Think for yourself

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” Romans 6:1.

People generally go tragically astray when it comes to this question. Shall a sinner who is saved by the grace of God, who was previously in bondage to stinginess, continue to be stingy? Shall someone who used to be a slave of vanity continue to be vain? Shall those who yielded to all kinds of lusts of the flesh continue in them? “Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:2–4.

Sinning is a conscious decision

Those who are baptized into Christ Jesus are baptized into His death: that is, death to sin. And what is sin? Sin is transgression of the law.

The apostle is speaking to adult, conscious beings who can transgress the law. He is not speaking to infants who do not know how to discern between good and evil. Infants have no old life behind them; neither are they aware that they are to walk in any newness of life. They cannot enter into a covenant of a good conscience with God, for neither God nor people enter into a covenant with beings who are unable to make conscious decisions. They cannot continue in sin, and it is quite unnecessary to exhort them not to do so. Speaking to such infants about sin and grace would surely be pure madness.

Faith is the foundation for a victorious life

“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Romans 6:5–6.

Being united with Christ in the likeness of His death is a matter of faith. This faith is the very foundation for a victorious life. We have been raised with Christ, and because of that resurrection we are walking in newness of life. By faith the flesh with its passions and desires is crucified with Him on the tree of cursing. All this incessant talk about sin and grace—which just means sinning under grace—is excluded here.

Our experience is that when people have come to faith in being able to live a crucified life according to the flesh, they become extremely happy and rejoice in newness of life on resurrection ground. This bewitched doctrine about sin and grace envelopes people in unbelief, so they never come out of the nets of Satan and darkness. However, things can change, as the apostle writes: “… ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,’ says the Lord: ‘I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,’ then He adds, ‘Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.” Hebrews 10:16–18.

Do we dare to believe and think for ourselves?

Of course, it is possible to sin seventy times seven in a day and still receive forgiveness; but anyone who lives in this way loves their lusts more than God and will never come to a victorious life. Moreover, I do not believe there are people who sin seventy times seven in a day and then pray for forgiveness just as many times. They would soon become tired of it and seek a better way of life.

To apply this doctrine to infants is completely absurd. So then, what should be done? Are we going to let others think for us and persuade us to believe in the impossible? Should we hire people to preach to us about sin and grace year in, year out, and pay them well for it? Or do we dare to believe and think for ourselves? It will always be the shepherds who will have to bear responsibility for what they preach to people. So for their own part and for the sake of the people, they should make sure that they come into the liberty that is in Christ and to victory over sin, so they can become competent to teach others.

The scribes crucified Jesus Christ out of envy, and the same thing has recurred throughout all the ages. But with God there is no partiality. He receives each one who loves the truth and is upright of heart. So we say:

Bashan’s herds, O cast off doubt and
Murky fog that weighs you down.
Drive those evil shepherds out, and
Be no more led round and round.
They’re so bound up in their teaching,
With no vision that’s far-reaching.
Bitter water they’ve outpoured,
But thirst is quenched by God the Lord.

From the songbook Ways of the Lord #309, verse 4.

Seek grace to help in time of need, and you will not have to sin under grace (Hebrews 4:16).