Thursday, July 19, 2007
Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
JUSTIFICATION FOR SINNING? CERTAINLY NOT!
Justification by faith in Jesus is the central teaching of the Bible, and yet it is the teaching of Scripture that many want to attack as a bad teaching. It was done in Paul's day as it is done in our day.
The fear of some is that if a person is told he is saved completely by God's grace and is justified completely by faith in Christ, apart from the deeds of the law, it will lead him into a state of spiritual sluggishness, not being concerned about the seriousness of sin.
Well, what does the Apostle Paul have to say about these things as he writes to the Romans? Does the Apostle Paul say this should be the attitude of one who has been justified by faith alone in Christ? He says quite simply, "Certainly not!"
If this description ever fits us, namely, that we dismiss the seriousness of sin because we know that we are forgiven, then shame on us! As those who have been justified freely by God's grace through the redemption that is found in Jesus Christ, we have been given the best reasons of all to love and to do His will.
In this world, we will sin, and all of our sins have been and will be completely forgiven because of what our Savior has done for us. This is not a reason to sin more and more; this is the gospel message which the Holy Spirit uses in our lives to direct us away from sin and to set us on the paths of righteousness, abounding in good works.
Most of all, shame on those who, for any reason, deny and change the all-important teaching of justification by faith in Christ. Even if they suppose they are doing this for a "good reason", they are badly mistaken. As Paul says in his epistle to the Galatians, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed."
