Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
This passage of scripture teaches us the glorious truth, that those who have accepted Christ and the salvation God has given through Him, are no more under the condemnation of the law, but are under God's grace. This particular passage has often been misinterpreted to mean that Christians are not obliged to keep God's law anymore, since Christ died to set us free, but such a gross misinterpretation does violence to the very plan of salvation, and is utterly refuted by the verses we just read. The apostle Paul asks the question: "Shall we continue in sin, since we are no longer under law?" In other words, what he is asking is, does Christ's death for us on Calvary give us the freedom to live in sin, as is so often heard from the popular pulpits of the land? The answer from him is "God forbid", in other words, his warning to us is, don't even think about breaking God's law again, after what Jesus endured for us on Calvary.
Being under grace means that the death which should be ours on account of our many sins, have now been transferred to Christ, with the sole purpose of giving us the opportunity to be brought back into harmony with the divine precepts, which should not have been broken in the first place. A person who is a chain smoker develops cancer of the lungs in its most deadly form, and after visiting several cancer institutions, he is turned away, the reason being that at stage four there is nothing they can really do to reverse the morbid effects of the bad habit he once so freely indulged. Finally he comes across one physician who promises to do a major surgery on him to remove those deadly, cancerous cells, and the man is belated with joy at the prospect of a new lease on life.
The operation is successfully completed, and the man can hardly believe that he will walk out of the operating room a free man. But as the doctor leaves the operating room, the once cancerous man reaches into his belongings and pulls out a pack of Camel lights, and proceeds to continue smoking because of his new-found freedom. The doctor returns to the room where the recent operation was done and as he opens the door, the smell of burning cigarettes greets his nostrils, and he pauses for a moment as he thinks that it must be someone else in the room, who is smoking close by the man who was just healed. But to his surprise and utter dismay, there on the recovery bed is the very same man who was doomed to die, casually smoking cigarette after cigarette.
Question: What do you think the physician will do? The answer to this question is found in the Bible, for there The Great Physician is portrayed as dealing with the very same sort of irrational behavior, and His actions will give us a clue as to what the rage of the earthly physician will be. Let's read:
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
In our day and in our own experiences, we need to be guarded against the false doctrine which offers salvation and eternal life to those who continue to sin against God and man. God has made no such promise, and those Christians who subscribe to the teachings of false prophets and televangelists on this point, will one day experience a very rude awakening, only to find out too late that the merciful Savior who died for us on the cross, will be the stern Judge who will not let the willful sinner escape under any circumstances. And thus it behooves us to keep God's holy law through the abundant grace afforded us through Jesus Christ our Lord. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms this very point, and it is the will of God that we adhere only to sound Biblical doctrines and teachings, so that our feet may be guided into safe paths. Let's read:
Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!