Should we continue to sin so that God’s grace might be displayed? Paul answers emphatically: “Absolutely not!” In the Gospels, Jesus calls us to follow Him, a journey that requires us to take up our cross and embrace a profound transformation — a death to self. We are called to reckon ourselves dead with Christ. Yet, this journey doesn’t end with His death; if we follow Christ in His death, we also rise with Him in His resurrection (Matthew 10:39; 16:24-26; Luke 17:33). United with Christ in both His death and resurrection, death has no dominion over us, and we are no longer enslaved to sin.

In the previous chapter, we were introduced to the glorious doctrine of justification, revealing that through Christ’s sacrifice, we have peace with God, access to His presence, and a future hope of glory. Paul addresses the potential misunderstanding that justification could be seen as a license to sin. This doctrine stands between two heresies: legalism and liberalism. Legalism asserts that we must perform certain works to secure our salvation, while liberalism suggests that since we are justified, we can live however we please. Both views neglect the profound truth of our union with Christ. Legalists, trapped in the belief they must earn their peace, live in uncertainty about their future glory (Hebrews 10:1-18). Conversely, liberals treat Jesus as a mere incantation, using His name to justify selfishness instead of living fully for God. (1 John 1:8, 10)

What Paul emphasizes is our union with Christ relationally — in His death, resurrection, and life. We are no longer slaves to sin (Galatians 5:1). We don’t have to sin; we have been set free. Where sin once bound us with guilt and shame, the cross liberates us through the boundless love of God. When we stumble, Jesus, our advocate, pleads our case. We can choose not to sin; we are set free! If we confess our sins, Jesus will cleanse us (1 John 1:9), and we are indeed set free!

You are free to live for Christ, in Christ, and by Christ!

Father God, I pray that we will continue to allow the truth of Your Son to settle in our hearts. May we embrace the freedom You have given us and recognize the great cost it came with. Jesus, may we draw near to You and take hold of Your righteousness in our daily lives so that we, too, can say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”