Every day, we are put in a position where we must decide whether or not we will continue to sin so that grace may abound.
However, what exactly does that imply?
This is a term that I’m sure you’ve heard before, but if you’re anything like me, you probably have no idea what it means. It’s possible that it didn’t make sense since various people had varied conceptions of what “sin” means. Perhaps you found it to have an overly religious tone, or perhaps it appeared to be too far from your everyday life. But regardless of why you’re here, I hope that this post may shed some light on the subject!
God’s Grace Is All-Sufficient
When we talk about doing something that is wrong, or wicked, and then asking God to pardon us for those sins so that He might pour even more grace on us, we are referring to the expression “should we continue in sin so grace may overflow.” This is what we mean when we use this term. To put it another way, if we act in a way that isn’t right, there is a possibility that grace will be bestowed upon us. If this happens, then there is also a possibility that we will be forgiven for our transgressions and be able to move on to greater things.
This concept was not something that Jesus merely said once or twice; rather, He discussed it a great deal during His ministry. If you want to see an illustration of how frequently He used these terms, you might look at John 15:7: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Jesus said.
In Romans 6:1-2, the apostle Paul wrote: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
Paul knew that if we were to continue in sin, God’s grace would not be sufficient. We could never hope to stand before God and be accepted if we continued to live lives of sin. But Paul also knew that if we were to stop sinning, it would not be sufficient for us to do so. Our past sins would always remain, and they would continue to condemn us if left unaddressed.
But what if there was another way? What if God had provided a way for us to be forgiven for our past sins? What if there was a way for us to no longer be condemned by them? What if there was a way for us to have our sins erased from God’s books so that He no longer saw them as an offense against Him?
This is precisely what Jesus did on the cross when He died for our sins (see 1 Corinthians 15:3). When Jesus died on the cross, He took upon Himself all of our past sins so that they could never again be held against us.
The True Grace of God Cannot Be Seen in Sin.
When you first start reading the book of Romans, it’s easy to think that Paul is saying that you can live any way you want and still be saved. He talks about sin, but I don’t think he means it the way we do. I think he means that there are things we do that are sinful, but they’re not really what saves us or keeps us from being saved.
He says, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid” (Romans 6:1). That might sound like a contradiction, but it isn’t. You see, when we try to live our lives without sinning, we’re actually living by ourselves and not relying on God’s grace. But when we accept that Jesus died for all our sins—past, present and future—then we have no reason not to let Him control our lives completely every day.
Sin Diminishes, Not Adds to The Value of God’s Grace.
The passage that says “shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” is referring to a specific situation: when a person has been forgiven of sin, but then goes back to doing it. This means that they are adding more sin to what they already have been forgiven of, and as a result their hearts become hardened towards God.
Grace is a wonderful thing. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to be a better person. It’s the kind of thing that makes you do things like volunteer at a soup kitchen, or give up your seat on the train so someone else can sit down. Grace is what inspires us to be good, and it’s what gives us the strength to make ourselves better people.
But grace isn’t something that we earn—it’s something that God gives us freely, out of his love for us. And sin doesn’t diminish grace; it adds to it. Sin is when we fail to live up to our potential as God’s children, but grace is when we give ourselves over entirely to God so he can work through us and make us into what he wants us to be: his “workmanship” (Ephesians 2:10).
Grace and sin are incompatible. We cannot mix the two.
In essence, what Paul is saying is that we can’t be saved by grace while also living in sin. It’s like trying to put oil and water into the same bottle: they just won’t mix. When we try to live a life that mixes grace with sin, it ends up being messy and confusing—it’s like trying to pour both water and oil into the same glass. It doesn’t work!
In other words, if we want God’s grace to abound in our lives, then we have to stop sinning (and keep it stopped).
The word “grace” means to give free favor, or to forgive sins; while the word “sin” means a violation of law.
According to the Bible, grace is something that comes from God, while sin is something that we do. The two concepts cannot coexist because they simply don’t work together. If we have grace and we have sin, then what does it mean? It means that we are saved by grace and yet still think about sinning all the time. If this is true, then what does it mean when someone says “God loves us so much”? Does he love us even though we’re sinners? Does he love us even though he knows our hearts?
If there’s no such thing as sin in heaven (and why would there be?), then there’s also no such thing as being saved by grace either! Grace doesn’t save anyone; it just gives you an opportunity to accept or reject salvation—which would make sense since the Bible clearly says that Jesus came down from heaven so that those who believe in him may receive eternal life (John 3:16).
Sin Does Not Make Grace More Needed. Sin Makes Grace More Wonderful.
The Bible says that sin is a terrible thing. It tears men from their Creator and leaves them without hope, without purpose, and without love. But what it doesn’t say is that sin makes God’s grace less needed. In fact, if anything, it makes God’s grace all the more necessary—because it shows us how much we need Him.
We are sinners in need of salvation. We are all guilty before God (Romans 3:23). We’ve all broken His laws, whether we realize it or not (1 John 1:8). And because of this, we deserve punishment—eternal punishment! But because of His great love for us, God has offered us forgiveness through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16). He has given us an opportunity to be saved from our sins and from hell itself (Romans 10:13).
Jesus died to pay for our sins so that we could be forgiven when we come to Him for salvation (1 John 2:2). He rose again so that we would know that He has conquered death itself ones and for all.
We often think of sin as the opposite of grace. But while the two are opposites, they are not mutually exclusive. Sin does not make grace more needed; it makes grace more important.
Grace is God’s unmerited favor toward us. We don’t deserve it, but God gives it anyway. And when we sin, our sin doesn’t change God’s love for us—it just changes our relationship with him. It means that we fall short of the glory of God and need to repent and turn back to him.
Sin Does Not Make Grace More Available
We do not have to continue in sin that grace may abound.
This verse is often interpreted as meaning that we should give up our sinful ways in order for God to show us more of his grace. However, this interpretation is not correct at all. In fact, the context of this verse suggests that it is exactly the opposite: God’s mercy and love are so great that they are never exhausted. Even if we continue to sin, His grace will always be sufficient for us!
What Jesus actually meant when he said “shall we continue in sin” was “shall we continue with the same sins? Or shall we change our ways?” The Greek word translated as “continue” means “to persist,” which indicates that Jesus was suggesting that people should change their ways rather than persist in them.
A Final Word
Understanding that a life of sin is totally wrong and ungraceful, what will you choose to do? This passage highlights the truth that sin and grace cannot co-exist, something that is echoed in a number of places in Paul’s writings (see Romans 6:1-14). What’s more, it is impossible to participate in sin and at the same time claim Christ by faith. In light of this, we must take care to live our lives to the glory of God—a life of sin is not consistent with a life of faith. “A life of sin is inconsistent with a life of faith in Christ. Willfully sinning is totally wrong and ungraceful”.