing that those who think they can sin because they’re saved are in. They have been given a gift. They may think they have the right to use it as they please, but doing so damages their relationships with God, with other people, and with themselves. As Paul pointed out, sin enslaves. It is as true of other sins as it is of drugs (including alcohol) and pornography. We always assume that this time, this sin won’t enslave or addict us, that we are the masters. We are always wrong. How can we be so foolish as to think we can sin and walk with Christ?

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