Here Paul, as he takes up an
objection that was then, has always been, and will always
be raised against the doctrine of free grace. Romans 6, 1 and
2, then jumping to verse 14 and verse 15. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? God forbid, how shall they, or
we, that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Then look at verse 14 and 15,
basically the same question again. For sin shall not have dominion
over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because
we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Now those two passages put together
form the crux of our text and of our study for the morning. You read through the book of
Romans, you will find that Paul was a master of logic and also at anticipating and meeting
any objection that might be raised against the doctrine that he
was teaching. Whether they were anticipated
objection or whether they were actual objection for most of
those that he anticipated had actually been and were being
made against what he was teaching. And Paul rebuffs them with that
patented answer of his, God forbid. God forbid! God forbid! I decided to count the number
of times in the Roman Epistle that that expression is used
by the Apostle Paul. Just in the Roman Epistle, I
may have missed some, but I counted ten times that Paul replies God
forbid. The first time is in chapter
3 and verse 4. When raising a question or dealing
with some objection or some false conclusion that had been made
from something that Paul had said, he will always answer God
forbid. Then I did some more checking.
Linsky called the expression, God forbid, quote, a voluntative,
optative of wish, unquote. That has to do with the tenses
in the Greek. It means that even the suggestion
of such a thing is rejected and is abhorrent unto the apostle. Another called it, quote, an
expression of impassioned repulsion, unquote. Because Paul sees it
not only as being false, but as being impious, that one would
raise such an issue. Such a suggestion would be something
that we would call the strongest possible denial that one could
make, such as perish the thought Let it never be. May it never
come to pass. By no means, certainly not, is
how Paul would answer those objections. There is no good ground for the
objection to be made or to be entertained. So away with the
thought forever and forever. Now another thing that you will
find is that Paul's patented God forbid is most often preceded
about a question that there is at hand. Such as in chapter 3
and verse 3 where he said, shall the unbelief of some negate the
faithfulness of God? Shall God be counted unfaithful
if some have not believed? And he answers, God forbid. There's another one in chapter
3 and verse 31 Is the law made void by faith? And again, his
answer is God forbid. In chapter 7 and verse 7, is
the law sin because of what it did to Paul? And his answer again
is, God forbid. One more in chapter 9 and verse
14. What shall we say? Is there unrighteousness
with God? If God chooses, if He elects
and reprobates before the children are born or have done any good
or evil, Does that mean that there is unrighteousness with
God? And the answer is, God forbid,
and so on and on. Now here in chapter 6, 1 and
2, we have the same formula. First of all, there is the question. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? Now the response of the reply
is, God forbid. In fact, Paul raises this question
twice in the sixth chapter of the book of Romans, here in verse
1 and 2. Again in verse 14 and 15, as
we also read, and to both questions he answereth the same, God forbid. Now the question is, what had
Paul said, what had he written to them, that some might draw
the conclusion from it, well let us continue in sin, in order
that grace might abound. Some claiming that the doctrine
of grace might lead to licentiousness and easy, loose living. That his view would cause them
to espouse going on living in sin. If what he had said was
true, it would follow, they thought, logically. Well, let us sin in
order that grace might be the much more evident. That a salvation
which is holy of grace, which is not of works and not of law,
and is bestowed without merit, without works, and without law-keeping,
and which secures everlastingly from condemnation will certainly
be abused, it will certainly be perverted to the scandal of
the grace of God in Christ, as if free grace were a promoter
or an encourager of sin. Now, to answer the question,
what is the consequence of the doctrine that Paul had been advancing,
we must go back in the epistle, for it is a natural flow and
follow-up from the last two verses of chapter 5, as we might notice. Let us read chapter 5, 20 and
21. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. That is, sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, this is the conclusion of
the divine method of justification in Romans 5, 20 and 21. There
is the antithesis there between sin and grace as seen in the
respective effects of Adam and grace as seen in Adam and sin
and Christ and grace upon the human family. Verse 20 said,
the law entered and the offense abounded. That one offense that
he'd been talking about abounded. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. Grace reigned through righteousness
where death had reigned by and through Adam. Now, at this point
we must not miss the charge that occurs at Romans 6 and verse
