The gospel of God’s grace—His full provision for man’s sin—is frequently perverted and attacked by nonbelievers. Most false religions deny the free gift of salvation and embrace good works instead.

Another attack on the doctrine of grace comes from within the body of Christ. Some caution that such good news can lead to a lifestyle of sin. They think grace leads people to say, “I am saved no matter what, so why does it matter how I live?”

The apostle Paul anticipates this when he asks, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” (Rom. 6:1).

The answer is no. Paul responds to the question in the very next verse: “May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”(Rom. 6:2). The implication is that it is unthinkable for a Christian to be comfortable continuing in sin. Sin does not stay dormant. It grows. It enslaves. For those in Christ, sin cannot destroy relationship with God, but it will surely damage their testimony and fellowship with Him.

In Romans 6:1, the prefix of the Greek word translated “increase”means super. So the verse really says, “As sin comes, grace comes in a greater way.” In other words, sin may overflow a bit, but grace is like a flood—it is always more than enough, no matter how great the transgression. Sin reached the top of Mt. Sinai, but grace reaches to heavens.

But we do not have license to sin. Abundant grace spurs us to obedience. The rebellious believer reaps what he sows and is a miserable creature.

Remember when Jesus answered Peter’s question about how often he needed to forgive his brother? Peter thought seven times sounded extravagant. But the Lord answered, Seventy times seven,” which in essence meant we are to forgive countless times. Jesus emphasized forgiveness, not keeping score or worrying about others taking advantage of a situation.

If Jesus told Peter that, how much more does He, the Son of God, exercise forgiveness toward us? Surely, we have sinned more than 490 times. And it is the sheer grace of God that He is not counting!

God’s extravagant grace comes into our lives when we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, and in no way should this truth encourage us to be disobedient. The Lord delivers us from the penalty of sin and its power in our lives. Romans 6 emphasizes that we don’t have to sin. What wonderful liberty we have to do what is pleasing to Him!

We should never let opposition to the gospel dilute the overwhelming truth of amazing grace. Critics cannot dampen the transforming, liberating power of God’s free, unconditional, unmerited love and mercy.

Where there is no grace, there is no gospel. On our own, we can do nothing to make ourselves more presentable to God. It is purely by grace—given through Christ, His Spirit, and the Word—that the believer is accepted into God’s family for eternity.

The gospel of grace, though misunderstood, cannot be replaced. It is the cornerstone for all of life, illuminating the goodness of the Lord and attracting us to Him. Delight yourself today God’s amazing gift.

Adapted from Charles F. Stanley’s “Into His Presence” (2000), “Seeking His Face” (2002), and “Handbook for Christian Living” (1996).