Romans 6 Abounding Grace….Not Abusing Grace Dr. Kenneth W. Jones, Pastor, Practical Living Ministry

More Sin, More Grace Romans 6:1,2: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin,

that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

!   Paul introduced the idea that where sin abounded, grace abounded much more (Romans 5:20).

!   Many have taken this to imply that it doesn’t matter if a Christian lives a life of sin, because God will always overcome greater sin with greater grace.

!   We must not abuse the boundless goodness of God by continuing in sin, under the wicked persuasion that the more we sin the more the grace of God will abound

!   Sin shouldn’t be your “Attention Getter” to get God’s Grace, your Sanctification should garner more observation

Abusers of Grace

!   Most of us are aware of people who abuse the law. They say you must follow it to the letter or else.... As most of you know, this is called legalism.

!   There is another group of people who lean too far the other way. They say sin all you want to, it doesn't matter if you are saved. The King James Bible calls this lasciviousness.

Jude 1:4: For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly

persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Abuse of Grace !   The Book of Jude speaks of men who have

crept into the church unawares (They are within the body of Christ)

!   Making the grace and mercy of God a covering for crimes; Misleading men thinking that they might sin safely who believe the Gospel, because in that Gospel grace abounds

!   Abusing the doctrines of grace so as to give indulgence to corrupt and carnal propensities

!   This doesn’t mean there is anything wrong or dangerous about the message of God’s grace.

Feel Good Gospel !   Many Preachers are preaching a “different gospel” a “feel good

gospel” – Teaching Erroneously the Following !   Nothing but blessings for the believer !   No longer a need to be concerned about God’s Judgment !   Repentance and confession of sin is never necessary !   God is continually restoring “New Truths” to the church—-New

Revelations !   That Moral law has no bearing on Christians today; it was abolished

with the Ceremonial law !   Repentance means “Only to turn around”

!   Beware of Effortless Grace

Galatians 6: 7 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh

reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

All You Need is Grace?

!   I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. Psalm 119:93 ESV !   It is remembering God’s Word and doing them that

gives us life and peace

!   "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is perfected in weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:9 !   This is not the Grace that removes all of our sins and

responsibilities,

!   Greek word for Grace, is charis, meaning “charity. God’s charity is always available to meet our needs when we need Him

Points of Emphasis

!   We need God’s grace extended towards us in order that we can be saved

!   We need God’s Grace when we do sin so that we may keep our relationship with God righteous !   If you sin, repent and be restored (1 John 1:9)

!   We do not sin without conscience so that we abuse the precious gift that God has given us - Grace

The Answer: Certainly Not!

!   Romans 6:2: Reflects a strong opposition to what is said in Romans 6:1

!   How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it !   When we are born again, when we have believed on Jesus

for our salvation, our relationship with sin is permanently changed.

!   We have died to sin. Therefore, if we have died to sin, then we should not live any longer in it.

Are You Crazy? Don’t Eat That! Proverbs 26:11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who

repeats his folly.

2 Peter 2:20-22: For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would

have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb

says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the

mire.”

Don’t Go Back !   If we, who were saved by the Spirit through Jesus Christ the Son for

the glory of God go on continuing in sin over and over again, then there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:26-31).

!   It is absolute insanity to go on living as a debtor to the flesh when we have been filled and saved by the Spirit

!   . Proverbs is referring to the one who does not learn from the destructiveness and disgust of his folly so he therefore, like a dog in its vomit, returns to his folly.

!   So also Peter in his second letter is speaking contextually of false teachers and those who follow their ways as those who return to their vomit; those who after being cleaned go right back to the mud like pigs.

Don’t Go Back!

!   Returning to the same thing that made you sick in the first place. As in idolatry. Those who found that God judged their people as they worshiped false gods would once again return to worship those same false gods again.

!   Proverbs 26:11 speaks of those that they have returned to their former vile manner of life.

!   “But I thought after I got saved, that I could live any way I wanted to? I Got Grace.

Hindrances of the “Grace” Message

!   Repentance becomes a nuisance and routine !   Devalued

!   Sin without Conscience, Sense of Responsibility or Accountability

!   Repentance has a process

Conscience Towards God

!   Conscience: the soul as distinguishing between what is morally good and bad, prompting to do the former and shun the latter, commending one, condemning the other

!   What kind of Conscience? !   Sinner - seared conscience !   Christian - moral conscience because be knows that

sin separates

!   Carnal- desensitized conscience (Romans 8:7)

A Good Conscience !   1 Timothy 4:2 - Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their

conscience seared with a hot iron;

!   1 Timothy 3:9 - Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. !   Those who can adhere to proper doctrine, out of sincere conviction.

!   1 Timothy 1:19 - Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: !   A good conscience is that which is well informed in regard to what is

right, and where its dictates are honestly followed. !   Which some having put away - People make shipwreck of their faith

by not keeping a good conscience. !   They love sin. They follow the leadings of passion. They choose to

indulge in carnal propensities. As a matter of course, they must, if they will do this, reject and renounce the gospel (Barnes Notes)

Response to Grace

!   Believers today need an experience of personal holiness.

