“Since Grace is Grace…” Pt. 1
Romans 6:1-2
January 14, 2018
Two years ago, the former director of Exodus International, a ministry designed to help people struggling with Same-Sex Attraction from a biblical perspective, said this about his understanding about sin:
I think, as Christians, sin is irrelevant. I look at what Jesus did on the cross. He came to fulfill the law. He took care of sin. He ended it forever. Is there sin involved in homosexuality? Sure. Is there sin involved in heterosexuality? Sure. I think the damage is done when we live in a place where we’re pointing out what is and is not sin. Leslie and I don’t want to live there anymore. That’s not a place where life is found. We’re not to be in the seat of judgment for anyone, not ourselves and not other people. What we long to do is to love our neighbor, our friends, LGBT people, straight people, you name it, without pointing out things that aren’t ours to point out. [quoted by Denny Burk]
Did you catch his key statements? “Sin is irrelevant.” And, “…the damage is done when we live in a place where we’re pointing out what is and is not sin.”
Is Alan Chambers correct? As you contemplate his words, it seems that he could be speaking for those who misapplied the apostle Paul’s understanding of justification and sanctification in Romans 6 — since grace is so gracious, let’s sin more so that God can give more and greater grace! But that is a horrible misunderstanding of the nature and purpose of grace. The grace of justification is not given so that the believer can engage in sin; the grace of justification is given so that the believer can live freed from the power of sin. In fact, that is the theme of the first two verses in Romans 6 (and of the following section):
The grace that justifies sinners also frees sinners from the power of sin.
As Paul begins this section on sanctification, he helps us to see the relationship between justification and sanctification through one question and one answer:
Q: Since Grace is Grace, Can We Indulge in Sin? (v. 1)
- The “logic” behind the question
- The relationship between justification and sanctification
A: Since Grace is Grace, We Can Live Without Indulging in Sin! (v. 2)
- What “died to sin” means
- What living by grace looks like
- What kind of person are you?
Download the rest of this sermon on Romans 6:1-2.
The audio will be posted on the GBC website tomorrow morning.
Words of Grace 