ROMANS 6:15

“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under the Law but under grace? Far from it!”

You’ve probably heard someone say, “There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers.” That may be true in the academia world where students are seeking more knowledge about a subject. They can ask all sorts of questions of their teachers with the hope of learning more. The purpose of that quote above is to encourage students to ask for clarification and to not be afraid of seeking the information they are after.

However…Paul introduces a question today that is really stupid. Pardon me for saying so, but this question is so bizarre that he quickly answers it himself by saying, “Far from it!” It’s very similar to Romans 6:1 that we saw earlier. This whole chapter has been showing us the answer to these two questions. Repetition of thought is important to reinforce learning. That’s exactly what Paul is doing here. He is trying to drive home a point to the Romans and us.

APPLICATION

Concerning this verse, Ellicott’s Commentary says this, “The Apostle returns to a difficulty very similar to that which presented itself at the beginning of the chapter. The answer is couched under a slightly different metaphor. It is no longer death to the one, life to the other, but freedom from the one, service to the other. These are correlative terms. Freedom from sin implies service to God, just as freedom from God means service to sin. The same idea of service and freedom will be found worked out in John 8:32-34; John 8:36, and in Galatians 5:1.”

As followers of Christ, of course, we shouldn’t take grace for granted and sin willfully. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. “Before Christ, we chase sin. After Christ, sin chases us.” Don’t ever think Jesus excuses our sins just because we are in the family. Now wait! I am not saying He doesn’t forgive our sins. I said He doesn’t excuse them. Sins have consequences. We may escape an eternal punishment, but we could face discipline here on earth for repeated disobedience.

You don’t hear that preached much, do you? The whole notion that God is love and would never allow anyone to go to hell is just plain hogwash. It is true that God doesn’t send them there, but they do go because of their refusal to follow Him. As a child of God, we can receive a good ole fashion whooping for our continued disobedience. So, to echo Paul’s answer today in this verse concerning choosing to sin – “Far from it!”

O Lord, keep me far from sin and close to You.

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