Grace-Works
So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can
keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is
sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize
we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we
went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up
out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace — a new life in a
new land! (Romans 6:1-3)
Exactly what
does a grace-driven Christian look like? In Romans 6 Paul asks a crucial
question: "How can we who died to sin still live in it?" (v. 2 RSV)
How can we who have been made right not live righteous lives? How can we who
have been loved not love? How can we who have been blessed not bless? How can
we who have been given grace not live graciously? Paul seems stunned that an
alternative would even exist. How could grace result in anything but gracious
living? "So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving?”
(v. 1)
The two-dollar
term for this philosophy is antinomianism: anti
meaning "against," and nomos
meaning "moral law." Promoters of the idea see grace as a reason to
do bad rather than a reason to do good. Grace grants them a license to sin. The
worse I act the better God seems. And this isn't Paul's first reference to the
teaching. In Romans 3:7, Paul writes, "A person might say, 'When I lie, it
really gives him the glory, because my lie shows God's truth.'" What a
scam. You mothers wouldn't tolerate it. Can you imagine your teenager saying,
"Mom, I'll keep my room messy so the whole neighborhood can see what a great
housekeeper you are"? A boss wouldn't let the employee say, "The
reason I'm so lazy is to give you an opportunity to display your
forgiveness." No one respects the beggar who refuses to work, saying,
"I'm just giving the government an opportunity to demonstrate its benevolence."
Sound familiar in this election season? We wouldn't tolerate it, and we
wouldn't do it. Would we?
Maybe we don't
sin so God can give grace, but do we
ever sin knowing God will give grace?
Do we ever compromise tonight, knowing we'll confess tomorrow? It's easy to be
like the guy visiting Las Vegas who called the preacher, wanting to know the
hours for Sunday services. The preacher was impressed. "Most people who
come to Las Vegas don’t think much about church." "Oh, I'm not coming
to go to church. I'm coming for the gambling and parties and wild women. And if
I have half as much fun as I intend, I'll need a church come Sunday morning."
Is that the intent of grace? Is God's goal to promote disobedience? Hardly.
"Grace . . . teaches us not to live against God nor to do the evil things
the world wants to do. Instead, grace teaches us to live now in a wise and
right way and in a way that shows we serve God." (Titus 2:11-12) God's
grace has released us from selfishness. So, why return?
Think of it this
way. Sin put you in prison. Sin locked you behind the bars of guilt and shame
and deception and fear. Sin did nothing but shackle you to a wall of misery.
Then Jesus came and paid your bail. He served your time; he satisfied the
penalty and set you free. Christ died, and when you cast your lot with him,
your old self died, too. The only way to be set free from the prison of sin is
to serve its penalty. In this case, the penalty is death. Someone has to die,
either you or a heaven-sent substitute. You cannot leave prison unless there’s a
death. But that death occurred at Calvary. And when Jesus died, you died to
sin's claim on your life. You’re free.
Near the city of
Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil is a remarkable facility. Twenty years ago the
Brazilian government turned a prison over to two Christians. The institution
was renamed Humaita, and the plan was to run it on Christian principles. With
the exception of two fulltime staff, all the work is done by inmates. Families
outside the prison adopt an inmate with whom to work during and after his term.
Chuck Colson visited the prison and made this report:
When I visited Humaita I found the inmates smiling
– particularly the murderer who held the keys, opened the gates and let me in.
. . . My guide escorted me to the notorious prison cell once used for torture.
Today, he told me, that block houses only a single inmate. As we reached the
end of a long concrete corridor and he put the key in the lock, he paused and
asked, "Are you sure you want to go in?" "Of course," I
replied impatiently, "I've been in isolation cells all over the
world." Slowly he swung open the massive door, and I saw the prisoner in
that punishment cell: a crucifix, beautifully carved by the Humaita inmates –
the prisoner Jesus, hanging on a cross. "He's doing time for the rest of
us," my guide said softly.
Christ has taken
your place. There’s no need for you to remain in the cell. Ever heard of a released
prisoner who wanted to stay? Me either. When the doors open, prisoners leave.
The thought of a person preferring jail over freedom doesn't compute. Once the
penalty is paid, why live under bondage? And you have been discharged from the
penitentiary of sin. Why, in heaven's name, would you ever want to set foot in
that prison again? Paul reminds us: "Our old life died with Christ on the
cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us and we would not be
slaves to sin. Anyone who has died is made free from sin's control." (Rom.
