What Then?

                  What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! (Romans 6:15)

                God has forgiven our sins, past, present, and future. If we confess our sins, God will forgive us (I John 1:9). So, what’s the big deal if we sin? If God is a loving God, what’s the problem with our sinning? To answer this, let’s look at the concept of sin. God told Adam and Eve that if they broke His law about eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die. So, what was the big problem with their eating? They died, and with them, so did every other human. We were separated from God. Sin separates. We like to think of sin as some minor thing that God gets bent out of shape about. But every sin is a brick in a wall we’re building between ourselves and God, between ourselves and other people, or between our best selves and ourselves. Every sin is treason. Every sin is attempted murder.

                How would you respond to someone who stabbed you every time you met? Even if you forgave them because they were mentally unstable, that determination on their part would put a space between you, or more probably, a wall. Of course, we can’t kill God, but what if someone tried to stab themselves every time you met? Again, the distance or wall would have to be built. This is the case whether we’re discussing two people or a person and God.

                If we are going to continue to sin, no matter what the reason, it will damage our relationship with the one against whom we sin, whether it’s man or God. Even if grace is extended, the relationship is not healthy and cannot be treated as healthy. So, no, sinning because we are under grace instead of under law is not a good choice.