1. I meant to say the change that
occurs at Romans 6 and verse 1. Paul transitions here at 6
and 1 to another phase of his lengthy teaching. That is, he
transitions from justification in chapter 5 to sanctification
in chapter 6 and following. And he establishes the necessary
connection between the two, that justification is the forerunner
of sanctification that the latter is secured by the former and
not vice versa. In other words, to say it clearly,
only a justified person can practice true biblical sanctification. Some have called it progressive
sanctification in the life of the believer. William G. T. Shedd once wrote, faith in Christ's
atonement is the vital and the spontaneous source of morality
and piety, unquote. Yes, to believe that Christ has
justified us is our motive under sanctified living. In other words, grace in the
soul is the great sanctifier in the life of God's people. It is that great sanctifier. It is not fear that sanctifies
us, or threats, or the thought of losing grace, or the fear
of perishing in hell. that motivates us to sanctification. It is the fact that we have been
justified in the blood of Christ our Lord. So the question becomes
here, what is the effect and the consequence of gratuitous
salvation? of being justified freely, fully,
forever by the grace of God as stated in Romans chapter 3 and
verse 4. What is the consequence of believing
that grace does out-of-bound sin in every instant. Now the question is, will that
view lead us to live in sin? Will such a view as believing
that we are saved and justified freely by the grace of God, without
works or without law, lead us to live in sin? Some will say, I am saved. Grace has covered all of my sin. And then that one might err and
say, the more I sin, the more occasion for the grace of God
to abound. Some might say, let us sin then
that grace might abound all the more. Here is an argument used
against the perseverance of the saints, or as some call it, eternal
security. Others, once saved, always saved,
use that expression, will say to us, well, if I believed that,
I'd get saved, and then I'd just sin all I wanted to. Well now, how will Paul respond
to the charge that free grace will lead to more sinning? First,
let us define grace. Let's define what it is when
we talk about the grace of God. How does Paul intend us to understand
the term or the word grace? How does he use that word in
his writing concerning gospel and salvation? How does he use
that word and what meaning does he attach onto it? As we know
from simply reading our Bible, the word grace appears in Paul's
writings upward of 90 times, I counted at least that many,
at least 90 times in his epistle, Paul uses the word grace. Abraham Booth wrote a book entitled,
The Reign of Grace, and on page 46 he said, quote, Grace in the
writings of Paul stands in direct opposition to works and to worthiness
all works and worthiness of every kind and of every degree." Now
the word charis that is translated so many times grace signifies
as we know unmerited favor. When the Bible says grace it
is unmerited. merited favor. It is that favor
that is not discerned. So grace given always signifies
lack of merit, lack of worthiness in the one upon whom the grace
of God is bestowed. And when speaking of the grace
of God that brings salvation, Titus 2, And verse 11, it is
the giving of spiritual salvation to the guilty and the hell deserving
that has been given the grace of God to save them. And this
quote I found from an author who championed the free grace
of God to the last degree. saying that grace is, quote,
entirely detached from every supposition of human work, always
operating independently of any condition to be performed by
any To which we might add, grace
is not given even on the account of faith in the elect of God. Since we believe by grace, Acts
18 and verse 27, Paul says in Romans 4 and verse 16, it is
of faith in order that it might be by grace, how these agree,
and there is no competition or conflict between them. It is
of faith that it might be by grace, because faith is the work
of the grace of God in the elect. Now, let's see how Paul handles
the objection that free grace will lead to licentious living,
law-breaking, and more sin. In Romans 6 and verse 2, he strongly
rejects such an idea than asking his detractors a question based
upon a biblical or gospel fact. The fact is this, we are dead
to sin. We have died to sin. And the question is this, how
can we therefore that are dead to sin live in it longer therein. We died to sin. How is it possible
to go on living in sin? We died. Glinski said that the
word died is errorless in its tent. That means having died. being dead unto sin. It is a past act with present
results that stand. What some commentators say is
in the historic Aroist Tent, we died unto sin. At a point, we died. At a point,
we became dead to sin. Death of any kind drastically
changes and alters the one that has died. We must understand
now that Paul is not teaching perfectionism in this passage
of the scripture. He is not saying that Christians
never ever sin again. For in his own personal experience,
he found that to be contrary with his experience in Romans
chapter 7. But he is saying that they do
not continue in sin, they do not live in sin as they did before. Because they are now regenerated,
they are called by the grace of God away from the old life
and into a new life. Sin is no longer a way of life