6:6-7) He’s not saying that it’s impossible for believers to sin; he's saying it’s
stupid for believers to sin. Because what does the prison have that you desire?
Do you miss the guilt? Are you homesick for dishonesty? Do you have fond
memories of being lied to and forgotten? Was life better when you were dejected
and rejected? Do you have a longing to once again see a sinner in the mirror?
It doesn’t make any sense to go back to prison.
But not only has
a price been paid, a vow has been made. "Did you forget that all of us
became part of Christ when we were baptized?" (Rom. 6:3) Baptism was no
casual custom, no ho-hum ritual. Baptism was, and is, "a pledge made to
God from a good conscience." (1 Pet. 3:21) Paul's high regard for baptism
is demonstrated in the fact that he knew all of his readers had been instructed
in its importance. "You have been
taught that when we were baptized into Christ we were baptized into his
death." (Rom. 6:2) So, what kind of amnesia is this? Like a bride
horrified to see her new husband flirting with women at the wedding reception,
Paul asks, "Did you forget your vows?" (Rom. 6:3)
Baptism is a
vow, a sacred vow of the believer to follow Christ. Just as a wedding
celebrates the fusion of two hearts, baptism celebrates the union of sinner
with Savior. We "became part of Christ when we were baptized." (v. 3)
Do the bride and groom understand all of the implications of their marriage?
No. Do they know every challenge or threat they’ll face? No. But they know that
they love each other and vow to be faithful to the end. When a willing heart
enters the waters of baptism, does he know the implications of the vow? No.
Does she know every temptation or challenge? No. But both know the love of God
and are responding to him.
To return to sin
after sealing our souls in baptism is like committing adultery on your
honeymoon. Can you imagine the distraught bride discovering her husband in the
arms of another woman only days after hearing his vow at the altar? Among her
many sizzling words (and that’s putting it nicely) would likely be the
question, "Have you forgotten what you said to me?" Similarly God
asks, "Does our union mean nothing to you? Is our covenant so fragile that
you would choose the arms of a harlot over mine?" Who, in their right
mind, would want to abandon those vows? Who will care for you more than Jesus?
Have we forgotten what life was like before our baptism? Have we forgotten the
mess we were in before we were united with him? I choose the word mess intentionally. Let me share mine.
Do you know the mess
that I'm glad I’m finally out of? My college dorm. Of all the names I've been
called, no one has ever accused me of being a neat-freak. Some people have a
high threshold of pain; I have a high threshold of sloppiness. Not that my mom
didn't try. And not that she didn't succeed. As long as I was under her roof, I
stacked my plate and picked up my shorts. But once I was free, I was free
indeed. Most of my life I've been a closet slob. I was slow to see the logic of
neatness. Why make up a bed if you’re going to sleep in it again tonight? Does
it make sense to wash dishes after only one meal? Isn't it easier to leave your
clothes on the floor at the foot of the bed so they'll be there when you get up
and put them back on the next morning? Is anything really gained by putting the
lid on the toothpaste tube tonight only to remove it again tomorrow? I was as
compulsive as anyone, only I was compulsive about being messy. Life was too short
to match your socks; just buy longer pants. But then I got married and became a
new man. I’d been exposed to my wife’s higher standards.
Isn't that what’s
happened with us? Isn't that the heart of Paul's argument? How could we who
have been freed from sin return to it? Before Christ our lives were out of
control, sloppy and indulgent. We didn't even know we were slobs until we met
him. Then he moved in. Things began to change. What we threw around we began
putting away. What we neglected we cleaned up. What had been clutter became
order. Oh, there were (and still are) occasional lapses of thought and deed,
but by and large he got our house in order. Suddenly we find ourselves wanting
to do good. Go back to the old mess? Are you kidding? "In the past you
were slaves to sin – sin controlled you. But thank God, you fully obeyed the
things that you were taught. You were made free from sin, and now you are
slaves to goodness." (Rom. 6:17-18)
Can a discharged
prisoner return to confinement? Yes. But let him remember the gray walls and
long nights. Can a newlywed forget his vows? Yes. But let him remember his holy
vow and his beautiful bride. Can a converted slob once again be messy? Yes. But
let him consider the difference between the filth of yesterday and the purity
of today. Can one who has been given a free gift not share that gift with
others? I suppose. But let him remember that the gift was given freely. Let him
remember that all of life is a gift of grace. And let him remember that the
call of grace is to live a gracious life. That’s how grace works.
Grace,
Randy
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