One of the most wonderful truths and promises of the Christian gospel is that once a person is saved by grace, he is forever saved – he cannot lose his salvation (John 5:24, 10:29, 17:6,11; Romans 8:35-39; Hebrews 12:2). Some call this the doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints, and others call it the Eternal Security of Believers.

 

Unfortunately, this wonderful truth and biblical promise has been grossly abused by some to employ as a ‘license’ to sin, since they knew they can never lose their salvation, regardless of their post-conversion testimony. Others even propagate a false teaching that one does not need to ‘repent’ or turn from his sinful lifestyles, vices and habitual sins, but it is just enough to simply ’believe’.

 

While it is true that no one can ever earn his own salvation by works or by good deeds, for a person is justified by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8,9). It is God’s design and desire for every Christian to live in newness of life in His Son once he is soundly converted and no longer walk in the ways of Gentiles.

 

For every born-again Christian had been dead in sin in Adam, but having been converted by the grace of God, he is now dead to sin in Christ and should walk in newness of life in Jesus Christ! 

 

Therefore, it is essential that every Christian realizes that he is called to glorify Christ by living for Him as the chief end and not to indulge himself in selfish and fleshly lust by abusing God’s faithful promise to save His chosen people until the end based on the finished work of Christ.

 

We shall now consider a passage which explicitly explains this biblical truth based on the first four verses of the sixth chapter of Apostle Paul’s epistle to the Romans.

 

You were dead in Sin in Adam (6:1)

 

In the opening verse in Romans chapter six, Apostle Paul writes: ‘What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?’ Note the first phrase, ‘what shall we say then,’ is a transition-expression and a debater's phrase.

 

The use of this phrase points to Paul's training in the Rabbinical schools, where questions were propounded and the students encouraged to debate, objections being suddenly interposed and answered (Marvin Vincent, Vincent’s Word Studies). And by saying, ‘Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound,’ it implies that Apostle Paul had anticipated such a question being asked by those who saw grace as a ‘license to sin’ as he opens his argument with a rhetorical question in the first verse which, according to the Greek grammar construction, indicates the writer expects a negative answer from his readers.

 

The word ’continue in sin’ in NT Greek is epimeno (epimenwmen) which means remain, abide, continue or tarry, is a present tense verb which describes one who is habitually or persistently sinning.

 

Marvin Vincent says, ‘The verb means primarily to remain or abide at or with, as 1 Corinthians 16:8; Philippians 1:24; and secondarily, to persevere, as Romans 11:23; Colossians 1:23. So better here, persist.’

 

There is no doubt that some Christians during Paul’s days regarded grace as a ‘license to sin’ and continued to live in sinful lifestyles even after their conversion. They assumed that since that they were saved by grace, they could continue to live in sin, and all that they had to do was to ’believe’ on the Lord Jesus Christ and that there was no need to turn from their evil ways, vices and questionable lifestyles.

 

Their attitude was simply this: ‘I’m free in Jesus—I can do what I want to do’ or ‘free remain in my sinful or immoral lifestyle’. We must not be mistaken to conclude that Paul is suggesting that God would be reluctant to forgive a Christian of his sin (1 John 1:9).

 

Rather, he is arguing against those who presume that a sinning Christian actually magnifies the grace of God, which in fact puts Christ in open shame (Hebrews 6:6). At any rate, if a professing Christian (i.e. one who claims to be a Christian) who has no regard of the consequence of his habitual sin and continues to live in sinful lifestyle without any sense of remorse or penitence. This may raise a big question mark whether he is genuinely saved in the first place.

 

For the Scripture clearly commands one to repent (Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38, 3:19, 8:22, 17:30) and the word ‘repent’ (metanoew) means a change of mind which issues in regret and in change of conduct, and a true evangelical repentance would always bear fruits worthy of repentance  is stronger than are indicative mood presupposes an acquaintance with the moral nature of baptism, and a consequent absurdity in the idea of persisting in sin (Marvin Vincent, Vincent’s Word Studies).

 

What is so absurd is that fact that some Christians actually assume that it is perfectly alright for them to live in sin or continue in sin having professed their faith in Jesus Christ and identified with Christ in His death (v.3) in the spiritual baptism as Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12:13, ‘For by one Spirit are we all baptize into one body…’. This verse also clarifies that Apostle Paul is not referring to spiritual baptism of the Holy Spirit (see also: Matthew 3:11; 1 Corinthians 10:2; Acts 1:5; Romans 8:9-11; Colossians 2:11,12; Titus 3:5;) and not water baptism.   

 

In short, God’s people should never presume Christ’s grace as a ‘license to sin’ nor mislead any unconverted soul to believe that evangelical repentance has no significance in the work of salvation, for the Holy Spirit reproves the world of sin (John 16:8). To this illogical, unbiblical and misleading conclusion, Apostle Paul rebutted in verses two to four of Romans chapter six.

 

To be continued...

By Rev David Weng

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