unto them. It does not dominate them. It
does not enslave them as once upon a time it did. Its power is broken by the efficacious
death of our Lord. No longer Are they under slavery,
under sin? And they do not sin, a purpose
that grace may abound. Now before we proceed, let us
concede a point. that needs conceding. That is
that there are many indeed in the world, many indeed in many
churches that have done exactly what Jude verse 4 speaks about. They have turned the grace of
God into lasciviousness. They use grace as they imagine
or suppose as a cover for their sin. And it is not personal grace,
for they are devoid of personal grace in their hearts. Rather,
it is the doctrine of grace that they have perverted, that God
is gracious. God has grace to cover sin. Therefore, whatever I sin is
okay because His grace is sufficient. Many do that. and it is a perversion
of the doctrine of grace. You must remember this. Every
single doctrine of the Scripture is capable of being corrupted
and perverted and twisted out of its meaning. It does not make
a doctrine bad or a doctrine untrue because some pervert it. It is no reflection on the doctrine
of grace that some turn it into an ill use and make it an occasion
to sin. Who are they, in Jude verse 4,
by the way, that the apostle accuses of turning grace into
lasciviousness? Well, he names them. They are
ungodly men. They are deniers of our Lord
and of our Savior, Jesus Christ. They are hypocrites. They are
deceivers. They are not true children of
God or true believers. Well, let's go back to Romans
chapter 6, where Paul knows that he must give a fuller account
of this dying unto sin. He knows that He must expand
upon it, to open it up, to explain it, and to validate it by Scripture,
which He does at some length, even reaching over into chapter
7. So He does not leave them hanging
or wondering what he means by saying that they have died unto
sin. By the way, just as a sidebar,
he did the same thing in Romans 5 and verse 12 concerning those
three words All have sin. If he referred to personal sins,
there was no need of that lengthy explanation that we have in verse
13 through verse 19. But he explains and validates
it at length, how all have sin. That it had to do with Adam. While in Romans 6, 1 and 2, the
reason we do not and cannot continue in sin is because of the abounding
of grace. And the reason that we do not
live in sin any longer as a way of life is because we have died
to sin. We'll see that in a minute from
chapter 7. Now, let's scan ahead here in
chapter 6 and see how Paul means this, we have died to sin. First of all, in verses 3 through
5, he reminds them what was symbolized in their baptism. Death with
Christ, burial and resurrection. They were baptized into His death. Or as in verse 5, planted together
in the likeness of His death. He reminds them what was symbolized
in their baptism. Then look at verse 6. knowing
this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Then look at verse 7. He that
is dead is freed from sin. Now verse 11 and 12. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves
to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in
your mortal body, that it should obey in it the lust thereof. Now in other epistles, Colossians
chapter 2 verse 20, Paul's famous declaration, I am crucified with
Christ, nevertheless I live. Again in chapter 3 verse 3 of
Colossians, you are dead and your life is hid with Christ
in God. Even 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse
4 speaks of it, that we, being dead to sin, should live unto
righteousness. There, this makes the greatest
effect in our life. Haldane, Robert Haldane, wrote
a commentary on the book of Romans and nearly Every other sound
expositor that I have read after says the sanctification of a
believer springs from the same source as their justification,
which is their union with the Lord Jesus Christ, their co-crucifixion
with Him in His death, whereby in justification they are freed
from the condemnation of sin, while in sanctification they
are freed from the dominion or the slavery of sin. And because sin cannot condemn
them, Neither can it lord it over them. Let me say it again. Because sin cannot condemn them,
neither can it lord it over them. It cannot exercise a mastery
over them. It cannot take them and make
them its slaves so that they serve it slavishly as before. So the question, what then is
this being dead unto sin. What does Paul mean by it? More than that, how does it come
to pass? And what is the extent of our
deadness unto sin? Now, obviously, we are not dead
to sinning. We have not stopped sinning. We still sin. And as in 1 John
1 verse 8 and verse 10 tells us, if we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. And in
saying or claiming that we are without sin, we make him a liar
and his word is not true. in us. And yet, here is Paul
saying, we died unto sin. How this occurred is illustrated
in Romans 7, verses 1 through 4, by the union of marriage or
husband and wife. Now, dropping down to verse 6
through verse 10 here, where the reason is given why they
do not live in sin so as to make a mockery of grace. Romans 6, 6, knowing this, our
old man is crucified with Him, that is, with Christ, that the
body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not
serve sin. That is, no longer be the slaves
of sin. Now that brings up a good question.
