What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
It’s striking how different Paul’s attitude was towards sin than the typical western Christian. One gets the impression from the average modern churchgoer that as long as you think happy thoughts about Jesus, then it doesn’t really matter what you do. Nothing could be farther from what the New Testament actually says. “God forbid!” (KJV) If you’re a Christian, you’ve died to yourself, so you no longer fall into those temptations of selfishness (which all sin is) without some serious guilt and repentance. If you’re able to just go on doing what the Bible calls sin, and not do the things the Bible actually calls you to do… I don’t think Paul would honestly count you as a genuine Christian just yet. Salvation involves repentance. There’s no way to be saved from sin you don’t think is wrong. As for His forgiveness today, rely on His strength to resist temptation, and confess as you continue to fall short… Do we just trust that God’s love is big enough and if I sin “oh well, I’m under grace not law” BY NO MEANS! It doesn’t work that way… if your faith does work that way, then you’re not following the Jesus of the Bible. You need to trust Him today…
