Can I Sin More So That I Get More Grace? Part 1

Romans 6:1-3

“What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? By no means! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Berean Study Bible)

So often, Bible teachers, when teaching through Romans 6, teach this section of the Bible as if it is written to believers as a guide for overcoming sin in our lives.

However, this is not the reason Paul wrote Romans 6...not at all.

Paul wrote Romans 6 in response to those who may conclude that since the more they sin, the more grace they get (Romans 5:20), they should just sin all the more so they get more grace.

It is vital to keep the reason Paul wrote Romans 6 in the forefront of our minds as we read and interpret Romans 6.

If Romans 6 is not interpreted based upon Paul’s purpose for writing it, then the interpretation and application will be incorrect.

Let’s take a look at Romans 6 in context.

Paul opens up Romans 6 by asking two questions:

Question #1: “What shall we say then?”

Question #2: “Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase?”

With these questions, Paul is referring back to Romans 5:20 which says:

“The law was given so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”

The law increases sin (the Ten Commandments increase sin - see Romans 7:7-25 as an example).

However, according to Romans 5:20, the more sin increases, the more grace God gives.

Therefore, a person can never out-sin grace.

This biblical truth may lead some to conclude that since an increase in sin leads to an increase of grace then people should sin more so they can receive more grace.

Paul summarizes this false conclusion with the question:

“Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase?”

He then answers the question emphatically:

“By no means!”

The original Greek words are:

“May it never be!”

Paul, very strongly, states that people should never increase sin in their lives so they can get more grace.

He then, in the remainder of Romans 6, teaches why people should never do this.

He begins his teaching by asking two more questions:

Question #1: “How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?”

Question:#2: “Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?”

Let’s take a look at the first question.

Before coming to faith in Jesus to receive forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life, which is the subject of Romans 1-5, we were not in a relationship with God and sin was in charge of our lives.

Yet, while in this condition, God reconciled us to himself through the death of Jesus when he paid for all of our sins (Romans 5:8-11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

Through faith in Jesus, we receive forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life, and experience reconciliation to God - a love relationship with him.

So we see that the purpose for coming to faith in Jesus is not only to receive forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life, but to experience a relationship with God (reconciliation).

God, through his grace in Jesus, did all of this for us.

God provided the law so people would sin more (Romans 5:20), ultimately realizing their need for grace, thus leading them to faith in Jesus (see Romans 7:7-25 for an example) for the purpose of enjoying a relationship with God.

The purpose of the life of a believer is not one of sinning more and receiving more grace, but enjoying a love-relationship with God because of the grace he or she has been given.

This was the purpose of the death and resurrection of Jesus and is our purpose for coming to faith in Jesus...to enjoy a new life...a life whose source is now a relationship with God compelled by his love for us demonstrated in Jesus.

This is why Paul says emphatically, “By no means!” or May it never be!”, when answering the question “Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase?”.

To live in a state of sin (rebellion to God’s love for the purpose of receiving more grace) once coming to faith in Jesus is to miss the entire purpose for the death and resurrection of Jesus, which was to reconcile us to God in a love-relationship, where we enjoy this relationship every moment of every day, rather than live in rebellion to God (sin).

CLICK HERE to read Part Two.