What is the old man? What does Paul mean by the old
man? It has nothing to do with age
or our age. It is contrasted from what Paul
calls in Scripture the new man, which in Colossians 3 and verse
10 is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created
him. Now, if the new man is the creation
of the new man in regeneration, then the old man is that Adamic
man, the natural man, as Paul calls it in 1 Corinthians 2 and
verse 14. The natural man receives not
the things of God. Now, what we were before regeneration,
think about that. before the application of grace. Then the old man was crucified
in and with Christ. And Paul says it again in Colossians
2 and verse 20, with the result that the body of sin is destroyed. For in verse 7, Romans 6, he
that is dead is freed from sin. He confirms in verse 9 and 10
the death of Christ for sin. Christ died for sin, and He died
unto sin, and He did that once and only once, but now He is
alive from the dead evermore. Death hath no more dominion over
Him, our federal head with whom we are in union. Therefore, verse
11 says, Reckon, count yourself to be dead unto sin, but alive
unto God. Put it down as a fact. Count
it as a reality, for it is so. Now, at verse 14 and 15, Paul
gives the basis for the exhortation in verse 11 through 13, as seen
in the far in the 14th verse. For, because, since, sin shall
not have dominion over you, why? Because ye are not under the
law, but you are under grace. Sin shall not have dominion over
you, for you are under grace. Is this but a repetition of what
has been said back in verse 1 and 2? I suggest that we answer no. Methinks those expositors are
right on who say that sin in this Roman epistle is represented
as having a double consequence upon the human family. Number one, counting them under
the guilt and the condemnation of sin. Dead in trespasses and
in sin. That's what we were. It rains
unto death, Paul said. Chapter 5, verse 20 and verse
21. So, sin is seen as raining over
us unto guilt, death and condemnation. Secondly, sin is presented in
this epistle as causing us to live and act under the depraving
influence of sin. In other words, dominating our
very lives so that they are, in addition to being dead, entrespassed,
and in sin, also the servants or the slaves of sin. They commit sin. Now, the regenerate
are free from the dominion of sin in both senses of the word. Yes, they are. Having died to
sin in Christ, this is justification. And then by grace and its influence,
Living unto God, living unto righteousness. This is sanctification. Resisting sin. Abstaining from
former sins. Enable to obey God and to yield
themselves up as servants to God and their members as instruments
of righteousness because of these two things. We've died to sin
and grace has broken the dominion of sin in our lives. Look in
the 14th verse again, in that statement, or rather, in that
verse we have a statement of fact. The reason sin shall not
dominate you, shall not have mastery over you, for ye are
not under the law, but under grace. Now in verse 15, we have
a question relative unto that, and we have an answer. What then
is the question? Shall we sin because we're not
under the law but are under grace? Now let's go back for a moment
to chapter 5 and the last half of verses 20 and 21. Where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound through righteousness unto eternal life. Especially
note the words, Grace reigns. It reigns through righteousness,
not at the expense of righteousness and unto eternal life. Now Paul
personifies grace, even as he did sin in chapter 5, likening
grace to a mighty, sovereign monarch who sits upon a throne
and rules. And he overcomes the rule and
the power of sin. And he puts it down, bringing
men and women out from death unto life. Abraham Booth put
it this way, grace must exert and manifest sovereign power,
it must supersede the reign and the counteract the destructive
operation of sin or she cannot bring the sinner to eternal life."
