Under grace

I was just thinking of Paul’s words in Romans 6:14 and what they mean.

For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.

That is not the most easy sentence to understand. Even Paul knew that, and so he spends the next few verses explaining what he doesn’t mean: that it’s okay for us to indulge in sin.

What does it mean, though?

I think he’s talking about our relationship with God.

The law is for those in rebellion against God. It reveals to them their sin, to some degree it restrains their sin (by putting the fear of punishment in them), and ultimately it judges them for their sin.

But that doesn’t describe us who belong to God.

Because we know the grace and love of God in our lives, we are no longer rebellious towards him, but respond in gratefulness and love for all he’s done for us.

Do such people offer themselves to sin?

No. In love, they offer themselves to God, obeying not because they fear punishment, but from the heart. It is their joy to serve God.

And when they fall, as all of us do, they mourn their sin and repent, but rejoice in the grace of God that washes away their sin. And in their joy, they once again offer themselves to God.

That’s a life under grace.

Are you living under grace?