Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. For what?

Grace abounds for forgiveness of sins. More than that, there is abundance of grace to bring us to a life of overcoming sin. Paul writes in Romans 5:20, “Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more.” He also writes earlier in Romans 5:17, “Much more will those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” We cannot say that we reign in life when we become angry, offended or impatient, even if we have the forgiveness of sins. Paul continues in Romans 6:14, “For sin will not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” When we get offended – even if we don’t want to – then it is clear that sin has dominion over us.

What does it mean that where sin abounds, grace abounds much more?

Paul writes these words in Romans 5:20 while explaining how sin entered the world through one man, and how grace came through One. Some translations put it this way: “where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (NIV). Whichever way it is worded, the point is the same: where grace abounds, it is greater than the sin that came before it.

The question is what this abundance is for. Grace abounds not only to forgive what we have done, but to free us from the power of sin, so that where grace abounds, sin no longer has to rule. For more passages on this theme, browse the Bible verse collections.

The gift of righteousness

“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. For he who has died has been freed from sin.” Romans 6:6-7. It is our old man – whose mind is bound to the lusts of the flesh – who is the slave of sin.

We read about the gift of righteousness that we received through this abundance of grace in Hebrews 2:14. Jesus partook of the same flesh as us and through death destroyed “him who had the power of death, that is the devil.” The devil only has power through the lusts of our flesh. During the days of His flesh Jesus brought these lusts into death and thereby destroyed the devil. And since He partook of the same flesh as us, this death is now reckoned to us – this is the gift of righteousness.

Does grace abound so that we can keep sinning?

Paul asks this very question: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Romans 6:1-2. The answer is that when grace abounds, it does not lead us to sin more, but to die to sin and live to God.

This is why the verses above belong together. The grace that forgives is the same grace that gives us victory over the things that used to rule us, such as anger, offense and impatience.

True grace abounds

“For the death that [Jesus] died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” Romans 6:10. So now we can put off our old man, and in time of temptation reckon ourselves dead indeed to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11) By following Jesus’ example, we start living a victorious and transforming Christian life: now it is no longer we who live but Christ lives in us. (Galatians 2:20) If you want to look further into righteousness, read about what it means to be righteous in God’s eyes.

So now we are under grace and have the power to put to death the lust of our flesh. (Colossians 3:5) In this way we bear about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:10) And more and more we come to reign in life through Jesus Christ.

This is the true grace of God. (1 Peter 5:12) This grace abounds! The Hidden Treasures archive article “O, My Soul, March on in Strength!” shows what this victory looks like in a zealous life: a fire against sin whose goal is victory.