Thank God she can and she does. She overcomes the strong man
that had us bound in his house. She rescues the objects of death
out of the house of death. She bestows on them eternal an
everlasting life, for by grace are you saved, in Ephesians chapter
2 and verse 8. Now, grace does not just point
us in the right direction. Grace does not just say unto
us, go over there or go that way. And does not act only as
an advisor. Does not just set salvation in
motion. and then lead the new convert
to go on by his own energy, resolve, and will. No, grace goes with
us all of the way. It is a divine principle. It provides every aspect of salvation. bestowing whatever is necessary,
whatever is a part of everlasting life is bestowed upon us by the
grace of God. I like what Paul said in 2 Timothy,
the first chapter through verses 8 through 10, Paul tells Timothy
there that grace was given us in Christ before the world ever
began. Before the foundation of the
world. So that there, the foundation
is two-fold. Number one, it stands upon the
eternal purpose of God who made what we call an everlasting covenant,
a covenant of grace with Christ before time ever began. Secondly, by the redemptive death
and blood of Christ. Romans 3 and 24, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. The throne of grace stands immutable
upon the person of Christ and His blood. Every aspect of the
saving process is accomplished by the grace of God through Jesus
Christ. For example, We are elected by
grace. Romans 11 and 5, it is an election
of grace. Grace first appears in election,
like a river flowing underground, then at due time bubbling up
to the surface. Its first saving work is in quickening
us. Ephesians 2 and verse 5, by grace
hath he quickened us. He calls us by his grace. Galatians
1 and verse 15, justification is by grace that from start unto
finish Grace is doing her saving work from the first unto the
last. So it is absurd, therefore, to
accuse grace of encouraging persons that they might sin. This is
a false assumption because it is grace only that can overcome
sin in the people of God. It is grace only that can give
the power to resist or to abhor or abstain from sin. You might tell me this morning,
if I believed in the security of grace, I'd live like I wanted
to. And I will tell you, that there
are plenty of people in the world who believe that grace may be
lost, but who live like they believe in the eternity of grace,
they live as they please as well. So perverting a good doctrine
is not a reflection upon the doctrine, strange as it may seem. Free grace is a hated doctrine
in many parts of Christendom today. You would think that people
would rejoice and be glad. Free grace saves us and takes
away our sin. But actually, it is a resented
and a hated doctrine. It insults people today to hear
of free grace. And I think the reasons might
be two. Number one, as Abraham Booth
said, quote, the genuine gospel will always be an insult to public
taste, unquote. The genuine gospel will always
be an insult to public taste. Why? Because it wounds the pride
of the self-righteous. Because it gives them no credit
for their imagined goodness. or good works, as the moralist
has no more claim to God's grace than the vilest prodigal out
in the fields of sin, is no more deserving of grace than the demon-possessed
Gadarene was. Therefore, grace is sovereign
and is bestowed. Second of all, grace is sovereignly
dispensed. That's why it's hated. It's hated
upon that account. All ought to have an equal chance.
All ought to have the same grace, they argued. God is gracious
to whom he will be gracious. God said that to Moses in Exodus
13, 19. Paul quotes it in Romans 9 and
verse 19. Grace is never earned, it is
never merited, it is never given as a reward or as a condition
or as a reaction, not even to the faith of man since grace
brings faith. Noah found grace in his generation. While God resolved to destroy
that generation, Noah found grace. Now I want to conclude with this
statement, make sure that we understand it, that it's embedded
in our mind. Grace only can save a sinner. Grace only is the means or the
way of salvation. It leads not to sin, but to righteousness. Grace is not an occasion to sin. In fact, it stops up sin in us
and hinders sin and overcomes it. and resist sin in the child
of God. It is not a license for us to
sin.