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Grace to Get Away FROM Sin

By Mark VanOuse

Grace does not enable us to “get away with sin”, but enables us to get away from sin.

It’s odd how some think that when we tell Christians that they are under grace that somehow we are enabling people to get away with sin, when in fact the Bible teaches us just the opposite: the grace of God enables us to to get away from sin.

Here are some scriptures (of many) that teach us this:

Romans 6:14 (NKJV)

[14] For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

So, not being under law and in fact being under grace means that sin will not have dominion over us. It won’t master us, lord over us, but us in bondage to it. This is real freedom! The message of Romans chapter 6 is that We who are born again in Christ, because of the union with Christ:

  • Have died with Christ and therefore are dead to sin (Rom 6:2, 3, 10-11)
  • Have risen with Christ and therefore are alive to God (Rom 6:4,5,8,10-11)
  • Sin absolutely does not* have dominion over us because we are absolutely not* under law but under grace [*literal Greek].

Here’s another powerful passage that teaches us that the grace of God does not enable us to “get away with sin”, but enables us to get away from sin:

Titus 2:11-14 (NKJV)

[11] For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,[12] teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,[13] looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,[14] who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

So, according to this passage, here is what the grace of God does for us:

  • It teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts
  • It enables us to live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age. Not just in heaven, but here and now in this dark, sinful world!
  • It causes to look forward in hope (blessed hope!) to the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

And now the basis for these wonderful things that God’s grace gives us:

Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ has given Himself for us. That giving of Himself:

  • Redeems us (purchases us back to God for His purposes) from every lawless deed
  • Purifies for us for Himself
  • Making us His special people
  • Enabling us to be zealous for good works.

How silly it is to think that the marvelous grace of God enables people to get away with sin! Far from it, the grace of God enables us to get away from sin and so much much more.

This is indeed “to the praise of the glory of His grace” (Eph 1:6)!

CC by-nc-nd 2011 Mark D. VanOuse. This article is under a Creative Commons copyright license.