THE VERSE
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
~Romans 6:14
THE THOUGHT
Yesterday we saw that grace is bigger than we thought, not only forgiving sin but also changing the sinner. Today we will look briefly at one way that grace works practically in the life of a believer.
Despite how you feel at times, despite what your condemning conscience says, despite the accusing whisper in your ear, if you are a believer then Romans 6:14 is true of you. Sin will have no dominion over you. You are no longer enslaved to sin. Its rule has been forever, decisively broken in your life. The Holy Spirit has eternally, irrevocably united you to the life of the risen Christ; you have died with Him, been raised with Him, and are now clothed in the perfection of His righteous life.
And this is how it works out practically in your life: sin will have no dominion over you, since (BECAUSE) you are under grace. Grace breaks the penalty and power of sin in your life. The only sin that you can successfully fight against is forgiven sin. Without the death of Christ and the grace of the gospel, sin’s power is unbroken and unbreakable. But because of God’s love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, we have been given the power to fight sin. Because our sin has been forgiven, it can now be fought.
So as you take up the sword of the Spirit to put to death the deeds of the flesh, keep your eyes fixed on Calvary, where your victory was purchased. Our fight against sin will only be effective as we ground ourselves in the grace of the gospel, continually preaching the gospel to ourselves and reminding ourselves of God’s forgiveness. Without a continual view of the cross, our fight against sin will quickly turn to self-righteousness and legalism, or into despair and surrender. Only by knowing and embracing the full forgiveness of the gospel can we find the power and right motivation to fight sin in our lives.
THE PRAYER
Dear God, Thank you for Your grace, that forgives my sin and gives me a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Your name. Thank you for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, who works within me, reminding me of Your mercy and empowering my obedience. Spirit, Keep my eyes on the cross; make me more and more aware of Jesus’ work on my behalf, so that I can fight sin with all the faith of a justified sinner.
EXTENDED READING
Romans 6:15-23
2 Corinthians 9:8-9
Titus 2:11-14
THE QUOTE
“If I am saved by my works, I have some control. But if I am saved by grace, then there is nothing He cannot ask of me.” ~Tim Keller
This post is written by Brendan Beale, author of Cross Connections