!   Excuses for sin abounds in some of these groups.

!   People try to justify their sin by diminishing it in the eyes of God. They cry, "Grace, grace, and more grace."

!   While we are saved by grace; however, we need an appropriate response to grace. That response is obedience and living a life of personal holiness.

Grace With Mercy

"Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need".

Hebrews 4:16

•  Grace is about God's free gift of redemption and forgiveness for active rebellion against Him.

•  While Grace is a help, it is not a crutch

•  Mercy is God's alleviation of the consequences of sin. It is the repair work that God performs to overcome the destruction that our sin has caused.

•  Most Christians just want alleviation of the guilt of sin without any thought of repairing the chaos we created through our sin

Grace With Mercy !   Mercy is the application of grace reminding us of the pathetic

condition that our sins/issues produced in us and in others.

!   This verse is especially important for all of us in recovery. It forcefully says three critical things: that we can approach God confidently, that God forgives us and that as a result of His forgiveness, He repairs and recovers us

!   Many times we tend to think that the damage we did in our old lives cannot be overcome(i.e. heart broken relationships, lost marriages, ruined careers, dashed promises)

!   God can not only forgive, but if you trust Him, He can restore, repair, and recover

Completion !   God wants to do more than just “Wipe Away” Your sin condition.

He wants to make you whole so that you can overcome it !   Being in God’s likeness means that I can overcome just like my Father,

Creator, LORD, and my God

!   In Jesus’ first Sermon that we call the Sermon on the Mount, he defines characteristics of those desiring the kingdom of God !   Poor in Spirit – Desperate and Destitute for God !   Those who Mourn – Sense of Helplessness and Hopelessness which

leads to Brokenness (Realizing that God is in Control) !   Hunger and Thirst – Longing to be continually filled !   Pure in Heart – Realize that one doesn’t qualify on his/her standards !   Peacemakers – Realizing that you will endure hardship to gain peace (i.e.

Soldier) !   Those who are Persecuted – Because I pursue God, others may pursue

me to do me harm (Our political system today)

!   Salvation is not a Prosperity Plan – Jesus is the Victor and the One who controls your life; He is not the Vendor

The God Who Provides Salvation

Exodus 34: 5-9: And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering,

and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and

transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon

the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. 8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth,

and worshipped. 9 And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people;

and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

Eleven Attributes of God !   Jehovah

!   The strong or mighty God.

!   The merciful Being, who is full of tenderness and compassion.

!   The gracious One; he whose nature is goodness itself; the loving God.

!   Long-suffering; the Being who, because of his goodness and tenderness, is not easily irritated, but suffers long and is kind.

!   The great or mighty One.

Eleven Attributes of God (Cont’d) !   The bountiful Being; (hesed), he who is exuberant in his

beneficence.

!   The truth or true One; he alone who can neither deceive nor be deceived, who is the fountain of truth, and from whom all wisdom and knowledge must be derived.

!   The preserver of bountifulness; he whose beneficence never ends, keeping mercy for thousands of generations, showing compassion and mercy while the world endures.

!   He who bears away iniquity and transgression and sin: properly, the Redeemer, the Pardoner, the Forgiver; the Being whose prerogative alone it is to forgive sin and save the soul.

!   The righteous Judge, who distributes justice with an impartial hand, with whom no innocent person can ever be condemned.

Hesed Exodus 34:7: Keeping mercy (Hesed) for thousands, forgiving

iniquity and transgression and sin,

"[The Lord] Who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion". Psalm 103:4

!   Hesed - The character or God (YHWH) - Reflects the Purpose and Character of God. It is an uniquely Hebrew word. It doesn't belong to any other language. It is believed that God gave Moses this word.

!   Refers to God's love for his people Israel.

!   (reference: Dr. Skip Moen: At God’s Table: A Hebrew Word Study: http://skipmoen.com/)

Hesed !   There must be a relational connection between the two parties (i.e.

kinsman, covenant) !   Grace does not require me to have a relationship with God. God gives

his gift to me. Once I accept, I have relationship and now enter into Hesed with God

!   Reciprocal Obligation - To the One who shows me Favor !   How do I show reciprocity? Obedience (Grace requires obedience - is

that we are obligated to live for God)

!   Transitivity - Pass it on to someone else (parable of the great debtor)

!   If God has done favor for you and you don't pass it on, then God is legally capable of withdrawing his favor (Matthew 18:23-35)

!   Always Active - Never Passive - I do something about it. !   Be Aware of the Problem and then be obligated to do something about

!   Be Ye Doers of the Word (James 1:22)

!  

God’s Very Nature

!   To be all that you need

!   He is merciful and gracious, longsuffering, forgiving, and abundant in goodness and truth

!   Our relationship with God should be founded in our desperate need for Him and trust that He is able to forgive and restore

!   Our responsibility is to reciprocate with obligation and to pass the Message and show God’s goodness, kindness, mercy, and longsuffering towards others