Embrace or abuse grace? (Romans 6:1-14)

Last week we saw the abundant grace of God that Paul has described - the righteousness that comes from above, that righteousness comes from Jesus is free and available to us through faith. This leads us to Paul's next point: grace is free but should not be abused. Many charge Christians as saying that we are forgiven for all of our sins that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. And this is true but then they may accuse us and say, “So you think you can sin and do whatever you want because God’s love is irrevocable as His forgiveness.” In one sense this is true, but in another, we are not people who desire to live the old way, the old life. And so, Paul, being concerned that people would take it that way, speaks to us about us being dead to sin, dead to the things of this world and our old life. And now a life in Christ. He uses baptism as a wonderful example to teach us that the old has gone and the new has come. After all, we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. This is only understood by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we could be completely forgiven yet not abuse that forgiveness. Hence, we give thanks to God that the victory is in Jesus, and that we are saved by faith, not by works, so that no one can boast. But in the very same breath, we will not use nor abuse the love that God has shown us in Christ Jesus.